Characterization of miRNAs and their targets in food animal pathogen infection models for potential use as markers for improvement of food safety

Zoonoses are infectious diseases transmissible from animals to humans. Foodborne diseases derived from zoonotically-infected food products pose a threat to human health, resulting in billions of dollars in health care costs as well as product recalls by the food industry.

The long-term goal of this project is to develop tools to reduce the number of zoonotic organisms entering the food chain, through the possible use of microRNAs, ultimately improving the existing food-safety controls.