Sofia Boqvist

My interest for zoonotic diseases started already when I was an undergraduate-student. Since then, zoonoses, veterinary public health and food safety have interested and engaged me.

I supervise MSc students and lecture on food safety and veterinary public health.

My research area mainly focuses on aspects of veterinary public health, microbial food safety, and epidemiology,

Current and a selection of previous research projects

• Controlling human and animal health risks associated with the increasing use of water buffalo for milk production in Bangladesh. (VR 2019-2021)
• Bacterial food safety hazards and risks in Cambodian meat value chain, with special emphasis on AMR (ILRI 2018-2022)
• Characterization and genomics comparison of multidrug resistant Salmonella enterica strains isolated in Cambodian. (Sida 2019-2022) Project leader
• Eating crickets – an appetizing solution for today´s global problems. (Formas 2016-2020) Co-project leader
• Molecular epidemiology of Campylobacter spp. in broiler meat and quantitative modeling of the risk of human campylobacteriosis in the Egyptian setting (VR 2015-2017) Project leader
• Tools for prevention of infectious diseases in cattle in Uganda (VR 2014-2016)
• Safe ready to eat vegetables from farm to fork: The plant as a key for risk assessment and prevention of EHEC infections (Safe Salad) (Formas 2013-2016) Co-project leader
• Urban and peri-urban animal farming in Uganda – zoonotic infections: (UD 2011-2013) Project leader

I have special responsibility for external collaboration within the food safety area in my current position. External collaboration and extension are important tools for the university to disseminate knowledge and create new collaborations of societal benefit. My extension work has been with both national and international partners.

Current position

I am senior researcher with special responsibility for extension, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health (BVF) since 2012, and also the Director of the Agriculture for Food Security 2030 (AgriFoSe2030) programme.

Academic degrees

• Associate Professor in Infectious Disease Epidemiology 2010
• PhD in Reproduction 2002
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) 1997

Previous employments

• Head of section for microbiology and food safety, BVF, SLU: 2015-2017
• Assistant professor, BVF, SLU: 2007-2012
• Head of Zoonosis center, Department of Disease Control, National Veterinary Institute (SVA): 2006-2007
• Veterinary Epidemiologist, Department of Disease Control, SVA: 2001-2006 (50% at the Institute for Communicable Diseases: 2001-2003)
• PhD student, SLU: 1997-2002

A selection of commissions

• Theme leader within the AgriFose2030 programme: 2015-2019
• Head of Centre of Global Animal Diseases, SLU: 2011-2015
• Swedish European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) representative in Task Force for Zoonoses: 2002-2007
• WHO Avian Influenza Team, Vietnam: 2004Adviser to Swedish Seal of Quality: 2009-2010
• Swedish Field Epidemiology Team: 2002-2011

• Main supervisor for three ongoing PhD projects and one finalized.
• Co-supervisor for eight finalized PhD projects.
• Main supervisor for thirteen MSC projects.

Fernandez-Cassi X et al. 2019. The house cricket (Acheta domesticus) as a novel food: A risk profile. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed. 5: 1357-157

Söderqvist K et al. 2019. Season and species – two possible hurdles for reducing the food safety risk of Escherichia coli O157 contamination of leafy vegetables. Journal of Food Protection, 82: 247–255

Mogren L et al. 2018. The hurdle approach – a holistic concept for controlling food safety risks associated with leafy green vegetables. Review. Journal: Frontiers in Microbiology, section Plant Microbe Interactions. Front. Microbiol. 9:1965

Ström G et al. 2018. Antimicrobials in small-scale urban pig farming in a lower middle-income country - arbitrary use and high resistance levels. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control Mar 7;7:35

Boqvist S et al. 2018. Food safety challenges and One Health within Europe. Review, Acta Vet Scand 60:1

Wolff C et al. 2017 Biosecurity aspects of cattle production in Western Uganda, and associations with seroprevalence of brucellosis, salmonellosis and bovine viral diarrhea. BMC Veterinary Research

Söderqvist K et al. 2017. Emerging microbiota during cold storage and temperature abuse of ready-to-eat salad. Infect Ecol Epidemiol. 2017 Jun 6;7:1328963

Chenais E et al. 2017. Quantitative assessment of social and economic impacts of African swine fever outbreaks in northern Uganda. Prev Vet Med. 144:134-148

Söderqvist K et al. 2017. Fate of Listeria monocytogenes, Pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 gfpþ in Ready-to-Eat Salad during Cold Storage: What Is the Risk to Consumers? Journal of Food Microbiology 80:204-12

Hoffman T et al. 2016. Molecular detection and characterization of Brucella species in raw informally marketed milk from Uganda. Infection Ecology and Epidemiology 2016, 6: 32442

Boqvist S, Fernström L-L, Alsanius B W, Lindqvist R. 2015. Escherichia coli O157:H7 reduction in hamburgers with regards to premature browning of minced beef, colour score and method for determining doneness. Int J of Food Microbiology, 215; 109-116.

Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, SLU
Agriculture for Food Security 2030 (AgriFoSe2030)