PulseNet: The Molecular Subtyping Network for Foodborne Bacterial Disease Surveillance
Author Information
Author(s): Bala Swaminathan, Timothy J. Barrett, Susan B. Hunter, Robert V. Tauxe, CDC PulseNet Task Force
Primary Institution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Hypothesis
Decentralizing molecular subtyping activities and standardizing methodologies will improve the timeliness and effectiveness of foodborne disease outbreak investigations.
Conclusion
The establishment of PulseNet has significantly enhanced the ability to detect and investigate foodborne disease outbreaks through standardized molecular subtyping.
Supporting Evidence
- PulseNet began in 1996 with 10 laboratories and has grown to include 46 state and 2 local public health laboratories.
- Standardized PFGE protocols have been developed for multiple foodborne pathogens.
- PulseNet has facilitated the identification of clusters of foodborne illnesses that would have been difficult to detect using traditional methods.
Takeaway
PulseNet helps scientists quickly identify and track germs that make people sick from food, so they can find out where the germs are coming from and stop them.
Methodology
The study involved evaluating standardized protocols for pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for subtyping E. coli O157:H7 across multiple laboratories.
Limitations
The comparability of results between laboratories is limited due to variations in protocols used by different labs.
Participant Demographics
Participants included public health laboratories from various states in the U.S. and Canada.
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website