Infections and intoxications associated with animal feed and forage which may present a hazard to human health.

Animal feed or forage may be the source of a limited number of infections for farm animals that could lead to human illness. Likely organisms include Salmonella enterica, Toxoplasma gondii, Trichinella spiralis and possibly the agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The risk to human health from other infectious agents which may contaminate either feed or forage appear to be either negligible, e.g. Bacillus anthracis and Mycobacterium bovis, or non-existent, e.g. Clostridium botulinum toxin and Listeria monocytogenes. Mycotoxins present in animal feed can result in foods of animal origin also containing them. This risk is well recognized but has yet to be quantified accurately and in some instances the risk may be of theoretical rather than practical importance. Pesticides, agricultural and industrial chemicals, heavy metals and radionuclides may pollute animal feed and forages. The methods available for controlling pollution from these sources are well understood from a technical point of view although the effective implementation of controls can be difficult. Copyright 2000 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.