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Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch (FDDB) - About
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Surveillance |
Surveillance is a core
function of public health, tracking trends, guiding
prevention strategies, and detecting outbreaks. We
conduct national surveillance for major bacterial
infections transmitted through food or water, and
for outbreaks of foodborne infections of any cause.
We develop and implement better tools for public health
surveillance.
PulseNet, our new network for DNA "fingerprinting"
of bacteria that cause foodborne illness, links state
public health laboratories, CDC and the food regulatory
agencies together so that multistate outbreaks can
be rapidly detected and investigated. PulseNet technology
provides each state with the capacity to detect clusters
of infections. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2004, PulseNet
included all 50 states and Canada, covering Listeria,
Shigella, E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. PulseNet
China launched, and the international networks of
PulseNet Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America held
formative meetings.
Also in FY2004, our electronic foodborne outbreak
reporting system (eFORS) gathered reports of more
than 1000 such outbreaks. In addition to routine national
surveillance of reportable infections such as salmonellosis
and shigellosis, the FoodNet program conducts active
surveillance for a broader range of pathogens in a
group of sentinel sites, providing reliable and accurate
information on the incidence of and risk factors for
a variety of foodborne infections. FoodNet is our
collaborative effort among ten states, the food regulatory
agencies, and CDC’s Emerging Infectious Disease
Program. In FY2004, FoodNet documented a continuing
decline in the incidence of Campylobacter and Salmonella
and the first significant decrease in E. coli O157:H7
infections since FoodNet began in 1996. Our collaborative
monitoring program for antibiotic resistance in foodborne
organisms documented continuing resistance in Salmonella
to ceftriaxone and in Campylobacter to fluoroquinolones,
the drugs of choice for treating severe intestinal
infections. |
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Outbreaks |
An outbreak of infections
occurs when a group of people develop the same illness
after a common exposure. We investigate outbreaks
to identify the illness and the exposure, to control
the outbreak and to learn how to prevent future similar
outbreaks. Most outbreaks are investigated by local
or state health department epidemiologists. We provide
emergency support for state health departments and
the World Health Organization (WHO).
In FY2004, we conducted ten emergency outbreak field
investigations and consulted on many more. We conducted
two major investigations of Roma tomato-associated
salmonellosis tracked to Florida that stimulated new
research into how such contamination might occur.
A large outbreak of Campylobacter infections from
a resort island in Ohio stimulated revision of the
local water supply and discussion about the safety
of "private" water sources used by the public.
We investigated a major outbreak of multiple-resistant
(resistant to more than one antibiotic) salmonellosis
in the Northeast, which is stimulating additional
regulatory and industry dialogue about how to make
our ground beef safer. We investigated an epidemic
of cholera in Zambia, showing that fresh produce from
the flooded market was the main source; this investigation
is the poster child of the WHO "Healthy Market"
initiative.
We also led the CDC response to the Tsunami disaster
in Southeast Asia, and participated in the disaster
response to hurricane flooding in Haiti, using the
CDC Safe Water System in both disasters. |
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Public
Health Tools and Prevention |
Through applied research,
we improve public health tools and increase the scientific
basis for prevention. In FY2004, we continued the
multi year international effort to develop new molecular
tools for subtyping Salmonella and Campylobacter,
harnessing the latest DNA methodologies to the practical
problem of characterizing these complicated organisms.
We aim to replace traditional serotyping with a molecular
equivalent and to develop an improved strategy for
subtyping that can eventually replace pulsed field
gel electrophoresis in PulseNet. We characterized
new molecular loci of antimicrobial resistance in
Salmonella and Campylobacter.
We continued the commercialization of a new rapid
and sensitive ELISA test for detecting botulism toxin.
The FoodNet study of Campylobacter infections linked
these to eating undercooked poultry, particularly
in restaurants, and linked poultry consumption and
foreign travel with fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter
infections. These data were used by the FDA to propose
a withdrawal of approval of fluoroquinolone for poultry.
Our CDC Safe Water program enables communities in
the developing world to make their drinking water
safe. In FY2004 in Kenya, we found that this program
reduced diarrheal illness by 50%. Because simple chlorination
is less effective in murky water, we developed a new
product with Procter and Gamble that both clarifies
and disinfects drinking water. In FY2004, we showed
that this product was effective in reducing disease
in Kenya and Bangladesh. We published a major study
showing that hand washing with soap reduced diarrheal
illness by more than 40% in Pakistani children. |
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Training
and Reporting |
We expand our impact
by training public health personnel around the world,
and by publishing scientific reports. In FY2004, we
conducted five training courses for microbiologists
in serotyping methods for Salmonella. We trained five
Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers in epidemiology
and public health, and selected one international
WHO food safety fellow who will join us this year.
We also developed a course on foodborne disease epidemiology
for use in international settings. The CDC Safe Water
field manual was published in French and Spanish.Finally,
we shared our most recent findings with the scientific
community and the public at large in the form of 93
scientific reports and papers, and a great number
of lectures and posters. |
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Date:
July 19, 2005
Content source: National Center for Infectious Diseases
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