Microbiology and Epidemiology in Foodborne Disease Outbreaks: The Whys and When Nots

There are estimates that each year 3 million Americans suffer from a foodborne illness. Every day each one of us eats a number of foods obtained from a variety of sources. Keeping food and water safe, detecting and investigating food and waterborne outbreaks, and implementing and evaluating control measures require a variety of methodologies. Two sciences used extensively in food safety are microbiology and epidemiology. Each science has strengths and weaknesses but their proper and timely use can hasten and strengthen investigations of food safety.