Foodborne Pathogens

What are the data systems and surveillance programs used in the United States to collect data on foodborne pathogens?

• FoodNet

• PulseNet

• NARMS

__________ provides a foundation for food safety policy and prevention efforts. It estimates the number of foodborne illnesses, monitors trends in incidence of specific foodborne illnesses over time, attributes illnesses to specific foods and settings, and disseminates this information.

FoodNet

_________ is a national laboratory network that connects foodborne illness cases to detect outbreaks. This network uses DNA fingerprinting of bacteria making people sick, to detect thousands of local and multistate outbreaks.

PulseNet

This national public health surveillance system tracks changes in the antimicrobial susceptibility of certain enteric (intestinal) bacteria found in ill people (CDC), retail meats (FDA), and food animals (USDA) in the United States.

Name that surveillance program!

NARMS (National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System)

What are the top five foodborne diseases in the United States?

• Norovirus

• Salmonella

• Clostridium perfringens

• Campylobacter

• Staphylococcus aureus

• * list changes when consider illnesses resulting in hospitalizations or death

Describe the common symptoms of foodborne pathogens and methods of prevention

• Nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea

• Differ depending on cause

• Can be mild and self limiting

• Some can be severe and life-threatening

• Some individuals at greater risk (children under 2, immune compromised, elderly)

What are 4 things to do to prevent infection of foodborne illness?

- Clean hands after handling raw foods

- Separate raw meat from vegetables

- Cook to proper temperatures

- Chill/Store properly

What clinical signs of foodborne illness would give reason to seek medical attention?

• High fever

• Blood in stool

• Unable to keep down liquids

• Signs of dehydration

• Diarrhea lasts more than 5 days

Why is it safe to eat medium rare steaks, but not hamburgers?

Hamburger - ground meat is more likely to be contaminated.

Steak - sliced from cow, portion of meat within middle is less prone to contamination.

Describe how foodborne infection differs from foodborne intoxication

A foodborne infection involves infection from the pathogen directly, whereas with an intoxination, it's the toxin released by the pathogen that causes illness

E. Coli can produce _________ found in the Enterobacteriaceae family

toxins

What are four toxins that E. coli can produce?

▫ Pore-forming toxin

▫ Shiga toxin

▫ Heat labile toxin

▫ Heat stable toxin

What are common sources of E. Coli?

beef

raw milk or juice

raw vegetables

contaminated water

Salmonella is divided into serotypes based on its _____________

antigens

Salmonella causes ______________

gastrointeritis

Salmonella typhi is strictly adapted to _________ (species).

humans

Salmonella enterica causes ______________

salmonellosis

What are three possible sources of salmonella causing gastroenteritis?

▫ Poultry and infected eggs

▫ Poor food handling and preparation

▫ exotic pets - turtles

About how many cases of salmonellosis are reported in the US each year?

40,000-50,000 cases

What is the etiological agent of Typhoid Fever?

Salmonella enterica, serotype typhi

Campylobacter enteritis is caused by what pathogen?

Campylobacter jejuni

It requires a ________ amount of Campylobacter to cause infeciton.

small

Other than stomach cramps and diarrhea, what clinical signs are unique to Campylobacter?

bloody diarrhea

fever

What is the primary reservoir for Campylobacter?

animals

What is the most common source of Campylobacter as a foodborne illness?

undercooked poultry

Staphylococcal food poisoning is caused by its ________

toxin

Can you prevent Staphylococcal food poisoning by cooking/boiling food?

nerp - those toxins are there to stay

Staphylococcal toxins are produced when the organism is allowed to ___________ in food.

incubate

What are common sources of Staphylococcus aureus?

uncooked and handled foods

raw milk and cheese

Clostriudium perfringens is a gram-positive, ___________-forming, obligately anaerobic rod.

endospore

Clostridium perfringens is classified by strains, based on the ________ they produce.

toxin

Clostridium perfringens is associated with foods containing animal ___________ contents.

intestinal

What are common sources of Clostridium perfringens?

Beef

poultry

gravies

dried or precooked foods

Symptoms of Clostridium perfringens infection usually present ___-___ hours after exposure.

6-24

Which foodborne pathogens can cause vomiting?

E. Coli

Salmonella

Norovirus

Staphylococcus aureus

Vibrio

What are common sources of Norovirus?

contaminated food or water

infected people

leafy greens

fruits

shellfish

What are common sources of Vibrio?

raw or undercooked shellfish