Research summary
The World Health Organization estimates that foodborne pathogens cause more than 600 million illnesses and 450,000 deaths each year. One third of these deaths are in children under the age of five. A One Health approach—emphasizing the connections between human, animal and environmental health—is vital to addressing food safety risks and eliminating foodborne diseases.
Dr. Lawrence Goodridge, Canada Research Chair in Foodborne Pathogen Dynamics, aims to advance our understanding of what strategies foodborne pathogens from animal hosts use to infect humans (an area known as zoonotic foodborne pathogenic dynamics). He and his team are also studying the role of horizontal gene transfer in the spread of antimicrobial and heavy metal resistance in foodborne pathogens. Ultimately, they hope to improve the detection of outbreaks caused by foodborne pathogens by developing better active surveillance systems.