Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
United Press International - August 25, 2009
Researchers at the university's Chicago School of Public Health said the money will be used to develop better ways to disseminate information to AIDS patients who are at high risk of developing infections from the foods they eat.
The researchers said nearly half a million people in the United States are living with AIDS, and the number is increasing. AIDS patients whose immune systems have been severely suppressed by the human immunodeficiency virus are at risk of developing life-threatening infections from food-borne illnesses, the scientists said.
In addition, people with AIDS may have low amounts of stomach acid, which is the first barrier against germs, said Dr. Mark Dworkin, an associate professor of epidemiology and principal investigator of the study.
Dworkin said most people with AIDS are probably not aware of many food safety recommendations for them, including heating lunch meat. Listeria, a foodborne pathogen that has been attributed to eating lunch meat and soft cheeses, can cause meningitis and sepsis in AIDS patients.
The researchers said they will interview 300 AIDS patients in Chicago, New Orleans and Bayamon, Puerto Rico, to determine the biggest knowledge gaps in food safety.
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