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Staphylococcus (S.) aureus in the dairy food chain in Zambia - combating foodborne disease and antimicrobial resistance in humans (SAD-Zambia)

07/2016-08/2019

This third-party funded project is conducted in the framework of the BfR research programme on the safety of national and international supply chains.

BMEL support programme: World food affairs

BLE grant number: 2815DOKP04

Project homepage: -

Project description:

The project’s ultimate goal is to reduce the health risks experienced by consumers and producers related to Staphylococcus (S.) aureus in the dairy food chain in Zambia as a prerequisite to improve food security in the country. Specific objectives are risk assessment of milk/milk products as a source of enterotoxigenic and/or methicillin-resistant S. aureus and adopting methods of monitoring zoonotic and antimicrobial resistant S. aureus in the dairy value chain to the Zambian situation.

The project’s purposes are to understand to what extent the dairy value chain contributes to the burden of S. aureus-induced foodborne disease. The milk value chain has been chosen as milk is a highly valuable food from the nutrition point of view, but it  may also pose a risk to consumers as source of pathogenic bacteria such as enterotoxigenic S. aureus/MRSA. The project will provide prevalence data on enterotoxigenic S. aureus/MRSA in Zambia and will set-up diagnostic tools,  both of which areneeded as prerequisites to identify and implement suitable interventions and subsequent monitoring tools. These may also be of added value for other zoonotic pathogens. Moreover, the increased knowledge about S. aureus/MRSA in the Zambian milk value chain will help to prepare a better and more valuable risk assessment. The project will also enhance and consolidate networking and capacity building in research and development in Zambia, which may be useful to overcome future challenges in the context of global food security

Project partners:

• International Livestock Research Institute, Zambia
• University of Zambia, Zambia
• Central Veterinary Research Institute, Zambia

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