Q: Can you share a bit about your background and what led you to specialize in infectious diseases?

A: I’ve always loved science, and when I took a microbiology course in college, I was hooked. I was fascinated that tiny organisms invisible to the naked eye could be deadly, and intrigued by how the human body interacts with microorganisms to defend itself against them.

After I graduated from college, I was accepted into the M.D.-Ph.D. Program at New York University, where I joined a lab studying human host defense against Gram-negative bacteria and published several papers on the ability of a host protein, called bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein, or BPS, to kill deadly bacteria. After that, it was a natural fit for me to complete my medical training in infectious disease. I continued to perform research on BPI and highly resistant organisms recovered from the patients I was treating clinically, making a full circle from the lab bench to the bedside and back again.

Q: What are some common food safety and infectious disease concerns that arise during the holiday season, and how can these risks be mitigated?

A: Since we congregate together during these holiday times, we prepare foods for many people, and any errors in food prep can be magnified. The first step is to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water before beginning any food prep.

Next, it is important to rinse produce before food prep, even if we intend to cook the produce and regardless of whether packaging says it has already been rinsed. If possible, peeling produce like carrots, onions, and potatoes, would be safest. Take care to rinse the vegetables again after peeling to avoid cross-contamination from the peeler.

If a cutting board is used, it should be washed with soap and water after preparing each type of food, again to avoid cross-contamination. This is especially important when preparing meats. You would not want to slice raw chicken breast on a cutting board and then start slicing radishes for your salad without first cleaning the cutting board and washing your hands!

Finally, cooking meats to their recommended temperatures is key to ensuring that any bacteria in and on the food are killed. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides great guidance on correct cooking temps here: Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart | Food Safety and Inspection Service.

FDA guidance also makes the point that if food is not going to be immediately cooked, it should be kept refrigerated. When preparation time comes, food should not be thawed on a counter because the warmer temperature can promote bacterial growth in or on the food. If you thaw a frozen turkey on the counter, for example, the outside of the turkey would warm up faster than the inside. The safe ways to defrost food are in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately.

Q: With more people traveling and gathering indoors during the holiday season, what precautions can families take to reduce the risk of spreading or contracting infectious diseases like the flu, RSV, or COVID-19?

A: The best defense against these illnesses is vaccination. Everyone over the age of 6 months is eligible for both the flu and COVID-19 vaccines, with only extremely rare exceptions. The RSV vaccine is recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, for all adults ages 75 years and older and for adults ages 60-74 years who are at increased risk of severe disease due to chronic heart or lung disease. The RSV vaccine is also recommended for pregnant women, as it provides protection to newborns. The CDC also has clear recommendations for infants to protect them from RSV, viewable here: RSV Immunization Guidance for Infants and Young Children | RSV | CDC.

Since we a lucky enough to live in Florida, we usually have the option to have our gatherings at least partly outdoors, or we can leave doors and windows open. This provides excellent ventilation and greatly decreases the risk of disease transmission. Ensuring that there are plenty of clean, disposable towels in bathrooms is a great idea, too. Putting out hand sanitizers is another great way to encourage good hand hygiene. Finally, it is reasonable — although not always easy — to ask people to please not attend a gathering if they are sick.

Q: For buffets or potlucks, how long can food sit out safely before it should be discarded?

A: We all love to have platters of snacks, veggies, and dips, and the best way to minimize risk is to only put these out in small portions while the rest is kept safely refrigerated. For things that would not be refrigerated like nuts, again putting out only small amounts and cleaning the container before adding fresh nuts would decrease contamination by microorganisms found on our hands.

Q: Are there special considerations for pregnant individuals, young children, or older adults regarding holiday food safety?

A: Persons who are in these vulnerable populations should discuss with their health care provider how to maximize their safety during the holiday season. As an example, it might be recommended that they avoid any food that has not been thoroughly cooked, meaning no salads or raw seafood. These groups are also at risk for severe disease and even death if they acquired a particular type of foodborne illness caused by Listeria.

While many types of bacteria can cause foodborne illness like E. coli and salmonella, listeria is especially deadly and can lead to pregnancy loss. There was a listeria outbreak associated with Boar’s Head meat products earlier this year, leading to 61 illnesses, of whom 60 required hospitalization and 10 died. This mortality rate of 16% is typical for listeria, compared with <1% for other causes of foodborne illness. Therefore, in addition to avoiding uncooked foods, persons in vulnerable populations may decide to avoid deli meats and cheeses.

Also, while cheese in the United States may be unpasteurized, it must be aged for at least 60 days to prevent growth of listeria, E. coli, and salmonella. It is also illegal to bring unpasteurized cheese aged less than 60 days into the U.S., but if that were to occur, there is the risk of foodborne illness from it and severe disease or death if listeria is present. Drinking unpasteurized milk or consuming homemade cheeses made from unpasteurized milk is again a risky food choice.

Q: How long can typical holiday leftovers be stored in the fridge or freezer?

A: Different foods can keep for different time periods, but freezing foods would extend their safe lifetime the most.

Q: What do you enjoy most about helping people stay healthy during the holidays?

A: As an infectious disease doctor, I spend most of my time treating infections, but I would much rather prevent infections from happening in the first place. As the chief hospital epidemiologist at UF Health, I work to keep our patients, staff, and community as safe as possible from infection, so teaching people about how to gather together safely and celebrate the holidays is very gratifying to me.