Lee-Ann Jaykus, Ph.D., is a recently retired Distinguished Professor in Emeritus status. In her nearly three decades of university service, Dr. Jaykus taught food safety at both graduate and undergraduate levels; managed a large research program that included mentorship of over 60 young professionals; and authored or co-authored more than 200 scientific publications. She served as the Scientific Director of the USDA-NIFA Food Virology Collaborative (NoroCORE) from 2011–2018. Dr. Jaykus' other professional activities are vast and include membership on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and various National Academy of Sciences standing committees and consensus studies. She served as President of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) from 2010–2011.
Non-cultivable foodborne pathogens, such as enteric viruses and protozoan parasites like Cyclospora, present unique challenges in our food system due to significant limitations in sampling and detection. This article covers the methodological drawbacks of current methods related to interpretation of results and public health risk, while offering alternative food safety management principles to address the prevalence of these pathogens in food.
Food safety professionals have always been faced with “difficult to inactivate” pathogens, most of which have provided the motivation for the historical development of food processing technologies ranging from commercial sterilization to ionizing radiation.
