Recipe for Stronger Food Safety Testing Programs: Findings and Recommendations from the APHL Food Safety Laboratory Capacity Assessment Project

摘要

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 76 million illnesses, 300,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States are caused by foodborne illnesses each year. Moreover, the agency predicts that the incidence of investigated foodborne outbreaks affecting at least ten individuals will more than double in coming years. CDC's report of foodborne illness in the U.S. in 2002 notes that while illnesses from Campylobacter and Listeria showed a sustained decline, those caused by E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella did not, indicating that increased efforts are needed to reduce further the incidence of foodborne illnesses. The threat is twofold: researchers are identifying new foodborne pathogens and toxins (including antimicrobial resistant bacteria), and the changing nature of food production and commerce facilitates the widespread distribution of tainted food products. Since the terrorist attacks of the fall of 2001, the possibility of a deliberate attack on the food supply has become more tangible as well. The causes and long-term consequences of most foodborne illnesses are unknown, and research continues to raise concerns about emerging threats from microorganisms and chemical contaminants such as pesticides. Familiar foodborne pathogens are showing up in new foods, even as new foodborne pathogens and toxins - including antimicrobial-resistant bacteria - are identified.