Foodborne Diseases and the Impact of Zoonotic Transmission on the Gastrointestinal Health of Wildlife Species

Abstract

Zoonotic diseases that are transmitted through food are a significant global risk to gastrointestinal (GI) health, with high morbidity, mortality, and long-term morbidity. Salmonella, Campylobacter, ST137 E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Yersinia enterocolitica are all known causes of foodborne illness in the world. There are still significant gaps in the knowledge of the actual disease burden, long-term GI sequelae, and environmental and host factors related to the pathogen transmission, as the WHO, the CDC, and EFSA have extensive surveillance. The goal of this review is to summarize the existing data on epidemiology, pathogenesis, and population health burden of significant foodborne zoonotic pathogens and identify the areas of prevention strategies in accordance with a One Health approach. This paper also explores the impact of zoonotic transmission on the gastrointestinal health of wildlife species, highlighting the ecological and public health implications. A narrative review approach was utilized using peer-reviewed articles, datasets of global burden, and international surveillance reports. The results show that bacterial zoonoses remain at the top of the world disease indicators and bring millions of diseases annually, and highly cost the economy. The pathogenesis includes epithelial invasion, toxin-dependent damage, inflammation, interference of the microbiota, and immune-mediated sequelae. The interventions need to be integrated, farm-to-fork, with increased surveillance and multisectoral collaboration to aid in prevention. The remaining gaps are underreporting, insufficient genomic surveillance, incomplete comprehension of chronic outcomes, and the up-and-coming role of antimicrobial resistance and climate change. These challenges need to be tackled to minimize the burden of foodborne zoonotic diseases in the world.