The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) newest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report includes the latest data from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), summarizing preliminary 2017 data on nine pathogens spread commonly through food. Read the report.
Here are some key takeaways from the report:
- The overall number of Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia infections diagnosed by Culture Independent Diagnostic Tests (CIDT) increased 96% in 2017 compared with the 2014–2016 average.
- CIDTs are revealing many infections – such as those caused by Cyclospora, Yersinia, Vibrio, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) non-O157 – that would not have been diagnosed before because of limited testing.
- Infections caused by STEC O157 have decreased in the past 10 years.
- The incidence of Salmonella infections overall did not change significantly, but there were significant changes among serotypes Typhimurium and Heidelberg.
- Declines in STEC O157 and Salmonella may be due to a combination of efforts by regulatory agencies and industry to make food safer.
