Foodborne Diseases Associated With Fresh Produce
Table of Contents
Introduction1
Important foodborne pathogens2
Norovirus2
Salmonellosis2
Escherichia coli3
Other bacterial pathogens5
Parasites5
Conclusion6
References8
ABSTRACT
Foodborne diseases affected 48 million Americans in 2011 and 600 million people worldwide in 2010. The five most common pathogens implicated in foodborne disease are norovirus, nontyphoidal Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter spp. and Staphylococcus aureus. Norovirus and nontyphoidal Salmonella are strongly associated with fresh produce. Analyses of outbreak data show that foodborne diseases linked to fresh produce are becoming increasingly prevalent. Norovirus is the most common foodborne virus and has caused up to 60% of outbreaks associated with fresh produce in recent years. Nontyphoidal Salmonella is in second place. It causes nearly half of bacterial foodborne outbreaks related to fresh fruit and vegetables in the United States. Escherichia coli is responsible for 12% of foodborne illness associated with fresh produce in the United States. E. coli O157 is the dominant strain. Other important bacterial pathogens include Campylobacter, Shigella, Bacillus and Staphylococcus. Clostridium and Yersinia resulted in produce-related outbreaks in the European Union but not in the United States. Parasites are responsible for less than 4% of outbreaks associated with fresh produce in the United States. Cyclospora cayetanensis is the most common of these, but Giardia and Cryptosporidium have also been reported. Most foodborne illness is characterized by a combination of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea which may be accompanied by headaches and fever. Some pathogens, like Salmonella and E. coli O157, can cause complications including arthritis and kidney failure. Foodborne illness is usually self-limiting, but can be life-threatening to the elderly, children and immunocompromised patients. Prevention relies heavily on good hygiene and avoidance of contamination of food products.
Introduction
This paper examines the role of fresh produce in foodborne diseases. Estimates for 2011 by the Centers for Disease Control are that 1 out of 6 Americans suffer from a foodborne disease every year. This equates to 48 million people, of whom 128 000 go to hospital and 3 000 die (CDC 2011). The World Health Organization collated data on 31 foodborne diseases and found that these resulted in 600 million cases of illness and 420 000 deaths in 2010 (WHO 2015). Given these figures, it is clear that foodborne disease is an important health problem and that many, if not most, people will be affected during their lifetime.
The five most common pathogens implicated in foodborne disease are norovirus, nontyphoidal Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter spp. and Staphylococcus aureus (CDC 2011). Of these, norovirus and nontyphoidal Salmonella are strongly associated with fresh produce, although the others have also caused outbreaks. Sivapalasingam and others (2004) analyzed data from the Foodborne Outbreak Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control spanning 1973 to 1997. They concluded that fresh produce was increasingly causing foodborne illness in the United States.
More recently, Callejón and others (2014) examined data on foodborne disease outbreaks associated with fresh produce in the United States and the European Union for the period 2004 to 2012. They concluded that such outbreaks are common and that the prevalence does not appear …
