Foodborne bacterial pathogens continue to pose a serious threat to public health and represent an economic burden in developed countries. These pathogens encounter many environmental stresses during food production, processing, storage, and distribution. Exposure to stress can induce various degrees of cellular injury depending on stress intensity and the physiological state of individual cells within the population. The injured cells may enter a non-culturable physiological state, in which the cells remain metabolically active, retain their pathogenic properties, and possess the ability to resuscitate under favorable conditions. These cells do not grow in conventional pre-enrichment media used for the detection of pathogenic bacteria in food and environmental samples, and may therefore go undetected during routine monitoring. These cells are presumed to be a significant potential risk for foodborne diseases. Thus, elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the induction and action of stress responses as well as resuscitation of the injured cells is essential for the development and implementation of more effective control measures. Moreover, such research will ultimately lead to more effective design and sequencing of processing steps, thereby preserving the nutritive value of food while ensuring maximum safety for the consumer.
