Foodborne diseases are a significant public health threat. They occur both in developed and developing countries with different characteristic epidemiological patterns and economic burden. Most foodborne diseases are sporadic and often not reported, but sometimes foodborne outbreaks may affect a large number of individuals and compromise economic sectors and sanitary resources. Contamination of foods can occur at any point along the food chain, while pathogenic microorganisms enter the body through the ingestion of contaminated food. There are a number of recent advances in Food microbiology including the development of novel methodologies and tools for detection of pathogens, the growing availability of genome sequences which provide unlimited information on bacterial physiology and give clues for the control of pathogenic microorganisms, the expanding knowledge on the epidemiology of emerging pathogens, and the extensive application of molecular genomics and postgenomics tools for deciphering the behavior of foodborne pathogens in food-related environments.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to understand the epidemiology and behaviour of foodborne pathogenic microorganisms, improve their detection in foods, and design effective control strategies using a farm-to-fork perspective.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Epidemiological studies including source attribution, disease prevalence, and incidence
• Risk assessment and management including control strategies along the food chain
• Mathematical modelling of microbial growth and inactivation in foods
• Molecular typing and detection techniques aimed at foodborne pathogens
• Elucidation of stress responses and their impact for food safety
• Novel strategies for the control of foodborne pathogens