The impact of molecular diagnostics on surveillance of foodborne infections

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that foodborne diseases cause illness in one in six Americans (or 48 million people) each year, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths (1, 2). Among the known foodborne pathogens, bacteria proportionally cause the most severe illness, being associated with 64% of hospitalizations and 64% of the deaths. The foodborne bacteria associated with most hospitalizations and deaths are Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and Listeria monocytogenes. These bacteria are all zoonotic; i.e., they may be found in the normal intestinal biota of animals without causing disease and may spread to the environment and contaminate the food we eat.