Major Foodborne Outbreaks On The Rise.

reports in “To Your Health” that “major foodborne outbreaks in the United States have more than tripled in the last 20 years, and the germs most frequently implicated are familiar to most Americans: Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.” Meanwhile, “a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes clear the danger these pathogens pose.” The report analyzed “the illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths from foodborne outbreaks that took place in two or more states between 2010 and 2014,” finding “120 multistate outbreaks.” CDC officials are also using new gene-sequencing tools to track down the source of outbreaks faster. The agency has been using the technology for all investigations involving Listeria since September 2013 and will begin testing it for salmonella, E. coli and campylobacter next year. This DNA "fingerprinting" allows public health officials to examine thousands of pieces of DNA to link germs in sick people with the pathogens in contaminated food more precisely than the standard techniques in use for the past two decades. So far, officials say, they've been able to solve some "cold cases" by finding contaminated food responsible for unsolved illnesses. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/11/03/major-foodborne-outbreaks-in-u-s-have-tripled-in-last-20-years/