ABSTRACT
Foodborne infectious diseases cause signifi cant morbidity despite the advances in food processing technology and medical care. In 2011, Centers for Diseases Control (CDC) estimated 48 million foodborne illnesses occur each year in the United States (US), of which 9.4 million episodes were from confi rmed pathogens [5.5 million (59%) by viruses, 3.6 million (39%) by bacteria, and 0.2 million (2%) by parasites] (Scallan, Hoekstra et al. 2011, Scallan, Griffi n et al. 2011). More recent data published by the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) that monitors laboratory confi rmed foodborne infections caused by the nine most common pathogens in 10 states in the US (15% of US population), reported 19,056 infections, 4,200 hospitalizations, and 80 deaths in 2013 (Crim et al. 2014).
