Food, Environment and Enteric Diseases

The Food, Environment and Enteric Diseases team supports public health through the detection, isolation, characterisation and surveillance of bacterial pathogens in food, water, environmental, veterinary, and clinical sources. The division provides analytical microbiology services to support public health outbreak investigations and the Victorian Department of Health surveillance programs. The science knowledge includes the specific disciplines of food, water and environmental microbiology and associated processing, hygiene and public health safety.

Our Capabilities:

• Analytical microbiology and molecular services to support food, waterborne and environmental outbreak investigations

• Public health safety expertise in food, water and environmental microbiology

• Reference services for enteric pathogens from human, animal, food and environmental sources

• Typing and characterisation using  molecular methods and whole genome sequencing

• Outbreak detection through cluster analysis and exotic isolate identification

Additional Services:

• Ongoing support for Victorian Department of Health surveillance programs

• Collaboration with national and local health authorities during investigations

• Advice on sampling and transport of primary specimens including provision of sample collection kits