Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet)

THE FOODBORNE DISEASES ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE NETWORK (FoodNet) is the foodborne disease component of CDC's Emerging Infections Program (EIP). FoodNet is a collaborative project among CDC, the 10 EIP sites, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FoodNet consists of active surveillance for foodborne diseases and related epidemiologic studies designed to help public health officials better understand the epidemiology of infections commonly transmitted through food in the United States. FoodNet provides a network for responding to new and emerging foodborne diseases of national importance, monitoring the burden of foodborne diseases, and identifying the sources of specific foodborne diseases.

• Determine the burden of foodborne illness in the United States
• Monitor trends in the burden of specific foodborne illness over time
• Attribute the burden of foodborne illness to specific foods and settings
• Disseminate information that can lead to improvements in public health practice and the development of interventions to reduce the burden of foodborne illness.

• In Connecticut, FoodNet conducts statewide, active laboratory-based surveillance for bacterial and parasitic foodborne pathogens on every laboratory-diagnosed case of bacterial pathogens including Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli O157 and other non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Listeria monocytogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica, Vibrio, and the parasitic organism causing Cyclospora infection. This information is transmitted electronically to CDC. In addition to collecting laboratory-diagnosed cases of foodborne pathogens, investigators at FoodNet sites conduct active surveillance for hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) (a serious complication of STEC infection). The result is a comprehensive and timely database of foodborne illness in a well-defined population.
• Physician, Laboratory and Population Surveys
• Case-control studies to identify risk factors for specific foodborne pathogens.

FoodNet Fast:

FoodNet Fast provides online access to information reported to FoodNet. You can use FoodNet Fast tools to search data and see results displayed on interactive graphs and charts:

• Pathogen Surveillance Tool: See how rates of illness have changed in FoodNet’s surveillance area since 1996 for selected pathogens transmitted commonly through food: Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Listeria, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia.
• Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) Surveillance Tool: HUS is a life-threatening condition, most often triggered by STEC infection. See how rates of pediatric HUS and STEC infection have changed in FoodNet’s surveillance area since 1997.
• Diagnostic Laboratory Practices Tool: Find out how diagnostic testing practices in FoodNet’s surveillance area have changed over time for selected pathogens: Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Listeria, norovirus, Salmonella, STEC, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia.

Click here to access FoodNet Fast.

Government:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – FoodNet
• National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS)
• PulseNet
• Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Connecticut Department of Public Health
• Gateway to Government Food Safety Information
• Food and Drug Administration
• US Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service
• FSIS Recall Information Center
• The Bad Bug Book

Non-Government:

• Penn State Food Safety
• North Carolina State University
• Iowa State University
• American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods
  

Project Contact Person

Tamara Rissman, MPH
Program Manager, CT FoodNet
Connecticut Emerging Infections Program
One Church Street, 7th floor
New Haven, CT 06510
tamara.rissman@yale.edu
203-737-6978