Escherichia coli O157:H7

Surveillance | MMWR Articles | Links | References 

Surveillance CDC currently has six surveillance systems for obtaining information about E. coli O157:H7. They serve different purposes and provide information on various features of the organism's epidemiology. Public Health Laboratory Information System (PHLIS) PHLIS is a passive, laboratory-based surveillance system that collects data about many infections, including E. coli O157:H7. Reporting is limited to illnesses that are confirmed by culture and verified at the state public health laboratory. After verification, information about the infection is reported electronically to CDC by the state http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/phlisdata. National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance (NETSS) NETSS is a passive, physician-based surveillance system that captures both laboratory-confirmed and clinically suspected cases of all nationally notifiable diseases, including E. coli O157:H7. The number of illnesses reported through NETSS tends to be higher than the number reported through PHLIS because NETSS does not require confirmation by the state public health laboratory. More information on NETSS can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/epo/dphsi/netss.htm. E. coli O157:H7 infections and other surveillance data collected by NETSS is published weekly in the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Report (MMWR) and can be found at http://www2.cdc.gov/mmwr. The MMWR also publishes an annual summary of the NETSS E. coli O157:H7 surveillance data; this information can be found at http://www2.cdc.gov/mmwr/summary.html. FoodNet The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) is an active surveillance system for identifying and characterizing culture-confirmed infections that may be foodborne, including E. coli O157:H7. FoodNet workers regularly contact more than 300 laboratories for confirmed cases of foodborne infections in several states encompassing a population of more than 25 million persons. In addition to monitoring the number of E. coli O157:H7 infections, investigators monitor laboratory techniques for isolation of bacteria, perform case-control studies of ill persons to determine foods associated with illness, and administer questionnaires to people living in FoodNet sites to better understand trends in the eating habits of Americans. Annual FoodNet reports that include data about E. coli O157:H7 can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/foodnet/annuals.htm. More information on FoodNet can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/foodnet. National Molecular Subtyping Network for Foodborne Diseases Surveillance (PulseNet) PulseNet is a national network of public health laboratories that perform pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), a type of DNA "fingerprinting", on certain foodborne bacteria, including E. coli O157:H7. PFGE "fingerprint" patterns are submitted electronically to CDC and can be compared rapidly with others in a large database. This system can help determine if individual infections are related or if an outbreak is occurring. PulseNet is not a surveillance system itself but a laboratory subtyping method used in surveillance. More information on PulseNet can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/pulsenet National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) NARMS is a passive surveillance system that monitors antimicrobial resistance of E. coli O157:H7 and selected other bacteria that cause human illness. NARMS is a collaboration between CDC, 16 state and local health departments, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the United States Agricultural Department (USDA). More information on NARMS can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/narms. Foodborne Outbreak Detection Unit CDC monitors outbreaks of foodborne disease, including outbreaks caused by Shigella. Each year, state and territorial epidemiologists voluntarily (passively) report the results of outbreak investigations to CDC. While outbreaks account for a small percentage of the total number of illnesses that occur each year, these investigations provide valuable information about sources of foodborne infection and often highlight important prevention opportunities. The latest summaries of foodborne outbreaks can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss4901a1.htm. Annual summaries of E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks are reported to the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The most recent annual reports can be found at the following links: pdf files - will open in a new browser window Surveillance for Outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infection; Summary of 1999 Data Surveillance for Outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infection; Summary of 1998 Data   MMWR Articles Outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infections Among Children Associated With Farm Visits --- Pennsylvania and Washington, 2000 MMWR April 20, 2001 / Vol. 50 / No. 15 Outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7and Campylobacter Among Attendees of the Washington County Fair --- New York, 1999 MMWR September 17, 1999/ Vol. 48 / No. 36 Outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infection and Cryptosporidiosis Associated with Drinking Unpasteurized Apple Cider - Connecticut and New York, October 1996 MMWR January 10, 1997 / Vol. 46 / No. 1 Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections Associated with Drinking Unpasteurized Commercial Apple Juice - October 1996 MMWR November 9, 1996 / Vol. 45 / No. 44 Outbreak of Acute Gastroenteritis Attributable to Escherichia coli Serotype O104:H21 - Helena, Montana, 1994 MMWR July 14, 1995 / Vol. 44 / No. 27 Enhanced Detection of Sporadic Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infections - New Jersey, July 1994 MMWR June 9, 1995 / Vol. 44 / No. 22 Escherichia coli O157:H7 Outbreak at a Summer Camp - Virginia, 1994 MMWR June 9, 1995 / Vol. 44 / No. 22 Links FoodNet PulseNet E. coli Index References Bender JB, Hedberg CW, Besser JM, et al. Surveillance for Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections in Minnesota by molecular subtyping. N Engl J. Med 1997; 337:388-94. Mahon BE, Griffin PM, Mead PS, Tauxe RV. Hemolytic uremic syndrome surveillance to monitor trends in infection with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and other shiga toxin-producing E.coli. Emerg Infect Dis 1997; 3:409-12. Mead PS, Griffin PM. Escherichia coli O157:H7. Lancet 1998; 352: 1207-12. Slutsker L, Ries AA, Greene KD, et al. Escherichia coli O157:H7 diarrhea in the United States: clinical and epidemiologic features. Ann Intern Med 1997; 126:505-13. Boyce TG, Pemberton AG, Wells JG, Griffin PM. Screening for Escherichia coli O157:H7-a nationwide survey of clinical laboratories. J Clin Microbiol 1995; 33:3275-7.

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