Pathogens in Raw Milk

Student
David Mueller
s2942319
Bachelor of Environmental Health

Course Name and Course Convenor

2113 MED Food and Drug Safety Management
Zoe Murray

Assessment Name
Critical Essay
Pathogens in raw milk

Word Limit
1500 words

Date Submitted
17/09/2015

CRITICAL ESSAY PATHOGENS IN RAW MILK

Introduction
Food borne diseases are a rising risk to public health and control mechanism for preventing
outbreaks are in place for many kinds of food. Raw milk can carry a number of harmful bacteria or
germs that are dangerous to human health. These pathogens cause a threat to the broad public and
risk management plans are in place. Especially the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium, found in
unpasteurised milk, is a great risk. Most vulnerable parts of the population are the elderly, people
with a weakened immune system and pregnant women. The presence of these pathogens is due to
direct contact with contaminated sources and to excretion from the udder of an infected animal
(Oliver, 2005). This report will concentrate in L.monocytogenes, because it can grow at low
temperature with an increase hazardous during storage of milk products (Pitt, 1999) and can cause
severe illnesses. The aim of this essay is to illustrate the dangers of unpasteurised milk, the effect
of the pathogen on the human body and to show what kind of risk management strategies are in
place. At first the essay will look at sources of L.monocytogenes, investigating its pathogenic
properties followed by current prevention strategies.
Issue identification
L.monocytogenes is an emerging bacterial food borne pathogen which causes listeriosis,
characterised by meningitis, encephalitis, septicaemia and bacteraemia in pregnant women
(Churchill, 2006). The issue is the contamination of milk during the production cycle with pathogenic
micro-organism, especially L.monocygenes, is considered a public health concern to the dairy
industry, because the pathogen has the ability to grow at low temperatures and increases its
toxicology during storage (Pitt, 1999). These abilities of the bacterium causes a health risk through
the consumption of raw milk and raw milk products. Therefor causes a significant risk to the broad
public with elderly, immune suppressed individuals and pregnant women in special.
L.monocytogenes is a well-recognised cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity, which can cause
premature labour, stillbirth or even abortion. Pregnant woman and with her the unborn child are
particularly susceptible to this disease (Darling, 1980). Because of the effects on the mother and the
fatal impact on the unborn child, the consumption of raw milk product for pregnant women possess
a very high risk.
Hazard Characterisation
Listeria infections are food born and are first recognised in laboratory animals in Cambridge 1924. A
rise in infections in the 1980s renewed interest in the disease and great advances in understanding
and detecting the pathogen were made since than (McLauchlin, 2004). Clinical trials on humans are
especially ethical not allowed, therefor dose-response relations have been developed and evaluated
based on expert elicitations, epidemiological or animal data, or combinations of these (WHO). It is
nevertheless proven that L.monocytogenes presents is a great risk to human health. The hazard to
get infected with the pathogen will be dramatically reduced if food is heated above 75 degree, wash
raw vegetables (because of cross contamination), store raw food separately and use only clean
kitchenware to prepare food (Sheff, 2003).Traditionally cultural methods are used to identify
L.monocytogenes, based on sugar fermentation and haemolytic properties. But because they are
lengthy more rapid methods based on antibodies (ELISA) or molecular techniques (PCR DNA
hybridisation) are used as well (Gasanov, 2005). To identify the pathogens and to distinguish
between subtypes, Pulse- Field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is the preferred method of analyses
(Labb, 2013).

DAVID MUELLER

CRITICAL ESSAY PATHOGENS IN RAW MILK

Exposure assessment
The exposure rate with L.monocytogenes via raw milk cheese (RMc) and pasteurised milk cheese
(PMc) is significant. RMc has a contamination rate of 2.19log10CFU/g compared to PMc with 1.73log10CFU/g. Taking now high risk (HR) and low risk LR) groups into account, we get a mean
probability of illness from raw milk cheese for the LR group of 7x10power-8 compared to the HR
group with 9x10power-4 (Tiwari, 2015). These numbers show us a significant increase of the hazard
to the exposure with L.monocytogenes if we use raw milk. The limitation of the study is that it is about
the cheese production, but the main ingredient is milk and we can therefor use the results to illustrate
the significant higher exposure with the pathogen in unpasteurised milk and the much higher risk for
people with a weakened immune system to consume such product. L.monocytogenes will not occur
when pH<4.4, water activity <0.92, refrigerated shelf live <5 days and frozen food (Australian New
Zealand Standards Code). The limit is specified as absence in 5 consecutive 25g samples (Pitt,
1999). L.monocytogenes has a mortality rate of about 24% in the high risk group (Farber, 1991)
Risk characterisation
Based on data from the exposure assessment, a dose-response model was created. With this the
calculation of the probability of contracting listeriosis can be computed. Results are given the
occurrence of illness in 10 million people.
The numbers show us that the risk of getting infected with listeriosis is very low at 9.1 cases per 10
million people per year (5.0x10power-9), with 0.005 cases of listeriosis per one million servings of
milk. Because of the high consumption of milk it contributes substantial to the total number (WHO).

Risk management strategies

Effective and unbiased risk management strategies based on science is required by all stakeholders,
which includes the food industry, governments and the consumer itself. In addition to necessary
harmonisation of international standards for a global food market (Montarjemi, 2014). That means,
that it is not only one groups responsibility to watch over the hygiene standards, but food safety
standards are an important factor for every part in the food chain. The Australian government is
following this strategy with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Oz FoodNet is another
control mechanism from the government. It states that every State and Territory legislation requires
laboratories and doctors to report any infection with L.monocytogenes in a timeline fashion (Oz
FoodNet). Alternative to microbiological criteria to reduce the risk to the public, mandatory and nonmandatory guidelines, industry-based code of practise and self-regulation is in place. The
government also focuses on consumer education and the reliance on other legislation, such as the
Food and Health Acts (Food Standards Australia New Zealand).
Conclusion
Food borne diseases, especially listeriosis caused from L.monocytogenes in raw milk and its
products, is a great risk to the public health. The infection of the milk can occur already at the milking
process and because of the pathogens ability to thrive during storage, it has great potential to cause
harm especially to immune suppressed groups and pregnant women. The high amount of
consumption of milk products in combination with a high mortality rate in listeriosis infection are major
points to find strategies to guaranty the safety of the broad public. Different food safety standards
are in place in Australia to assure safe consumption of milk and derived products. The most important
one is the pasteurisation of the milk prior further processing or consumption. As laboratory results
confirmed, that will lower the contamination rate with L.monocytogenes of the milk significant.
DAVID MUELLER

CRITICAL ESSAY PATHOGENS IN RAW MILK

References
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Darling, M., R. (1980). Listeria monocytogenes infection during pregnancy. Journal of Obstetric &
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Farber, J., M. And Peterkin, P., I. (1991). Listeria monocytogenes, a food borne pathogen.
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Pitt, W., M., Harden, T., J. And Hull, R., R. (1999). Listeria monocytogenes in milk and dairy products.
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DAVID MUELLER

CRITICAL ESSAY PATHOGENS IN RAW MILK

10.1111/risk.12332
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DAVID MUELLER