Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FoodNet is a surveillance network of the Center for Disease Control's (CDC)
Emerging Infections Program which quantifi es and monitors the incidence of
laboratory- confi rmed cases of
Campylobacter
,
Listeria
,
Salmonella
, Shiga toxin
-
producing
E. coli
,
Shigella
,
Yersinia
, and
Vibrio
. As pointed out by Hardnett et al.
2004
, the population whose cases are reported to FoodNet was not chosen to equally
represent all racial/ethnic groups and even in the expanded FoodNet population,
Hispanics and those living below the poverty level are underrepresented when com-
pared to the American Population (6 % vs. 12 %, and 11 % vs. 14 %, respectively)
(Hardnett et al.
2004
). Regardless of this difference in representation, efforts have
been made to examine whether or not the data that has been obtained shows differ-
ences in incidence of pathogens in populations of certain racial and/or ethnic back-
ground. When FoodNet data from 1996 to 1998 was analyzed specifi cally for
demographic trends in the incidence of
Shigella
it was found that the incidence
(cases/100,000 population) of
Shigella
was greater in African Americans and
Hispanics (4.1 and 11.2, respectively) when compared to Caucasians (1.6) (Shiferaw
et al.
2004
). FoodNet data from 1998 to 2000 was analyzed for disparities between
the incidence of
Salmonella enteritidis
among groups of different ages, races, and
ethnicities. Among individuals over 3 years of age, it was found that the incidence
of
S. enteritidis
per 100,000 was highest among African Americans (2.0), followed
by Hispanics (1.2) and then Caucasians (1.1) (Marcus et al.
2002
). Rates of
Campylobacter
,
E. coli
O157:H7,
Salmonella
,
Shigella
,
Vibrio
, and
Yersinia
among
Hispanics, African Americans, Asians, and Caucasians were analyzed using 2000
FoodNet data. It was found that the incidence of
Shigella
and
Salmonella typhi
was
greater in Hispanics than Caucasians, the incidence of
Shigella
and
Yersinia
was
higher in African Americans than Caucasians and the incidence of
Shigella
,
Vibrio
,
and
S. typhi
was greater in Asians than Caucasians (Lay et al.
2002
). Finally, Samuel
et al. analyzed the epidemiology of
Campylobacter
infections utilizing FoodNet
data from 1996 to 1999 and found the average incidence over all 4 years to be great-
est among Hispanic and Asian populations (31.6 and 33.5/100,000, respectively),
while Caucasian populations had an incidence of 21.9/100,000 and African
Americans had the lowest incidence of 13.0/100,000 (Samuel et al.
2004
). In 2008
FoodNet began releasing rates of foodborne illness by race and ethnicity in Annual
Reports (Quinlan
2013
).
An ecological analysis was conducted of sociodemographic factors associated
with the three most commonly reported nationally notifi able enteric bacterial dis-
eases in the USA, salmonellosis, shigellosis, and
E. coli
O157:H7 infection. Data
from the National Notifi able Diseases Surveillance System for infections reported
in all US counties from 1993 to 2002 was analyzed. Consistent with FoodNet data
reported above, it was found that percent African American and percent Hispanic
population were positively associated with incidence of both salmonellosis and
shigellosis, but not with
E. coli
O157:H7 infection. Additionally, it was determined
that percent urban population was also positively associated with incidence of
salmonellosis and shigellosis, but not with
E. coli
O157:H7, while number of food
handlers in the population was positively associated with incidence of all three
infections (Chang et al.
2009
). There are a few studies which have found that
