The University of Guelph has two food science experts who can discuss the salmonella outbreak currently affecting large parts of Canada.
The outbreak has sickened at least 63 people in six provinces, including 18 who have been hospitalized. The source of the outbreak is still unknown and new illnesses continue to be reported.
Prof. Lawrence Goodridge holds the Leung Family Professorship in Food Safety in U of G’s Department of Food Science.
He studies ways to integrate genomics to detect food- and water-borne bacterial pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli and listeria. He also recently took part in a Genome Canada-funded project to detect salmonella in fresh produce.
In his new professorship role, Goodridge is pursuing interdisciplinary research on food-borne pathogens, antibiotic resistance and food fraud.
Prof. Keith Warriner is also available to discuss the outbreak. A professor in U of G’s Department of Food Science, Warriner researches food safety, food microbiology and pathogens.
Warriner recently appeared on CTV’s Your Morning to discuss what steps to take to avoid salmonella infection and what symptoms to watch for. He also discussed with CTVNews.ca the recent salmonella problem linked to improperly cooked frozen chicken products.
Contact:
Prof. Lawrence Goodridge
goodridl@uoguelph.ca
Prof. Keith Warriner
kwarrine@uoguelph.ca