Surveillance
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CDC has several surveillance systems for obtaining information about Salmonella. They serve different purposes and provide information on various features of the organism's epidemiology, such as number of outbreaks, antimicrobial-resistant infections, and subtypes.
Laboratory-based Enteric Disease Surveillance (LEDS)
Collects laboratory data, such as serotype, on Salmonella
National Salmonella surveillance data are collected through passive surveillance of laboratory-confirmed human Salmonella isolates. Clinical diagnostic laboratories submit Salmonella isolates to state and territorial public health laboratories, where they are confirmed and serotyped according to the Kauffmann-White scheme. Unusual or untypable serotypes are forwarded to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Salmonella Reference Laboratory at the Enteric Diseases Laboratory Branch (EDLB) for further characterization or confirmation; results are reported back to state and territorial public health laboratories.
State and territorial public health laboratories send reports electronically to CDC through a variety of mechanisms. Initially, all surveillance data were transmitted through the Public Health Laboratory Information System (PHLIS), but other methods of data transmission have been implemented over time; currently data are collected into the Laboratory-based Enteric Disease Surveillance (LEDS) system, which has replaced PHLIS. The Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED) in the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases maintains the national Salmonella surveillance data in LEDS. The annual summaries of these data are the only regularly published national source of serotype information for Salmonella.
Data:
- Annual Summaries: Salmonella data from LEDS
- Overview: Salmonella Surveillance [PDF - 12 pages]
National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS)
Tracks notifiable infectious diseases across the US
The National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System, or NNDSS, tracks contagious diseases that laboratory professionals and doctors are required to report to the state or territorial public health agency. These agencies voluntarily submit the information to NNDSS, which CDC oversees. The general system has been in existence since 1878. Notifiable disease surveillance is "passive" (i.e., the investigator at CDC waits for disease reports from those required to report) and is susceptible to underreporting. Foodborne diseases that are reportable include botulism, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), listeriosis (Listeria), salmonellosis (Salmonella), Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections, and vibriosis (cholera and its relatives).
Data:
Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet)
Reports trends in foodborne infections and tracks the impact of food safety policies nationally
Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, referred to as FoodNet, is the principal foodborne disease component of CDC's Emerging Infections Program. FoodNet is a sentinel surveillance system¹ that collects information from sites in 10 states—covering 15% of the US population, or 46 million Americans—about diseases that are caused by any of seven bacteria and two parasites² commonly transmitted through food. The system has been in operation since 1995. Investigators actively seek out laboratory confirmed cases of illness in an attempt to detect every person in the 10 sites who went to a doctor's office, had a sample tested, and was diagnosed with one of these infections. With the information on epidemiology, incidence, and trends of foodborne diseases in the US, public health officials can conduct analyses and epidemiological studies.
FoodNet is a collaborative program among CDC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and state health departments in Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, and selected counties in California, Colorado, and New York.
Data:
- Surveillance Reports: FoodNet Annual Reports
- Studies and Surveys: FoodNet Studies and Surveys
National Molecular Subtyping Network for Foodborne Disease Surveillance (PulseNet)
Connects cases of illness nationwide to quickly identify outbreaks, including many that would otherwise go undetected
The National Molecular Subtyping Network for Foodborne Disease Surveillance, or PulseNet, connects cases to potential outbreaks, especially across states. PulseNet has revolutionized the detection and investigation of foodborne disease outbreaks, especially those occurring in multiple sites across the country which, before PulseNet, often went undetected or were detected only after they grew very large. Analysis is done through subtyping and categorization of foodborne bacterial pathogens though a standardized process of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)3. PulseNet is a national network of local, state, territorial, agricultural, and federal laboratories—in all 50 states and 82 countries—coordinated by CDC and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) since 1996. PulseNet allows investigators from participating sites to upload PFGE patterns to an electronic database and compare them with patterns of other pathogens isolated from humans, animals, and foods to identify matches and possible linkages between pathogens (e.g., outbreaks).
Data:
National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System—enteric bacteria (NARMS)
Enhances collaboration among public health and agricultural agencies to detect, respond, and prevent antimicrobial resistance among foodborne bacteria
The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, referred to as NARMS, conducts surveillance for antimicrobial resistance among foodborne bacteria. It has been monitored jointly by CDC, the Center for Veterinary Medicine in the Food and Drug Administration, and USDA since 1996. CDC is in charge of samples isolated from humans. Annual reports from all three agencies are published and can be found online (FDA, USDA).
Data:
- Surveillance Reports: NARMS Annual Reports
Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System (FDOSS)
Captures outbreak data on agents, foods, and settings responsible for illness
CDC collects reports of foodborne outbreaks due to enteric bacterial, viral, parasitic, and chemical agents. State, local, and territorial public health agencies report these outbreaks to the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System through the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS). The CDC surveillance team conducts analyses of these data to improve understanding of the human health impact of foodborne outbreaks and the pathogens, foods, settings, and contributing factors (for example, food not kept at the right temperature) involved in these outbreaks. Though this system has existed since 1973, starting in 2009, the system has also included modules for reporting enteric disease outbreaks transmitted through water, person-to-person contact, or direct contact with animals. The data transmission tool that preceded NORS was called the electronic Foodborne Outbreak Reporting System (eFORS) from 1998-2008.
For data on foodborne outbreaks, the Foodborne Outbreak Online Database (FOOD) can be searched. Foodborne Outbreak Online Database (FOOD) is an annual listing of foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States (1998–2009) which has been designed to allow the public direct access to information on foodborne outbreaks reported to CDC. Most outbreaks are reported to the system by the state, local, territorial, or tribal health department that conducted the outbreak investigation. Outbreak reporting is voluntary. Multistate outbreaks are generally reported by CDC. For more information, see FOOD Tool Questions and Answers.
Data:
- Surveillance Reports: Annual Reports of Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks
OutbreakNet
CDC's OutbreakNet team ensures rapid, coordinated detection and response to multistate outbreaks of enteric diseases and promotes comprehensive outbreak surveillance. OutbreakNet works in partnership with state and local health departments, USDA, FDA, and PulseNet.
Sources:
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