Almost everything in life involves risks. Even our daily intake of food is not without hazards. To be confident about the quality of the food we consume, consumers should be able to rely on regulations and measures in the food industry that are implemented and controlled by the authorities. However, to make the regulatory framework effective, reliable diagnostic tools and efficient monitoring programs are essential. Prionics plays an important role in contributing to food safety and the protection of consumer health by providing innovative diagnostic solutions for a number of health threatening farm animal diseases.

At Prionics, one key area of our focus is on the zoonotic diseases; that is, those diseases and infections that are transmitted from animals to man. Over 200 zoonoses have been identified, many of which have been known for centuries. These diseases involve all types of agents: bacteria, parasites, viruses and unconventional agents.

In this edition of eScope you'll read about two proven and one suspected zoonosis. A very well-known and serious zoonosis is Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). To date, the consumption of BSE infected food has caused over 180 deaths from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Italian scientists are now proposing that the actual origin of BSE might be a spontaneous occurring disease in cattle. Read on to find out more about these new findings.

Many other serious diseases fall under the category of zoonoses and are listed in the EC Zoonoses Directive, which applies within the jurisdiction of the European Union. One example is the worm causing Trichinellosis which appears on the A list of the EC Directive specifying zoonoses and zoonotic agents that are to be monitored independent of the epidemiological situation. In our article about Trichinellosis, Prionics introduces its latest innovation for the fast, reliable and cost-efficient detection of Trichinella worms.

Paratuberculosis, a disease affecting mainly cattle, is a disease that may be soon identified as a zoonosis if the suspected link between the disease and Crohn's disease in humans can be confirmed. In this issue, we discuss the latest evidence available that may link the two diseases.

Enjoy reading!

Dr. Marjan van der Haar
Corporate Communications