New tests that detect common foodborne
pathogens more rapidly are less likely to trace contamination to the source,
since they provide less specific information than older, slower tests, say
public health officials.
As a consequence, sources of foodborne illnesses
outbreaks will not be identified as quickly, state epidemiologists told the
Scientific American in a report published Monday.
New diagnostic tests for foodborne
illnesses caused by Salmonella,
Campylobacter and E. coli have
allowed public health officials to drop traditional laboratory testing of blood
and stool samples.
The old, slower lab tests, however, were
based on a cultured specimen that revealed a pathogen’s DNA “fingerprint,”
which could be shared on the national PulseNet system and matched with other
cases, often resulting in the source of the contamination being identified.
Timothy F. Jones, Tennessee’s state
epidemiologist, told Scientific American that while rapid tests can detect
whole classes of Shiga-toxin
producing bacteria, and additional bacteria that in the past would have been
missed, it won’t produce the DNA fingerprinting needed to by PulseNet in order
to identify it as a match with a contaminated food.
Jones says that part is setting public
health back to the day before it had the ability to do DNA fingerprinting. It
means outbreaks will be underway longer before they are connected to a specific
source, meaning more people will experience foodborne illness.
Infectious disease experts say the adoption
of the new fast tests by doctors and hospitals mean public health officials
will have to find new ways to monitor and track outbreaks.
Source: Scientific American