Source: Daniel Y.C. Fung, 785-532-1208, dfung@k-state.edu
http://www.k-state.edu/media/mediaguide/bios/fungbio.html
News release prepared by: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, 785-532-6415,
ebarcomb@k-state.edu
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
K-STATE EXPERT IN REAL-TIME TESTING SAYS E. COLI TEST USED IN PREPARATION FOR BEIJING OLYMPICS WILL IMPROVE FOOD SAFETY, PUBLIC HEALTH FOR THE EVENT
MANHATTAN -- While the world's athletes train for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Chinese officials are working to get the host country's food safety practices in shape.
According to a Kansas State University microbiologist and expert in real-time testing, the key to China's food safety fitness will be keeping E. coli in check. Daniel Y.C. Fung, a professor of food science at K-State, said E. coli is an important indicator pathogen.
"If you find E. coli, something is wrong," Fung said. "E. coli is an indicator of pollution. Usually you will have some fecal material somewhere."
At a large event like the Olympics in a city as large as Beijing, food contamination has the potential to affect a large number of people in a small area. China is working to improve its food safety standards, and Fung said it's not uncommon to test for air quality or food contaminants at events like the Olympics.
"You're talking about millions of people running around and eating and drinking," Fung said. "That's why testing is important for a large event like this."
Although not easily spread, E. coli can indicate the presence of other pathogens like salmonella, clostridium and listeria. Fung said that testing for E. coli is important because testing for multiple pathogens simultaneously is difficult.
"There's not really a system to detect all of these pathogens at once," he said. "E. coli is the largest volume pathogen. It indicates the quality of the environment, food and animals. It's a good idea to monitor it."
What makes the E. coli testing method used for the Beijing Olympics interesting, Fung said, is its speed. He said he is amazed the tests used next summer in China will provide results in about 20 minutes. Other E. coli testing methods can take hours, he said.
In spite of the testing technology available, Fung said one of the best methods for keeping Olympic spectators and participants safe from contaminated food is a bottle of hand sanitizer. It kills about 99 percent of germs and has become common, if not mandatory, in another venue with a high concentration of people and potential for food contamination -- cruise ships.
Fung said that although cruise ships caught flack for outbreaks of novovirus several years ago, passengers most likely picked it up on their ports of call by eating at local establishments with lax food safety standards. Whether tourists eat during a stop on a cruise or at a Beijing food stand at the Olympic Games this summer, Fung said diners should be reasonably cautious about food contamination.
"In spite of everything we hear about outbreaks, compared to the amount of food eaten every day it's actually a very small number of people who are affected," he said.