Microbial Research Activities

The Food Microbiology Research Division (MRD) studies the safety of foods with respect to infectious and toxigenic bacterial, viral and parasitic microorganisms, defines the conditions leading to survival, growth and toxin production of these organisms and recommends measures of control to improve the safety of foods. This Division also develops methods for detecting these microorganisms and toxins in foods. The data generated from these scientific activities provide important analytical and scientific advice to the Evaluation Division and other departments towards such activities as health risk assessment and the development of appropriate guidelines, policies and standards to safeguard the Canadian consumer against microbial food contaminants. The research laboratories are:

• Campylobacter Laboratory
• Clostridium Research Laboratory
• Cronobacter Research Laboratory
• Food Virology Laboratory
• Listeria Research Laboratory
• Parasitology Laboratory
• Research on Emerging Technologies
• Salmonella Laboratory
• Shigella - Aeromonas Laboratory
• Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli Laboratory
• Vibrio Laboratory

In addition to research, the Division is responsible for the operations of a number of national Reference Centres for Canada:

• the Botulism Reference Service for Canada
• the Canadian Camplobacter Research Network
• the Food and Environmental Parasitology Network
• the Food and Environmental Virology Network
• the Food Virology Reference Centre
• the Listeriosis Reference Centre
• the Vibrio Reference Centre
• the ViroNetwork
• the VTEC Network