Foodborne Illnesses

Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet)

Conducts surveillance of foodborne outbreaks to educate consumers and food handlers about foodborne disease prevention

National Molecular Subtyping Network for Foodborne Surveillance (PulseNet)

Nationwide foodborne illness surveillance system that allows subtyping and categorization of foodborne bacterial pathogens through pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).

Food Infection

caused by consuming live microorganisms that infect the body

Food Intoxication

caused by consuming toxins produced by microorganisms before the food is eaten

Challenges of controlling foodborne illnesses

–Poor consumer handling of food

–Emerging pathogens have increased resistance

–Food supply is global

–More food is eaten outside of home

–New modes of transmission

Types of Contamination

Physical—Metal shavings, broken glass, wood splinters, bandages

Chemical—Cleansers, metal leaching (copper, lead, cadmium), pesticides

Biological—Bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites

Food Infection 2

–Bacteria are consumed

–Body reacts by raising temperature- fever

–Longer incubation

Food Intoxication 2

–Toxin contaminated food is eaten

–Shorter incubation

Proper Food Temperatures

•Steaks and roasts – 145 F

•Fish – 145

•Pork – 145

•Ground beef – 160

•Egg dishes – 160

•Chicken breasts – 165

•Whole poultry - 165

FoodNet 2

•Established in 1995, FoodNet surveils a variety of foodborne pathogens

•Its goals are four-fold:

–To assess the burden of foodborne illnesses in the US

–To monitor temporal trends in foodborne

Surveillance Issues

•Such surveillance systems, however, are fraught with the problem of underreporting of cases

•Some individuals may never even seek medical attention

•Ones that seek help may not have laboratory confirmation of a specific pathogen

•Moreover, discarded leftover food items may be unavailable for laboratory analysis

Spoiled and contaminated food

•Spoiled foods often appear discolored or have an unpleasant odor

•Potential consumers are likely to discard them without further thought

•Contaminated foods may appear and smell “fresh” or seem otherwise edible

•If eaten, however, they may case illness or even death

E. Coli

Incubation Period: 3-4 days

Signs and Symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting, mild fever, HUS

Common Foods: undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized cider, sprouts, lettuce

Source: human and bovine intestinal tract

Campylobacter

Incubation Period: 2-5 days

Signs and Symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting, headache, fever, muscle pain

Common Foods: poultry, dairy products, water

Source: intestinal tracts of wild/domestic animals

Salmonella

Incubation Period: 12-36 hours

Signs and Symptoms: abdominal cramps, headache, fever, nausea, diarrhea

Common Foods: poultry, meat, eggs, and egg products, sliced melons

Source: water, soil, insects, animals, and humans

Listeria

Incubation Period: 3-70 days

Signs and Symptoms: flu-like, meningitis, encephalitis, spontaneous abortion

Common Foods: unpasteurized milk, ice cream, ready-to-eat, lunchmeats

Source: soil, water, damp environments, domestic/wild animals

Clostridium

Incubation Period: 10-12 hours

Signs and Symptoms: abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea

Common Foods: stews, gravies, beans

Source: coil, animal and human intestinal tracts

Botulinum

Incubation Period: 4 hours-8 days

Signs and Symptoms: vomiting, constipation, difficulty with vision, swallowing, speaking, paralysis, death

Common Foods: baked potatoes, garlic/oil mixtures, low-acid canned foods (anaerobic)

Source: present on almost all foods, soil, water

(75% of these cases in infants are related to giving them honey)

Staphylococcus

Incubation Period: 1-7 hours

Signs and Symptoms: nausea, retching, abdominal cramps, diarrhea

Common Foods: ready-to-eat, reheated foods, dairy products, protein foods

Source: skin, hair, nose, throat, infected sores, animals

(almost always food worker related)

Bacterial FBIs

• E. coli

• Campylobacter

• Salmonella

• Listeria

• Clostridium

• Botulinum

• Staphylococcus

Viral FBIs

• Hepatitis A

• Norovirus

• Rotavirus

Parasite FBIs

• Trichinosis

• Roundworm

• Giardia

• Cryptosporidium

Fungi FBIs

Molds & Yeasts

Hepatitis A

Incubation Period: 10-50 days

Signs and Symptoms: sudden fever, vomiting, jaundice

Common Foods: water (ice), shellfish, ready-to-eat, fruit juices, vegetables

Source: human intestinal/urinary tracts

Norovirus

Incubation Period: 10-50 hours

Signs and Symptoms: nausea, diarrhea, headache, mild fever

Common Foods: water, shellfish, raw vegetables and fruits, ready-to-eat foods touched by infected food workers, any other foods contaminated with vomit or feces from infected person

Source: human intestinal tract, water

Rotavirus

Incubation Period: 1-3 days

Signs and Symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, mild fever

Common Foods: ready-to-eat, water and ice

Source: human intestinal tract, water

FBI Virus Characteristics

–Need living cell to propagate

–Do not reproduce in food

–Do not need potential hazardous food

–Smallest microbial contaminant

–Spread usually result of poor hygiene

FBI Parasites Characteristics

–Living organisms

–Require a host

–Usually killed by freezing (and cooking)

–Normal fauna in many animals

•Hogs, cats, rodents, fish, etc.

Trichinosis

Incubation Period: 2-28 days

Signs and Symptoms: flu-like, swelling around eyes, extreme swelling, hemorrhaging

Foods: undercooked pork, game

Source: domestic pigs, bear, walrus

Roundworm

Incubation Period: hours-2 weeks

Signs and Symptoms: tickle in throat, coughing up worms

Foods: undercooked, improperly frozen seafood

Source: marine fish-bottom feeders

Giardia

Incubation Period: 3-25 days

Signs and Symptoms: fatigue, nausea, gas, weight loss, abdominal cramps

Foods: water, ice, raw vegetables

Source: beavers, bears, dogs, cats, humans

Cryptosporidium

Incubation Period: 1-12 days

Signs and Symptoms: severe diarrhea, may have no symptoms

Foods: water, raw foods, unpasteurized cider, ready-to-eat

Source: humans, cattle, barn-wash