Abstract
The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) provides a foundation for food safety policy and illness prevention in the United States. FoodNet conducts active, population-based surveillance at 10 US sites for laboratory-confirmed infections of 9 bacterial and parasitic pathogens transmitted commonly through food and for hemolytic uremic syndrome. Through FoodNet, state and federal scientists collaborate to monitor trends in enteric illnesses, identify their sources, and implement special studies. FoodNet's major contributions include establishment of reliable, active population-based surveillance of enteric diseases; development and implementation of epidemiologic studies to determine risk and protective factors for sporadic enteric infections; population and laboratory surveys that describe the features of gastrointestinal illnesses, medical care-seeking behavior, frequency of eating various foods, and laboratory practices; and development of a surveillance and research platform that can be adapted to address emerging issues. The importance of FoodNet's ongoing contributions probably will grow as clinical, laboratory, and informatics technologies continue changing rapidly.
Highlights
The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) provides a foundation for food safety policy and illness prevention in the United States
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, recognizing inconsistencies inherent in passive national surveillance systems, epidemiologists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proposed creating a population-based active surveillance system to better measure the frequency of enteric infections and their effects on society
FoodNet’s major contributions include the establishment of reliable, active population-based surveillance of enteric diseases; development and implementation of epidemiologic studies to determine risk and protective factors for sporadic enteric infections; population and laboratory surveys that describe the features of gastrointestinal illnesses, medical care–seeking behavior, food eating patterns, and laboratory practices; and development of a surveillance and research platform that can be adapted to address emerging issues (Table)
Summary
Active Surveillance FoodNet’s core activity is active surveillance for laboratoryconfirmed bacterial infection caused by Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella, Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 and non-O157, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia and parasitic infection caused by Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora. Recognizing that some laboratories might stop culturing for STEC O157, leading to a perceived decline in infections, FoodNet began surveillance for hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) as another way to track STEC O157 infections. As more clinical laboratories began using CIDTs to detect other pathogens, FoodNet responded by gathering data on laboratory practices and on pathogens detected by these tests and by encouraging reflex culturing of specimens that test positive [4]. FoodNet staff at each site receive reports of every identification of a pathogen under surveillance from clinical laboratories that conduct tests on patients’ specimens ordered by health care providers. They conduct periodic audits to ensure that all pathogens identified are reported [3]. In 2010, FoodNet conducted surveillance for Cronobacter sakazakii infections and found infection in all age groups, the highest rate of invasive infections in infants, and data suggesting that urine might be a more common site of infection than previously thought [5]
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