UF professor researches foodborne diseases
A UF researcher has found that one in 10 people globally suffer from foodborne diseases.
Arie Havelaar, a UF professor who studies global food safety, said he has been studying 31 different disease-causing agents such as bacteria, viruses and chemicals for eight years. Foodborne diseases can make people sick and are more common than people realize, Havelaar said.
Havelaar said he hopes his study will educate people on how frequently foodborne illnesses occur. The 31 agents were selected from more than 200 bacteria and chemicals by seeking out which ones resulted in the most illnesses or deaths.
“We document about one out of every 10 people globally suffers from foodborne disease,” Havelaar said. “It is an important spectrum of diseases that needs to be effectively controlled.” He said he hopes the research helps combat the number of people who contract foodborne diseases.
“It means that governments need to give it priority, and everybody in the food industry needs to be aware that they are basically in control of the safety of the foods,” Havelaar said.
Havelaar said he also wants his research to help people when they are choosing food. The food they buy may carry disease-causing agents and should be prepared properly. The majority of foodborne illness affects children in low-income countries, such as those in Africa and Southeast Asia, Havelaar said. However, disease prevention should be enforced globally.
Prevention is necessary everywhere, even in places like the U.S. and Europe, Havelaar said.
- Maddie Haist
Research suggests farmers should use 10-day forecasts
In a study published in the journal Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, researchers found that Australian wheat farmers who use a 10-day forecast had the best success in increasing crop yield.
Senthold Asseng, the lead author of the study and professor of agricultural and biological engineering, started the study in Australia but moved to Gainesville five years ago to continue his research at UF.
He said that when farmers reviewed short-term forecasts before making decisions about managing their crops, they had better success in the long term with the number of crops that could be harvested.
“You can change the management of crops based off this forecast and make more money from agriculture,” Asseng said.
He said that expected profits from better crop yield will encourage farmers to look at weather 10 days in advance.
“I think Australia, when they become aware of this study, will change their practices,” Asseng said. “Money could be made from this knowledge.”
He used new technology to conduct his research, he said. This allowed him to combine simulation models to better understand the different effects that weather has on crops.
Asseng believes the next step in his research will be to replicate the study in new regions and hopes that new funding will allow him to continue his research in the southeastern U.S.
“This is a very important agricultural region,” he said, because of the high number of crops that can grow there.
- Meryl Kornfield
Research shows DNA can be preserved in antifreeze, hand sanitizer
UF researchers have found that DNA can be preserved in materials such as antifreeze, which is used to lower the freezing point of water-based liquids, and hand sanitizer.
The study, published in the journal Invertebrate Systematics, found that these cheaper and less dangerous materials could make it possible for citizen scientists or scientists out in the field to keep DNA specimens intact.
Andrea Lucky, an assistant research scientist for the study, said the researchers wanted scientists who lack professional tools to be able to collect and secure DNA samples.
Researchers used materials different from those typically used to preserve DNA, she said. Before this study, scientists used 95 percent ethanol or pure propylene glycol, which are both dangerous and expensive.
The DNA of ambrosia beetles was tested in the study, Lucky said. Researchers stored the insects in various mediums for about a week to see how well-preserved their DNA would be.
Lucky said she supervised the lab that Sedonia Steininger, the lead author of the study, used to complete her research. The researchers in the study also collaborated with a scientist in North Carolina.
The next step in this research is to figure out how long specimens can be preserved, she said.
“Short term preservation — about a week or so — works great,” she said.
Lucky said she hopes this will be a cheaper and easier way for scientists to collect and preserve samples.
“This opens the door for broader participation,” she said.
- Meryl Kornfield
