CDC: Infections from two foodborne germs increased during 2012

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CDC: Infections from two foodborne germs increased during 2012
CDC. MMWR. 2013;62;283-287.

April 18, 2013

The incidence of infections caused by Campylobacter and Vibrio increased in 2012 by 14% and 43%, respectively, compared with rates from 2006 to 2008, according to findings published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) conducted surveillance in 10 US sites (15% of the population) for laboratory-confirmed infections. FoodNet reported 19,531 illnesses, 4,563 hospitalizations and 68 deaths from nine infections that are transmitted commonly through food.

“Following the trends over time ... offers some insights to many partners on how to save lives and protect people,” Robert Tauxe, MD, MPH, deputy director of the CDC Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases, said during a press conference. “Every year we estimated that about 48 million people, or one in six people, in the US get sick from eating contaminated food.”

Researchers found the number of infections and incidence per 100,000 population, by pathogen, were Salmonella (7,800; 16.42), Campylobacter (6,793; 14.3), Shigella (2,138; 4.5), Cryptosporidium (1,243; 2.6), Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) non-O157 (551; 1.16), STEC O157 (531; 1.12), Vibrio (193; 0.41), Yersinia (155; 0.33), Listeria (121; 0.25) and Cyclospora (15; 0.03).

“Once again, Salmonella was the most commonly diagnosed and reported cause of infection among those that are tracked,” Tauxe said. “The frequency of Salmonella, in general, in the population that FoodNet follows has remained constant over time since 1996.”

Compared with the 1996 to 1998 period, infections associated with Campylobacter, Listeria, Shigella, STEC O157 and Yersinia were significantly lower in 2012, but Vibrio infections were significantly higher.

According to researchers, adults aged 65 years or older were hospitalized most frequently; 67% for STEC O157, 58% for Vibrio, 55% for Salmonella, 50% for Cyclospora, 41% for Shigella, 34% for STEC non-O157, 33% for Cryptosporidium and 31% for Campylobacter. Deaths also were highest among those aged 65 years or older.

“FDA is concerned that the rates of these major foodborne illnesses have not decreased in recent years, and certainly these data from CDC highlight the importance of new rules from the Food Safety Modernization Act, which will help reduce foodborne illness,” Jeff Farrar, DVM, MPH, PhD, director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Partnerships at the FDA, said during the press conference.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.