Stephen Oliver on the Success of Foodborne Pathogens & Disease
Journal Interview: June 2010
Have there been specific developments in the fields served by Foodborne Pathogens and Disease that may have contributed?
Acute gastroenteritis affects several million people in the US annually, and an estimated 22% to 30% of these cases are thought to be foodborne disease. Approximately one of four Americans may experience some form of foodborne illnesses each year, according to data provided by the CDC.
Additionally, growing media coverage of large outbreaks has sometimes called into question the safety of our food supply. Although the causes of many outbreaks reported to the CDC are unknown, the leading known causes are of viral and bacterial origin.
Recent estimates also put the costs of foodborne disease outbreaks between $2 billion and $4 billion dollars annually.
Foodborne Pathogens & Disease was created to fill this void, and publishes research and reviews on many timely topics in the area of food safety, such as emerging foodborne pathogens, health problems/disease caused by foodborne pathogens, emergence of drug resistance in foodborne pathogens, methods to detect foodborne pathogens, strategies to destroy or mitigate foodborne pathogens in food production and processing environments, and development of novel strategies for the prevention and control of plant and animal diseases that impact food safety.
The reality is that most microbiological journals only devote a subsection to this area, if any, with three or four research articles being published per issue. Foodborne Pathogens & Disease has helped bridge the gap between science and instituting policy to reduce the burden of foodborne illness worldwide.
What, in your view, is this journal's main significance or contribution in the field of Agricultural Sciences?
Foodborne Pathogens & Disease is the perfect forum for the distribution of information in the growing area of food safety and food biosecurity. Foodborne Pathogens & Disease publishes original full-length research papers and short communications on foodborne pathogens and diseases caused by foodborne pathogens.
The scope of the journal is comprehensive and includes topics such as those previously discussed. Foodborne Pathogens & Disease also publishes timely reviews and special reports, and is committed to rapid and high-quality peer review of submitted manuscripts, and rapid publication of papers.
"Foodborne Pathogens & Disease fills a significant void in the universe of journals because it is the only scientific peer-reviewed journal that focuses exclusively on foodborne pathogens and diseases caused by these important pathogens."
Foodborne Pathogens & Disease is a unique journal fulfilling a very important function designed to better link food safety knowledge to the medical, veterinary, public health, regulatory and scientific communities.
The contents of the journal are of interest to those interested in food microbiology, food safety, and foodborne pathogens. Epidemiologists, microbiologists, veterinarians, medical doctors, food safety specialists, and food scientists are also interested in this journal.
How do you see your field(s) evolving in the next few years?
Foodborne Pathogens & Disease has rapidly established itself as a premier, peer-reviewed journal in the field of food safety microbiology. In addition to publishing original research reports and state-of-the art reviews on various aspects of food safety microbiology, the journal has pioneered several innovative features, such as Foodborne Disease Trends and Reports, as well as special thematic issues on topics of high interest to its readers, as noted.
We hope that Foodborne Pathogens & Disease will continue to break new ground and serve as a valuable resource throughout the world for disseminating important information on food safety research and developments.
What role do you see for your journal?
Foodborne Pathogens & Disease has become one of the leading food safety journals. It is one of the most inclusive scientific journals covering an array of issues related to foodborne pathogens from at every stage of food production, including control strategies, antimicrobial resistance, pathogen detection and characterization, as well as emerging pathogens.
The broad array of high-quality and timely research and review articles are of interest to researchers, educators, regulators, and clinicians, as well as the consumer, and regularly published Foodborne Disease Trends and Reports are well written and informative.
Published findings will continue to provide information essential to meeting public health objectives related to food safety.
Foodborne Pathogens & Disease
Stephen P. Oliver, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers
FOODBORNE PATHOGENS & DISEASE'S CURRENT MOST-CITED PAPER IN ESSENTIAL SCIENCE INDICATORS, WITH 112 CITES:
Ribot EM, et al., "Standardization of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis protocols for the subtyping of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Shigella for PulseNet," Foodborne Pathog. Dis. 3(1): 59-67, Spring 2006. Source: Essential Science Indicators from Thomson Reuters .
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- Foodborne Pathogens & Disease was named as a Rising Star in May 2010.
KEYWORDS: FOODBORNE PATHOGENS, DISEASES, FOOD SAFETY, PUBLIC HEALTH, PULSENET, BACTERIAL DNA FINGERPRINTING ELECTRONIC NETWORK, OMICS TECHNOLOGIES, FARM-TO-FORK, ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE, SAFE FOOD SUPPLY, AGROTERRORISM, ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS, JOURNAL GROWTH.