Development of efficacious strategies for prevention and treatment of foodborne diseases relies in part on the tools of molecular biology. Numerous advances have been made in understanding the molecular basis of virulence mechanisms and toxin biosynthesis in organisms that contaminate food and feed through the use of molecular and cellular biological techniques. Microbial Foodborne Diseases: Mechanisms of Pathogenicity and Toxin Synthesis serves as an advanced text on these techniques, providing useful, up-to-date information by recognized authorities on the molecular mechanisms of pathogenicity and toxin production of some of the most important foodborne pathogens. This book's main focus is on the molecular and cellular processes that govern pathogenicity and toxin production in foodborne pathogens-viral, bacterial, fungal, and protozoan. It includes current information related to the association of the pathogen with particular foods (and water), epidemiology, methods of early detection, toxicology, and economic impact of the pathogen.Microbial Foodborne Diseases: Mechanisms of Pathogenicity and Toxin Synthesis covers selected organisms from five major pathogen groups including Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, toxigenic fungi and marine organisms, parasitic protozoa, and viruses and related infectious agents. Recognized authorities in the field provided each chapter. These chapters contain detailed, up-to-date information on the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, including virulence factors and toxins which influence adherence, colonization, host-cell entry, and resistance to host immune response mechanisms. Chapters on toxigenic fungi and marine dinoflagellates cover advances in the molecular biology of toxin synthesis in detail. Microbial Foodborne Diseases also discusses important new areas of research, with implications toward the development of strategies for the control of the disease process.Microbial Foodborne Diseases: Mechanisms of Pathogenicity and Toxin Synthesis is designed for scientists involved in food microbiology and safety, as well as human and veterinary medicine, both at the graduate and post-graduate level. In addition to serving as an invaluable reference resource, this book is of particular interest to molecular biologists who desire the latest information on the molecular mechanisms governing the disease process. It should serve as a valuable tool in the rational design of preventative controls and therapeutic approaches to the disease process.