In Puerto Rico, a new molecular bacteriology lab allows better control of foodborne outbreaks
Sometimes a new facility is more than just four walls and a roof. In Puerto Rico, it was the springboard to improving foodborne outbreak response…
Food Safety
Lab Culture Ep. 4: Past, Present and Future of PulseNet
PulseNet revolutionized foodborne outbreak detection in the United States. What exactly is it? How did it get started? Why was it so significant? And what…
PulseNet key to solving 2010 E. coli outbreak linked to lettuce
by Kim Krisberg On April 22, 2010, federal public health officials notified the New York State Department of Health of two E. coli clusters at…
PulseNet helps Washington public health solve largest Salmonella outbreak in recent history
By Kim Krisberg In Washington state, it’s not entirely unusual for tiny clusters of foodborne illness to pop up throughout a given year. But in…
With PulseNet, handful of E. coli cases reveal multistate outbreak, prompt huge recall
By Kim Krisberg In 2014, two Ohio residents living more than 100 miles apart were diagnosed with an E. coli infection. Twenty years ago, the…
Random dog food sample proved critical in solving human illness outbreak
As part of Michigan’s routine pet food surveillance program, microbiologists in the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Laboratory Division were used to…
Sprouts: Just say no?
By Caitlin Saucier Feltner, BSN, RN Most people have seen or eaten sprouts, the crunchy mild-tasting greens that are often incorporated into stir-fried dishes and…
Stopping Listeria required an arsenal of tools and an army of experts
By several contributors from Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH), Division of Outbreak Investigation; State of Maryland Rapid Response Team (SMarRRT); Maryland Public…
Utah raw milk outbreak was difficult – but not impossible – to stop
By several contributors from the Utah Department of Health While the asserted health benefits of unpasteurized milk (aka, raw milk) have been debated, the public…
Virginia: PFGE and whole genome sequencing show Salmonella outbreak who’s boss
By Marshall P. Vogt, MPH, district epidemiologist, VDH; Krisandra J. Allen, MPH, foodborne and waterborne disease epidemiology specialist, VDH; Jessica Watson Rosner, MPH, foodborne disease…