Definition of Terms

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

[A]

Action Thresholds
An action threshold is the point at which an IPM technician takes action to reduce a pest's numbers. Below the designated pest level, no control action is taken.

Application
Putting a pesticide on or in plants, animals, buildings, soil, air, water or other targets to kill pests or prevent damage from them.

Asthma
A condition, often allergic in origin, that is marked by continuous labored breathing, wheezing, a tightening of the chest and attacks of coughing and gasping.

 

[B]

Bacteria
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that often cause disease.

Bait
A food or other material that will attract a pest to a pesticide or trap where it will be destroyed. Baits can be an easily digestible food source, which is easily carried back to nests from the station. Many baits have been formulated with a delay action that enables them to be dispersed completely throughout an infestation.

Bait gels are well suited for use near entrances and exits, insect harborage areas, entrances/exits, in insect high-traffic areas and in cracks and crevices. Another advantage of gels is their much longer residual life when compared to conventional sprays.

Bait Stations
Tamper-resistant device containing chemical-based bait. Typically placed near harborage areas, a bait station should allow for easy monitoring of bait levels. Its tight-quartered construction fools targeted pests, making them feel they're in a safe harborage/feeding area.

Botulism
A form of food poisoning caused by the ingestion of a toxin stemming from improper storage of food or beverages. Although quite rare, the most serious symptom of this illness is muscle paralysis.

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[C]

Commensal
Rodents are commensal in nature, which means to "share one's table."

Conjunctivitis
The inflammation of the mucous membrane that lines the inner surface of the eyelids in addition to the forepart of the eyeball.

Contaminant
Any substance that, if consumed, could lead directly to injury, sickness or death.

Critical control point
The point in a food process where lack of control may cause, allow or contribute to adulteration of the final product or any raw materials used in the manufacturing of the product.

Cryptococcosis
An infectious disease that is caused by a fungus Cryptococcus neoformans and is characterized by the development of nodular lesions or abscesses in the lungs, subcutaneous tissues, joints and especially the brain.

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[D]

Diarrhea
Abnormally frequent intestinal evacuations with painful, fluid stools.

Dust
A finely ground, dry mixture containing a small amount of pesticide and an inert carrier, such as talc or clay.

Dysentery
An infection of the lower intestinal tract producing pain, fever and severe diarrhea.

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[E]

Encephalitis
Inflammation of the brain.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
U.S. federal agency responsible for establishing, overseeing and enforcing pesticide regulations.

Escherichia coli (E. coli)
A pathogen responsible for 10,000 to 20,000 cases of foodborne illness in the United States each year. Most E. coli illness is caused by eating contaminated, undercooked ground beef.

Exclusion
Keeping insects, flies, rodents and birds from entering a building.

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[F]

Federal Environmental Pesticides Control Act (FEPCA)
FEPCA was designed to protect public health and was enacted in 1972.

Food chain
A way of describing how all animals depend on each other for food. It is the link between plant eaters, plant and meat eaters, and meat eaters.

Food contact surface
Surfaces that contact food and those surfaces from which drainage onto foods or onto surfaces that contact food ordinarily occurs during the normal course of operation.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA has statutory authority for enforcing food safety in all food-related industries and can hand down criminal and civil penalties for failure to comply with legislation.

Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA)
Passed into federal law in 1938, this law enables action to be taken against a food-related entity if insects, rodents or other potential sources of contamination are found by an authorized inspector in or near equipment, ingredients or products, even if evidence of contamination was not found in the finished product.

Food poisoning
An acute gastrointestinal illness caused by bacteria or their toxic products or by chemical residues in food.

Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA)
Passed in 1996 with the intent of addressing the problem of resistance trends in pathogenic bacteria and the multitude of new and more deadly pathogens.

Food safety program
A planned and systematic procedure for all actions necessary to ensure that food is free of conditions that may cause product contamination.

Fungus
A group of microorganisms that includes molds and yeast.

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[G]

Gastroenteritis
Inflammation of the membrane lining of the stomach and intestines.

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
These guidelines determine the legal criteria under which food can be processed.

Granules (or pellets)
A formulation of dry, ready-to-use, low-concentrate pesticides plus an inert carrier. The particles are of uniform size and are larger than those making up a dust.

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[H]

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
HACCP, or Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points, has rapidly become a standard throughout the food processing industry. The HACCP system was first introduced in 1959 for use by NASA and Pillsbury and guaranteed the safety of food taken into space.

The general principles of HACCP include identifying and controlling hazards, then monitoring the effectiveness of the implemented controls.

Histoplasmosis
A respiratory disease with symptoms like those of influenza that is caused by a fungus (Histoplasma capsulatum). It is marked by benign involvement of lymph nodes of the trachea and bronchi or by severe progressive generalized involvement of the lymph nodes and the sinus system.

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[I]

Insect Growth Regulators (IGR)
A group of compounds which can disrupt a number of normal processes in the growth and development of insects.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
IPM is an approach to managing pests that relies more on non-pesticide alternatives such as aggressive sanitation, pest exclusion, traps and surveillance techniques that are effective, but more environmentally friendly. IPM is designed to place stress on a pest population through a series of processes that eliminate nesting and breeding areas and pest entry points.

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[L]

Leprosy
A chronic disease caused by a bacillus and characterized by the formation of nodules that enlarge and spread loss of sensation, with eventual paralysis and wasting of muscles.

Listeriosis
An illness that originates from consumption of unpasteurized milk or products made with raw milk. An estimated 1,100 cases are reported annually, 25% of which are fatal. Pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and other people with compromised immune systems are most at risk for listeriosis.

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[N]

Newcastle disease
A destructive virus, contracted from birds and especially domestic fowl that is caused by a paramyxovirus. Primary symptoms are respiratory disease and central nervous system irregularities.

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[O]

Outbreak
In the case of food-borne illness, an incident in which two or more people experience the same illness after eating the same food.

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[P]

Paramyxovirus
Any of a group of viruses that contain RNA and are similar to, but larger and more variable in size than the related myxovirus (any of a group of RNA-containing viruses, including those that cause influenza). The paramyxoviruses include the Sendai virus, the parainfluenza viruses, and the viruses that cause measles and mumps.

Parasite
An organism that lives on or in another organism. Parasites take food and shelter from the host, and can release toxins or other substances that are harmful to the host.

Pathogens
Disease-causing agents. Foodborne illness results from consuming food contaminated with pathogens.

Pesticide
Any chemical agent that will destroy a pest or protect something from a pest.

Fungicide A pesticide that will kill fungi that cause plant diseases, molds or mildew.   Herbicide A pesticide that will kill a variety of plant species.   Insecticide A pesticide that will kill a variety of insect species.   Residual A pesticide that lasts several hours or longer and is applied as a general, spot, or crack and crevice treatment.   Non-Residual A pesticide that does not kill beyond the initial application. Typically used to "flush" pests out of areas that are difficult to reach. The pesticide will lose its toxicity within a few hours of application, although most non-residual pesticides are acute poisons (quick-kill).   Rodenticide A pesticide formulated to kill mice and rats.   Single-Dose A pesticide that will cause death after a single feeding.   Multiple Feeding A pesticide that can cause death when consumed in lesser amounts over a period of several days.   Desiccant A pesticide that draws moisture (liquid) from a plant causing it to wither and die.   Non-Persistent A pesticide that lasts a short time (a few weeks or less) after being applied and breaks down rapidly in the environment.   Non-Selective A pesticide that will control a wide range of pests.

 

Pesticide Amendment of 1954
This amended the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and gave the FDA the authority to establish pesticide tolerances for agricultural commodities.

Plague
An infectious disease of animals and humans caused by a bacterium named Yersinia pestis. It is spread from rats to humans via rat fleas. Plague killed 25 million people in Europe during the fourteenth century. Modern antibiotics are effective against plague, but the disease is likely to cause illness or death if an infected person is not treated promptly.

Pneumonia
A disease of the lungs caused by infection or irritants.

Product zone
Any area of a food processing plant or equipment in which ingredients, finished products, or processing equipment are exposed to overhead or airborne contaminants, including direct contact areas, such as conveyors, internal equipment, etc.

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[Q]

Quality Control
A set of checking procedures whose purpose is to ensure that raw ingredients and finished products are being produced within the foreign materials, physical, chemical and bacterial specifications for each product.

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[R]

Rat-bite fever
Rat-bite fever is caused by the bacterium Streptobacillis monoiliformis, and causes these symptoms: skin inflammation, back and joint pains, headache and vomiting. The number of people bitten by rats and mice each year is unknown, although conservative estimates place the number between 14,000 and 20,000 people. In most cases, rodents bite sleeping babies, inquisitive children or the elderly who are bedridden.

Recall
A firm's removal or correction of a marketed product that the FDA considers to be in violation of the laws it enforces and against which the FDA would initiate legal action.

Recalls are assigned a numerical designation (I, III, III) by the FDA to indicate the relative degree of health hazard presented by the product being recalled.

All recalls must have a planned, specific course of action to be taken, which addresses the depth of the recall, the needs for public warnings and the extent of effectiveness checks for the recall.

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[S]

Salmonellosis
This bacteria originates in chicken ovaries, and can be transmitted through undercooked or raw poultry and eggs or undercooked or raw products containing eggs (i.e., mayonnaise). Of the 40,000 cases reported annually, 1,000 people will die, primarily those with weakened immune systems.

Salmonella bacteria also thrive in the intestinal tract of rodents and are commonly spread through food contaminated with rodent feces. In the United States, approximately two million cases of Salmonellosis occur each year.

Sanitize
Treatment of surfaces by a process that is effective in destroying vegetative cells of microorganisms of public health significance and in substantially reducing numbers of other microorganisms. Treatment must not adversely affect the product and be safe for the consumer.

Shigellosis
An infectious disease caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. More common in summer than in winter, there are about 18,000 cases of shigellosis reported every year in the U.S. Children, especially toddlers aged 2 to 4, are the most likely to contract this illness.

Synanthropic
Insects, rodents and birds all exhibit a preference to live in human settlements.

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[T]

Thigmotropic
Cockroaches prefer the side or top of their bodies touching other objects.

Thorax
The second or middle region - between the head and the abdomen - in insects bearing true legs and wings.

Toxoplasmosis
The infection of humans, other mammals, or birds with a toxoplasma (Toxoplasma gondii) that invades the tissues and may seriously damage the central nervous system, especially in infants.

Trichinosis
A disease caused by eating inadequately cooked pork containing Trichinea, and characterized by intestinal disorders, fever, muscular swelling, pain and insomnia.

Typhus/Typhoid
Murine typhus is transmitted from infected rats to people by fleas. Symptoms include fever, headache, chills and a rash, which spreads to the whole body, except for the face, palms and soles of the feet.

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[V]

Virus
A submicroscopic pathogen that invades living cells.

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