Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) provides new opportunities for improving bacterial food safety but also brings with it some concerns, according to Belgian experts.

An opinion by the Scientific Committee of the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) made several recommendations about implementing the technology in Belgium.
Continue Reading Scientists advise food agency to use whole genome sequencing

States and territories have been steadily building their epidemiology staffs, but they collectively need another 1,200 to reach “full capacity” in terms of several key health areas, including foodborne illnesses and other infectious diseases. 

One hundred percent of U.S. states and territories, as well as the District of Columbia, provided
Continue Reading Who’s minding the lab?

It’s not every day that you see an outbreak of foodborne illness spanning five years. But that’s what happened with a Listeria outbreak first announced 10 days ago by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Just last month, it was whole-genome sequencing that connected together the 24 illnesses
Continue Reading Don’t Forget the Epidemiology: Unraveling a Five-Year Listeria Outbreak

When revolutionary epidemiologist William Keene started working for the Oregon Public Health Division in 1990, he also started collecting packaging from recalled products, restaurant menus, and other elements from his outbreak investigations and displaying them in his office. “These exhibits commemorate why we do these investigations and the kind of
Continue Reading Oregon Outbreak Museum Memorializes What We’ve Learned About Foodborne Illness

When news broke this past fall of two separate Salmonella outbreaks tied to Foster Farms chicken, one of the most noteworthy aspects of each outbreak was the number of patients sickened. To date, the outbreaks have been connected to 615 reported Salmonella infections altogether, making Foster Farms chicken the largest
Continue Reading Outbreak Case Counts: Why Official Numbers Fall Far Below Estimates