Foodborne infections

The role of foodborne infections in the health of the population has become of major concern recently. Numerous agents are transmitted in food and water and typically result in acute gastroenteritis, although long-term complications such as reactive arthritis (due to Salmonella, Yersinia, and Shigella organisms), Guillain-Barré syndrome (due to Campylobacter organisms), and renal failure (due to Escherichia coli) are now well recognized. The development of FoodNet to follow the epidemiology of select foodborne infections in the United States has been a major advance in recent years and is now beginning to show interesting trends. Our understanding of the pathogenesis of some of the major foodborne pathogens, especially Salmonella, is advancing and the genome sequencing of these organisms will advance the field further. Of particular concern of late is the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial isolates, especially for Salmonella and Campylobacter. Irrespective of their cause, these changes in susceptibility patterns pose a major threat to the appropriate treatment of patients. Overall, our knowledge of foodborne infections is advancing rapidly, but new factors such as the emergence of antibiotic resistance means that vigilance must be maintained.