Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Kelsey D. Meagher
Summary: By comparing E. coli outbreaks in the United States and Germany, this paper highlights the differences in national responses to foodborne disease outbreaks and how they are influenced by the understanding and response strategies of risk managers. The qualitative analysis of stakeholder interviews and archival documents reveals how social constructions of the E. coli risk interact with organizational dynamics to produce divergent policy outcomes, ultimately exposing modern societies to systemic vulnerabilities.
AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN VALUES
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Azam Ali Sher, Muhammad Adnan Ashraf, Bahar E. Mustafa, Muhammad Mohsin Raza
Summary: This study found that the main sources of Campylobacter foodborne outbreaks are dairy products, chicken, and vegetables, with summer being the peak season and the West and Midwest regions reporting the highest number of outbreaks.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Ingrid H. M. Friesema, Ife A. Slegers-Fitz-James, Ben Wit, Eelco Franz
Summary: This study analyzed the characteristics of food-borne outbreaks registered in the Netherlands between 2006 and 2019. The results showed that norovirus was the most common pathogen, and public eating places were the most frequently involved outbreak settings. Controlling and eliminating foodborne illnesses is challenging due to the diverse range of pathogens and food products involved.
Review
Microbiology
Carolina Luquez, Leslie Edwards, Chelsey Griffin, Jeremy Sobel
Summary: Foodborne botulism is caused by ingestion of food containing botulinum neurotoxin, with cases usually sporadic but outbreaks can occur. In the United States from 2001 to 2017, surveillance data, outbreaks affecting 10 or more people, and preparedness and response approaches in public health were examined.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Michael B. Batz, LaTonia C. Richardson, Michael C. Bazaco, Cary Chen Parker, Stuart J. Chirtel, Dana Cole, Neal J. Golden, Patricia M. Griffin, Weidong Gu, Susan K. Schmitt, Beverly J. Wolpert, Joanna S. Zablotsky Kufel, R. Michael Hoekstra
Summary: A method was used to attribute US foodborne illnesses to specific food categories, with findings showing that Salmonella illnesses are mainly linked to seeded vegetables, eggs, and meats; E. coli O157 to beef and vegetables; L. monocytogenes to fruits and dairy; and Campylobacter to dairy and chicken. Further adjustments are recommended before using Campylobacter attribution estimates.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Raskit Lachmann, Sven Halbedel, Stefanie Lueth, Alexandra Holzer, Marlen Adler, Ariane Pietzka, Sascha Al Dahouk, Klaus Stark, Antje Flieger, Sylvia Kleta, Hendrik Wilking
Summary: Invasive listeriosis outbreaks associated with the consumption of smoked and graved salmon products were investigated in Germany. Whole-genome sequencing and patient interviews were used to identify and analyze the outbreaks. The study identified 22 independent outbreaks between 2010 and 2021, with 228 cases and 50 deaths in Germany. Cross-border outbreaks were also observed. The findings highlight the serious risk posed by L. monocytogenes-contaminated salmon products in Germany, emphasizing the need for improved hygiene measures and better awareness among susceptible individuals.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Azam Ali Sher, Bahar E. Mustafa, Sue C. Grady, Joseph C. Gardiner, A. Mahdi Saeed
Summary: The study found that egg-based dishes were the most common food vehicle associated with SE outbreaks in the USA, followed by meat, vegetables, chicken, and dairy products. Despite eggs being the most common, other food items were also significantly associated with SE outbreaks in the USA. A significant proportion of SE outbreaks occurred in the Northeast region, followed by the South, West, and Midwestern regions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Michael S. Williams, Eric D. Ebel, Epiphanie Nyirabahizi
Summary: The study evaluates the changes in Campylobacter contamination in chicken meat in the United States by comparing data from slaughter and retail establishments with human surveillance data trends. The results suggest that reductions in Campylobacter contamination in chicken meat in the late 1990s and early 2000s led to a decrease in the human case rate of campylobacteriosis. However, the association between the further reductions in chicken meat contamination between 2013 and 2018 and trends in human illnesses is more complex due to factors such as culture independent diagnostic test results being included in the official case counts during that time. Other contributing factors are also discussed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Lili Chen, Liang Sun, Ronghua Zhang, Ningbo Liao, Xiaojuan Qi, Jiang Chen
Summary: This study analyzed foodborne disease outbreaks in Zhejiang Province and found that bacteria and poisonous mushrooms were the main pathogens. Household settings were the most common outbreak locations. Animal-based foods were the most commonly reported food associated with foodborne diseases, while Vibrio parahaemolyticus was the most frequent bacteria found in catering service units.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Lili Chen, Jikai Wang, Ronghua Zhang, Hexiang Zhang, Xiaojuan Qi, Yue He, Jiang Chen
Summary: The study analyzed the characteristics of bacterial foodborne disease outbreaks in Zhejiang Province, finding Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Salmonella to be the most common pathogens, with restaurants, staff canteens, and households being the main outbreak settings, and aquatic products and meat being the primary foods. Outbreaks caused by different pathogens varied in settings and food vehicles.
Article
Immunology
Anita K. Kambhampati, Laura Calderwood, Mary E. Wikswo, Leslie Barclay, Claire P. Mattison, Neha Balachandran, Jan Vinje, Aron J. Hall, Sara A. Mirza
Summary: This analysis of 10 years of norovirus outbreak data suggests a west-to-east pattern in the strength of the norovirus seasonality in the United States.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Peng Zhang, Wenjuan Cui, Hanxue Wang, Yi Du, Yuanchun Zhou
Summary: The study aimed to use machine learning models to monitor and identify foodborne disease outbreaks, with the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model achieving the best performance based on recall rate and F1-score as evaluation metrics.
FOODBORNE PATHOGENS AND DISEASE
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Ryan E. Malosh, Ian McGovern, Arnold S. Monto
Summary: Influenza surveillance in the United States has expanded to better characterize circulating viruses and their impact. However, vaccine effectiveness remains modest and there is a need for improvement.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Emily McDonald, Sarabeth Mathis, Stacey W. Martin, J. Erin Staples, Marc Fischer, Nicole P. Lindsey
Summary: West Nile virus (WNV) is an arthropodborne virus and the leading cause of domestically acquired arboviral disease in the United States. Despite stability in national incidence of neuroinvasive disease, peak activity varies regionally. Surveillance and prevention are crucial public health actions to reduce morbidity and mortality.
MMWR SURVEILLANCE SUMMARIES
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Rubait Rahman, Robert L. Scharff, Felicia Wu
Summary: This study estimated the economic burden of foodborne illnesses associated with flour and flour-based food products in the United States from 2001 to 2021. The reported cases were 752, with 223 hospitalizations, but the actual number of cases could be as high as 19,440 annually. The pathogens involved were Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and E. coli O121. The average annual economic losses, including healthy years of life lost, were estimated to be $108 million and $258 million using two alternative models.
