FDA’s tracking and analysis of surveillance sampling isolates for outbreak detection

Introduction Identifying, solving, and stopping foodborne outbreaks in the U.S. requires the collaboration and coordination of multiple federal agencies and centers as well as state and local authorities. FDA’s Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) Network is responsible for outbreak surveillance, response, and post-response activities related to incidents involving multiple illnesses linked to FDA-regulated food. CORE collaborates with CDC to obtain data on foodborne illnesses and illness clusters and with FDA Centers and field staff to obtain laboratory and inspectional information related to contaminated foods and foodborne illness outbreaks. CORE’s Signals and Surveillance team coordinates isolate tracking activities among several organizations within FDA and CDC and the isolate database was developed for timely information sharing and early signal detection.