Preventing infection from foodborne pathogens in liver transplant patients.
Patients who have had an orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) experience impaired immune function resulting from the disease process and the therapeutic use of immunosuppressive and antibacterial drugs. Immunoimpairment increases the risk of foodborne illness from bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. This article describes the organisms known to cause clinically important infections and their food sources, the distinctive clinical consequences of the infection in patients who have had an OLT, and methods of preventing foodborne illness in these patients and others. Dietitians are the health care providers typically responsible for teaching OLT patients and their caregivers about safe food handling and appropriate food choices.
Cabelof
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DC
School of Nursing, St Francis Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15201.
D005511:Food Handling / Q000592:standards*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D016266:Food Parasitology; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000276:immunology; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D012449:Safety