Keeping our food safe to eat

Microbiologist Ashley Sabol extracts Listeria bacteria for genome sequencing in a foodborne disease

outbreak lab at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. The nation's

disease detectives are beginning a program to try to outsmart outbreaks by routinely decoding the DNA of

deadly bacteria and viruses. Photo: AP Photo/David Goldman

Scientists are coming up with new ways to prevent people from getting sick from

their food. They are using DNA.

DNA holds the information that tells all living things how to grow and work. Every

creature's DNA is different.

Each year, 48 million Americans get sick from tiny living things in their food.

These living things are called pathogens. About 128,000 people end up going

to hospitals every year. Three thousand die, U.S. health officials say.

That could soon change.

Scientists are working to put together information about pathogens. They are

also trying to map the pathogens' DNA. It is called sequencing.

Using DNA could make it quicker to track diseases spread by food.

By Scientific American, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.11.15

Word Count 617

Take The Map

Genome Trakr is one program. It wants to map the DNA of 100,000 types of

pathogens found in food.

The DNA maps allow scientists to tell one type of microbe from another. A

microbe is a tiny living thing. If microbes can be told apart from each other,

disease outbreaks can be stopped faster. The DNA maps will be put online.

Scientists and health workers will use them for free.

It has already helped stop serious disease outbreaks. In 2012, scientists found

DNA of salmonella in tuna sushi. Salmonella, a type of bacteria, made 258

people sick. The tuna was handled at a factory in India. The U.S. government

investigated. It found 10 cleanliness problems at the factory.

Genome Trakr's list of pathogens would be huge. It should speed up this kind of

detective work. China has joined in. Scientists there will map DNA for another

10,000 different types of living things.

DNA Library Of Life

There is also another large project. It is called the International Barcode of Life

(iBOL). The project is building a DNA library of all life on Earth. It offers a global

online listing of DNA labels. The labels are sort of like the lines on food

packaging. These are called bar codes. Bar codes hold information that can be

read by computers.

The project has already created more than 2.6 million bar-code records. They

cover almost 200,000 types of plants and animals. It is aiming to reach 500,000

species by the end of 2015.

Scientists are also using barcodes to keep track of food. They want to make

sure the food we buy is what the label says it is. This prevents tricks called food

fraud.

They want to be able to trace food from the farm to when we eat it.

A 2015 report used bar coding to identify imported poisonous puffer fish. The

fish were being sold in the United States. The people who sold them said they

were puffer fish types that were not poisonous.

Bar Codes On Bananas

Finally, there is a new company called DNATrek. It is creating bar codes for food

items. The technology consists of DNA information from plants. The bar codes

are odorless, colorless and tasteless. They can be mixed with waxes and oils

already used on foods. Then the bar codes are sprayed on foods. The DNA

information are like invisible bar codes. It can be added when food is moved. It

can be added at the farm, the shipper, the packer and even the store.

Anthony Zografos started DNATrek. He says the tags can be read in about 20

minutes. The food can then be tracked back to where it came from immediately,

he said. Right now this takes weeks or months, he said.

Zografos thinks that cellphones may one day have apps to read the bar codes.

The app could also find bad bacteria in a food. Then we can make sure of what

we are eating by holding our phones over it.

Quiz

1 Aside from preventing sickness, which sentence explains another reason scientists

want to track food using DNA?

(A) The project has already created more than 2.6 million bar-code

records.

(B) A 2015 report used bar coding to identify imported poisonous

puffer fish.

(C) They cover almost 200,000 types of plants and animals

(D) They want to make sure the food we buy is what the label says it is.

2 Which selection from the section "Bar Codes On Bananas" explains one problem

"DNA bar codes" have already helped to solve?

(A) Zografos thinks that cellphones may one day have apps to read the

bar codes. The app could also find bad bacteria in a food.

(B) It can be added when food is moved. It can be added at the farm,

the shipper, the packer and even the store.

(C) The food can then be tracked back to where it came from

immediately, he said. Right now this takes weeks or months, he

said.

(D) The bar codes are odorless, colorless and tasteless. They can be

mixed with waxes and oils already used on foods.

3 Which sentence from the introduction [paragraphs 1-6] explains why scientists are

tracking food with DNA?

(A) DNA holds the information that tells all living things how to grow

and work.

(B) Each year, 48 million Americans get sick from tiny living things in

their food.

(C) Every creature's DNA is different.

(D) They are also trying to map the pathogens' DNA.

4 Why is DNA a good way to identify different organisms, microbes, or pathogens?

(A) It wants to map the DNA of 100,000 types of pathogens found in

food.

(B) The DNA maps allow scientists to tell one type of microbe from

another.

(C) Genome Trakr's list of pathogens would be huge.

(D) They are also trying to map the pathogens' DNA.

Answer Key

1 Aside from preventing sickness, which sentence explains another reason scientists

want to track food using DNA?

(A) The project has already created more than 2.6 million bar-code

records.

(B) A 2015 report used bar coding to identify imported poisonous

puffer fish.

(C) They cover almost 200,000 types of plants and animals

(D) They want to make sure the food we buy is what the label says

it is.

2 Which selection from the section "Bar Codes On Bananas" explains one problem

"DNA bar codes" have already helped to solve?

(A) Zografos thinks that cellphones may one day have apps to read the

bar codes. The app could also find bad bacteria in a food.

(B) It can be added when food is moved. It can be added at the farm,

the shipper, the packer and even the store.

(C) The food can then be tracked back to where it came from

immediately, he said. Right now this takes weeks or months, he

said.

(D) The bar codes are odorless, colorless and tasteless. They can be

mixed with waxes and oils already used on foods.

3 Which sentence from the introduction [paragraphs 1-6] explains why scientists are

tracking food with DNA?

(A) DNA holds the information that tells all living things how to grow

and work.

(B) Each year, 48 million Americans get sick from tiny living things

in their food.

(C) Every creature's DNA is different.

(D) They are also trying to map the pathogens' DNA.

4 Why is DNA a good way to identify different organisms, microbes, or pathogens?

(A) It wants to map the DNA of 100,000 types of pathogens found in

food.

(B) The DNA maps allow scientists to tell one type of microbe from

another.

(C) Genome Trakr's list of pathogens would be huge.

(D) They are also trying to map the pathogens' DNA.