TY - JOUR T1 - Limitations to successful investigation and reporting of foodborne outbreaks: an analysis of foodborne disease outbreaks in FoodNet catchment areas, 1998-1999. AU - Jones,Timothy F, AU - Imhoff,Beth, AU - Samuel,Michael, AU - Mshar,Patricia, AU - McCombs,Katherine Gibbs, AU - Hawkins,Marguerite, AU - Deneen,Valerie, AU - Cambridge,Michael, AU - Olsen,Sonja J, AU - ,, PY - 2004/4/20/pubmed PY - 2004/4/29/medline PY - 2004/4/20/entrez SP - S297 EP - 302 JF - Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America JO - Clin Infect Dis VL - 38 Suppl 3 N2 - To better understand factors associated with confirming the etiologic organism and identifying the food vehicle responsible for foodborne-disease outbreaks, we examined data from outbreaks reported in 1998 and 1999 through active surveillance by Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) surveillance areas in 7 states. In 71% of these outbreaks, no confirmed etiology was identified, and in 46%, no suspected food vehicle was identified. Outbreaks involving > or =10 cases were significantly more likely to have their etiology identified than were smaller outbreaks. In two-thirds of outbreaks in which an etiology was not confirmed, no stool specimens were collected for laboratory testing; in 55% of these outbreaks, neither clinical specimens nor food samples were tested. If the etiology of and factors contributing to foodborne-disease outbreaks are to be understood, adequate resources must be available to allow specimens to be collected and tested and epidemiologic investigations to be conducted appropriately. SN - 1537-6591 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/15095202/Limitations_to_successful_investigation_and_reporting_of_foodborne_outbreaks:_an_analysis_of_foodborne_disease_outbreaks_in_FoodNet_catchment_areas_1998_1999_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -