U.S. Food & Drug Administration Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook

The "Bad Bug Book" Preface

The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) has prepared a handbook on foodborne pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and parasites) and natural toxins. Each chapter focuses mainly on either one foodborne pathogenic microorganism or natural toxin. In some chapters, a closely related group of organisms or natural toxins is covered. Each chapter provides information that is general in nature and abbreviated for convenience. This book is not intended to serve as a comprehensive reference source. The intent in each chapter is to provide basic facts regarding these organisms and toxins, including their characteristics, habitat or source, associated foods, infective dose, characteristic disease symptoms, complications, recent and/or major outbreaks, and any susceptible populations. The chapters contain minimal information on the analytical methods used to detect, isolate, and/or identify the pathogens or natural toxins. For these methods, the reader should refer to the FDA's Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) and the AOAC's Official Methods of Analysis (15th edition). Additionally, you can download the Pathogen Modeling Program from the USDA's Microbial Food Safety Research Unit.

January 1992

How to acquire printed copies of this handbook

Bound and printed copies of the handbook "Foodborne Microorganisms and Natural Toxins" are not available from the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; however, you may printout copies from your web browser, or you may download the whole handbook  http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/badbug.zip and printout copies from your browser while off-line.

Any questions or comments concerning the information in this book may be referred to: Mark Walderhaug, MOW@cfsan.fda.gov.

Food and Drug Administration
Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins