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Gastroenterology Clinics of North... Jun 2021Acute bacterial gastroenteritis is among the most common infections worldwide, with millions of infections annually in the United States. Much of the illness is... (Review)
Review
Acute bacterial gastroenteritis is among the most common infections worldwide, with millions of infections annually in the United States. Much of the illness is foodborne, occurring as both sporadic cases and large multistate outbreaks. Pathogen evolution through genetic exchange of virulence traits and antibiotic resistance determinants poses challenges for empiric therapy. Culture-independent diagnostic tests in clinical laboratories afford rapid diagnosis and expanded identification of pathogens. However, cultures remain important to generate sensitivity data and strain archiving for outbreak investigations. Most infections are self-limited, permitting judicious selection of antibiotic use in more severe forms of illness.
Topics: Bacteria; Disease Outbreaks; Foodborne Diseases; Gastroenteritis; Humans; United States
PubMed: 34024442
DOI: 10.1016/j.gtc.2021.02.002 -
American Family Physician Sep 2015The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year, one in six Americans will experience a foodborne illness. The most common causes in the United...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year, one in six Americans will experience a foodborne illness. The most common causes in the United States are viruses, such as norovirus; bacteria, such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, and Listeria; and parasites, such as Toxoplasma gondii and Giardia. Resources are available to educate consumers on food recalls and proper handling, storage, and cooking of foods. Diagnosis and management of a foodborne illness are based on the history and physical examination. Common symptoms of foodborne illnesses include vomiting, diarrhea (with or without blood), fever, abdominal cramping, headache, dehydration, myalgia, and arthralgias. Definitive diagnosis can be made only through stool culture or more advanced laboratory testing. However, these results should not delay empiric treatment if a foodborne illness is suspected. Empiric treatment should focus on symptom management, rehydration if the patient is clinically dehydrated, and antibiotic therapy. Foodborne illnesses should be reported to local and state health agencies; reporting requirements vary among states.
Topics: Anti-Infective Agents; Antidiarrheals; Antiemetics; Blood Chemical Analysis; Colic; Diagnosis, Differential; Diarrhea; Disease Outbreaks; Feces; Fluid Therapy; Food Contamination; Foodborne Diseases; Humans; Microbiological Techniques; Parasitology; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Population Surveillance; United States; Vomiting
PubMed: 26371569
DOI: No ID Found -
Microbiology Spectrum Apr 2018Foodborne disease causes an estimated 48 million illnesses and 3,000 deaths annually (Scallan E, et al., 17:7-15, 2011), with U.S. economic costs estimated at $152... (Review)
Review
Foodborne disease causes an estimated 48 million illnesses and 3,000 deaths annually (Scallan E, et al., 17:7-15, 2011), with U.S. economic costs estimated at $152 billion to $1.4 trillion annually (Roberts T, 89:1183-1188, 2007; Scharff RL, http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/0001/01/01/healthrelated-costs-from-foodborne-illness-in-the-united-states, 2010). An increasing number of these illnesses are associated with fresh fruits and vegetables. An analysis of outbreaks from 1990 to 2003 found that 12% of outbreaks and 20% of outbreak-related illnesses were associated with produce (Klein S, Smith DeWaal CS, Center for Science in the Public Interest, https://cspinet.org/sites/default/files/attachment/ddreport.pdf, June 2008; Lynch M, Tauxe R, Hedberg C, 137:307-315, 2009). These food safety problems have resulted in various stakeholders recommending the shift to a more preventative and risk-based food safety system. A modern risk-based food safety system takes a farm-to-fork preventative approach to food safety and relies on the proactive collection and analysis of data to better understand potential hazards and risk factors, to design and evaluate interventions, and to prioritize prevention efforts. Such a system focuses limited resources at the points in the food system with the likelihood of having greatest benefit to public health. As shared kitchens, food hubs, and local food systems such as community supported agriculture are becoming more prevalent throughout the United States, so are foodborne illness outbreaks at these locations. At these locations, many with limited resources, food safety methods of prevention are rarely the main focus. This lack of focus on food safety knowledge is why a growing number of foodborne illness outbreaks are occurring at these locations.
Topics: Disease Outbreaks; Food Contamination; Food Microbiology; Food Parasitology; Food Safety; Foodborne Diseases; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points; Humans; Public Health; Social Change; United States
PubMed: 29651980
DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.PFS-0020-2017 -
PLoS Medicine Dec 2015Foodborne diseases are important worldwide, resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality. To our knowledge, we present the first global and regional estimates of... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Foodborne diseases are important worldwide, resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality. To our knowledge, we present the first global and regional estimates of the disease burden of the most important foodborne bacterial, protozoal, and viral diseases.
METHODS AND FINDINGS
We synthesized data on the number of foodborne illnesses, sequelae, deaths, and Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), for all diseases with sufficient data to support global and regional estimates, by age and region. The data sources included varied by pathogen and included systematic reviews, cohort studies, surveillance studies and other burden of disease assessments. We sought relevant data circa 2010, and included sources from 1990-2012. The number of studies per pathogen ranged from as few as 5 studies for bacterial intoxications through to 494 studies for diarrheal pathogens. To estimate mortality for Mycobacterium bovis infections and morbidity and mortality for invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica infections, we excluded cases attributed to HIV infection. We excluded stillbirths in our estimates. We estimate that the 22 diseases included in our study resulted in two billion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1.5-2.9 billion) cases, over one million (95% UI 0.89-1.4 million) deaths, and 78.7 million (95% UI 65.0-97.7 million) DALYs in 2010. To estimate the burden due to contaminated food, we then applied proportions of infections that were estimated to be foodborne from a global expert elicitation. Waterborne transmission of disease was not included. We estimate that 29% (95% UI 23-36%) of cases caused by diseases in our study, or 582 million (95% UI 401-922 million), were transmitted by contaminated food, resulting in 25.2 million (95% UI 17.5-37.0 million) DALYs. Norovirus was the leading cause of foodborne illness causing 125 million (95% UI 70-251 million) cases, while Campylobacter spp. caused 96 million (95% UI 52-177 million) foodborne illnesses. Of all foodborne diseases, diarrheal and invasive infections due to non-typhoidal S. enterica infections resulted in the highest burden, causing 4.07 million (95% UI 2.49-6.27 million) DALYs. Regionally, DALYs per 100,000 population were highest in the African region followed by the South East Asian region. Considerable burden of foodborne disease is borne by children less than five years of age. Major limitations of our study include data gaps, particularly in middle- and high-mortality countries, and uncertainty around the proportion of diseases that were foodborne.
CONCLUSIONS
Foodborne diseases result in a large disease burden, particularly in children. Although it is known that diarrheal diseases are a major burden in children, we have demonstrated for the first time the importance of contaminated food as a cause. There is a need to focus food safety interventions on preventing foodborne diseases, particularly in low- and middle-income settings.
Topics: Cost of Illness; Foodborne Diseases; Global Health; Humans; Incidence; Prevalence; Quality-Adjusted Life Years; World Health Organization
PubMed: 26633831
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001921 -
PLoS Medicine Dec 2015Illness and death from diseases caused by contaminated food are a constant threat to public health and a significant impediment to socio-economic development worldwide....
Illness and death from diseases caused by contaminated food are a constant threat to public health and a significant impediment to socio-economic development worldwide. To measure the global and regional burden of foodborne disease (FBD), the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG), which here reports their first estimates of the incidence, mortality, and disease burden due to 31 foodborne hazards. We find that the global burden of FBD is comparable to those of the major infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The most frequent causes of foodborne illness were diarrheal disease agents, particularly norovirus and Campylobacter spp. Diarrheal disease agents, especially non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica, were also responsible for the majority of deaths due to FBD. Other major causes of FBD deaths were Salmonella Typhi, Taenia solium and hepatitis A virus. The global burden of FBD caused by the 31 hazards in 2010 was 33 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs); children under five years old bore 40% of this burden. The 14 subregions, defined on the basis of child and adult mortality, had considerably different burdens of FBD, with the greatest falling on the subregions in Africa, followed by the subregions in South-East Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean D subregion. Some hazards, such as non-typhoidal S. enterica, were important causes of FBD in all regions of the world, whereas others, such as certain parasitic helminths, were highly localised. Thus, the burden of FBD is borne particularly by children under five years old-although they represent only 9% of the global population-and people living in low-income regions of the world. These estimates are conservative, i.e., underestimates rather than overestimates; further studies are needed to address the data gaps and limitations of the study. Nevertheless, all stakeholders can contribute to improvements in food safety throughout the food chain by incorporating these estimates into policy development at national and international levels.
Topics: Cost of Illness; Foodborne Diseases; Global Health; Humans; Incidence; Prevalence; Quality-Adjusted Life Years; World Health Organization
PubMed: 26633896
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001923 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases Jan 2011Estimates of foodborne illness can be used to direct food safety policy and interventions. We used data from active and passive surveillance and other sources to...
Estimates of foodborne illness can be used to direct food safety policy and interventions. We used data from active and passive surveillance and other sources to estimate that each year 31 major pathogens acquired in the United States caused 9.4 million episodes of foodborne illness (90% credible interval [CrI] 6.6-12.7 million), 55,961 hospitalizations (90% CrI 39,534-75,741), and 1,351 deaths (90% CrI 712-2,268). Most (58%) illnesses were caused by norovirus, followed by nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. (11%), Clostridium perfringens (10%), and Campylobacter spp. (9%). Leading causes of hospitalization were nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. (35%), norovirus (26%), Campylobacter spp. (15%), and Toxoplasma gondii (8%). Leading causes of death were nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. (28%), T. gondii (24%), Listeria monocytogenes (19%), and norovirus (11%). These estimates cannot be compared with prior (1999) estimates to assess trends because different methods were used. Additional data and more refined methods can improve future estimates.
Topics: Campylobacter; Clostridium perfringens; Food Microbiology; Food Safety; Foodborne Diseases; Hospitalization; Humans; Norovirus; Population Surveillance; Salmonella; Toxoplasma; United States
PubMed: 21192848
DOI: 10.3201/eid1701.p11101 -
Journal of Preventive Medicine and... Jun 2017In last years, Campylobacter spp has become one of the most important foodborne pathogens even in high-income countries. Particularly, in Europe, Campylobacteriosis is,... (Review)
Review
In last years, Campylobacter spp has become one of the most important foodborne pathogens even in high-income countries. Particularly, in Europe, Campylobacteriosis is, since 2005, the foodborne disease most frequently notified and the second in USA, preceded by the infection due to Salmonella spp. Campylobacter spp is a commensal microorganism of the gastrointestinal tract of many wild animals (birds such as ducks and gulls), farm animals (cattle and pigs) and companion animals (such as dogs and cats) and it is responsible for zoonoses. The transmission occurs via the fecal-oral route through ingestion of contaminated food and water. The disease varied from a watery diarrhea to a severe inflammatory diarrhea with abdominal pain and fever and can be burdened by some complications. The main recognized sequelae are Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), the Reactive Arthritis (REA) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Recently, many cases of Campylobacter spp isolated from human infections, showed an important resistance to various antibiotics such as tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones. For these reasons, the prevention of this infection plays an essential role. Many preventive measures exist to limit the transmission of the pathogens and the subsequent disease such as the health surveillance, the vaccination of the poultry and the correct food hygiene throughout the entire production chain. A global surveillance of Campylobacteriosis is desirable and should include data from all countries, including notifications of cases and the microbiological data typing of strains isolated from both human and animal cases.
Topics: Animals; Campylobacter Infections; Disease Reservoirs; Europe; Food Microbiology; Foodborne Diseases; Humans; Prohibitins; United States; Zoonoses
PubMed: 28900347
DOI: No ID Found -
Emerging Infectious Diseases Oct 2021Novel outbreak-associated food vehicles (i.e., foods not implicated in past outbreaks) can emerge as a result of evolving pathogens and changing consumption trends. To... (Review)
Review
Novel outbreak-associated food vehicles (i.e., foods not implicated in past outbreaks) can emerge as a result of evolving pathogens and changing consumption trends. To identify these foods, we examined data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System and found 14,216 reported outbreaks with information on implicated foods. We compared foods implicated in outbreaks during 2007-2016 with those implicated in outbreaks during 1973-2006. We identified 28 novel food vehicles, of which the most common types were fish, nuts, fruits, and vegetables; one third were imported. Compared with other outbreaks, those associated with novel food vehicles were more likely to involve illnesses in multiple states and food recalls and were larger in terms of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Two thirds of novel foods did not require cooking after purchase. Prevention efforts targeting novel foods cannot rely solely on consumer education but require industry preventive measures.
Topics: Animals; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; Disease Outbreaks; Food Contamination; Food Microbiology; Foodborne Diseases; Humans; Population Surveillance; United States
PubMed: 34545783
DOI: 10.3201/eid2710.204080 -
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease Sep 2011In developed countries, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, between 15% and 20% of the population show greater susceptibility than the general population... (Review)
Review
In developed countries, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, between 15% and 20% of the population show greater susceptibility than the general population to foodborne disease. This proportion includes people with primary immunodeficiency, patients treated with radiation or with immunosuppressive drugs for cancer and diseases of the immune system, those with acquired immune-deficiency syndrome and diabetics, people suffering from liver or kidney disease or with excessive iron in the blood, pregnant women, infants, and the elderly. Malnutrition and use of antacids, particularly proton-pump inhibitors, also increase susceptibility. We review the occurrence of infection by foodborne pathogens in these groups of people and measures to prevent infection. The nature and use of low microbial diets to reduce the risk of foodborne disease in immunocompromised patients are very variable. Diets for vulnerable people in care should exclude higher-risk foods, and vulnerable people in the community should receive clear advice about food safety, in particular avoidance of higher-risk foods and substitution of safer, nutritious foods.
Topics: Disease Susceptibility; Female; Food Safety; Foodborne Diseases; Humans; Infection Control; Male; Patient Education as Topic; Risk Factors; Vulnerable Populations; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 21561383
DOI: 10.1089/fpd.2011.0860 -
Biosensors Jul 2022Over the past-decade, agricultural products (such as vegetables and fruits) have been reported as the major vehicles for foodborne diseases, which are limiting food... (Review)
Review
Over the past-decade, agricultural products (such as vegetables and fruits) have been reported as the major vehicles for foodborne diseases, which are limiting food resources. The spread of infectious diseases due to foodborne pathogens poses a global threat to human health and the economy. The accurate and timely detection of infectious disease and of causative pathogens is crucial in the prevention and treatment of disease. Negligence in the detection of pathogenic substances can be catastrophic and lead to a pandemic. Despite the revolution in health diagnostics, much attention has been paid to the agro-food sector regarding the detection of food contaminants (such as pathogens). The conventional analytical techniques for pathogen detection are reliable and still in operation. However, laborious procedures and time-consuming detection via these approaches emphasize the need for simple, easy-to-use, and affordable detection techniques. The rapid detection of pathogens from food is essential to avoid the morbidity and mortality originating from the suboptimal nature of empiric pathogen treatment. This review critically discusses both the conventional and emerging bio-molecular approaches for pathogen detection in agro-food.
Topics: Biosensing Techniques; Food; Food Contamination; Food Microbiology; Foodborne Diseases; Humans
PubMed: 35884292
DOI: 10.3390/bios12070489