Its the first food we taste.

Its in pasta sauces, candies, pastries, custards, cheeses, yogurts, and

ice cream. Milk is arguably one of the most versatile ingredients among cooks and a staple in
most households. However, as an animal product that is full of nutrients, there are several
infectious diseases associated with microbe-contaminated milk and milk products. The good
news is that most of these microbes are killed by pasteurization, and so in reality, infections due
to milk and cheese are pretty rare -- but still possible.
This is why we pasteurize milk.

How Does Cows Milk Get Contaminated?

Just like all people carry microbes, all animals do as well. Sometimes the microbes that cows
carry can be a problem.
Some dairy cows spend much of their time grazing in pastures, where they come in contact with
a variety of environmental microbes. In other cases, cows are confined to buildings, where in
more crowded conditions bacteria can grow and spread from cow to cow. In addition, many
microbes that are commensal organisms (that co-exist with cows without causing disease) may
be considered human pathogens.
Dairy processing facilities have many routes for the entry of contaminating microbes. First, as a
nutrient-rich liquid, milk provides an ideal environment for microbial growth. Second, dairy
processing plants are full of areas where foot traffic from employees can be accompanied by
microbes.

Infectious Microbes Found in Cows Milk

Bacillus cereus: These bacteria produce a toxin that can cause diarrhea and another that
causes vomiting. Bacillus cereus spores are heat-resistant and may survive pasteurization.
There have even been very rare cases linked to dried milk and dried infant formula.

Brucella: Brucella is a bacterial microbe that is found in unpasteurized dairy products.

Brucella infection, or Brucellosis, has also been called Undulant Fever because of the
regular recurrence of fever associated with the disease.

Campylobacter jejuni: Campylobacter jejuni is the most common bacteria to cause

diarrheal disease in the U.S. and is found in raw milk and poultry. It has an increased
chance of causing disease when consumed in milk, because the basic pH of milk
neutralizes the acidity of the stomach.

Coxiella burnetii: Coxiella infects a variety of animals, including livestock and pets. The
microbe can be found in cows milk and is resistant to heat and drying. Infection by
Coxiella results in Q fever, a high fever that may last up to 2 weeks.

E. coli O157:H7: This particular strain of E. coli has been associated with a number of
food-borne outbreaks and is the cause of bloody diarrhea. Frequently associated with
dairy cattle, microbial contamination of raw milk and soft cheeses can result in disease.

Listeria monocytogenes: Listeria is a common bacterial pathogen that is found in soft

cheeses and unpasteurized milk. It can even survive below freezing temperatures and can
therefore withstand refrigeration. It is particularly dangerous to individuals who have
weakened immune systems, including pregnant women, AIDS patients, and the very
young and very old.

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis: This strain of mycobacteria can

withstand pasteurization and has been associated with the development of Crohns
disease, also known as inflammatory bowel syndrome. However, whether or not these
bacteria can actually infect humans remains controversial.

Mycobacterium: The cause of consumption, a horrific wasting disease that first affects
the lungs, Mycobacterium bovis is associated with consumption of raw milk and was one
of the most common contaminants prior to the practice of pasteurization. It's like the
tuberculosis (or TB) we have now, but a different bacteria but related bacteria causes it.
This type of TB is something we don't see much of any more because of work to make
sure cows don't carry or spread it to us. M. bovis causes tuberculosis in cows and can be
passed to humans via unpasteurized cow's milk, causing a disease that is very similar to
M. tuberculosis.

Salmonella: Salmonella contamination of raw milk and milk products has been the
source of several outbreaks in recent years. Symptoms include diarrhea and high fever.

Staphylococcus aureus: Staph aureus produces a toxin that causes explosive vomiting.
The disease may be considered a consequence of actual food poisoning from simply
consuming the toxin, rather than from an actual infection.

Yersinia enterocolitis: Associated with raw milk and ice cream, among other foods,
contamination is believed to be a consequence of a breakdown in sanitization and
sterilization techniques at dairy processing facilities.

What about Mad Cow Disease?

Mad Cow Disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE), is a disease that affects
the nervous system and is caused by an infectious protein called a prion. Consumption of meat
from cattle with BSE can result in transmission of the disease. In humans, the disease is called
transmissible spongiform encephalopathy or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Fortunately for the dairy industry and milk consumers, the infectious prion has not been found in
milk from infected cows, nor has transmission through drinking of cows milk been reported. In
short, you cant get Mad Cow Disease from milk.

How to Prevent Milk-borne Infectious Diseases:

1. Dont drink raw milk. Drink only pasteurized milk.
2. Keep dairy products refrigerated within the expiration date marked on the package.
3. Be careful when you travel to developing nations, follow the recommended sanitary
precautions for the country you are in and do not eat raw dairy products.
Sources:

Boor, KJ. Fluid Dairy Product Quality and Safety: Looking to the Future. J. Dairy Sci. 84:1-11
(2001)
Foodborne Illness. US Food and Drug Administration. Center for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition
Rowan NJ et al. Putative virulence factor expression by clinical and food isolates of Bacillus spp.
after growth in reconstituted infant milk formulae. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2001
Sep;67(9):3873-81