Tracking an Outbreak
Michigan E. coli: Evidence Pointing to Aunt Mid’s Iceberg Lettuce
Michigan health officials have associated a Michigan E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has sickened at least 35 people with iceberg lettuce distributed by Aunt Mid’s Produce Company because several of the people who were diagnosed with E. coli infections ate Aunt Mid’s…
Professor Daniel Fung on Lettuce and E. coli Contamination
As the country faces yet another recall of lettuce due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination, it is apparent that federal and state health officials and the lettuce industry have not taken adequate measures to prevent contamination.
Professor Daniel Fung, a…
Tracing a Food Implicated in an E. coli Outbreak
The Step-by-Step Process for Tracing a Food Implicated in an E. coli Outbreak:
- A person experiencing the symptoms of E. coli (watery and/or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, vomiting, and/or body aches) goes to the doctor. The doctor makes an initial…
What is PulseNet?
In recent years, uncovering and tracking foodborne outbreaks involving bacterial pathogens has become vastly easier with PulseNet. The following is from the CDC PulseNet site:
PulseNet is a national network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by…
Pulse-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE)
Pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is the DNA “fingerprinting” method that scientists use to determine the source of bacterial foodborne outbreaks.
How Does PFGE Work?
The DNA of the bacterial pathogen responsible for a foodborne illness is digested into pieces by reacting…
What is an E. coli Outbreak?
An E. coli outbreak is an incident in which 2 or more cases of E. coli result from the same source. To determine if 2 or more people contracted E. coli from the same source, health officials conduct DNA fingerprinting of E. coli isolates…
What is FoodNet
FoodNet is a joint effort by the CDC, FDA, USDA, and state health departments to monitor trends in the occurence of foodborne illness. The CDC funds cooperative agreements with some state and local health departments to conduct population-based surveillance and…
E. coli Outbreaks and the CDC
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works with state and local health departments to conduct ongoing surveillance of cases of foodborne illness and to investigate disease outbreaks. The CDC uses both surveillance data and results of outbreak investigations…
