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Sponsored by:
Marler Clark
Attorneys at Law
866 - 770 - 2032
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What
is PulseNet?
In 1993, a large outbreak of foodborne illness caused by
E.
coli O157:H7 occurred in the western United States.
In this outbreak, scientists at the CDC performed DNA "fingerprinting"
by PFGE and determined that the strain of E. coli O157:H7
found in patients had the same PFGE pattern as the strain
isolated from hamburger patties served at a large chain
of regional fast food restaurants. Prompt recognition of
this outbreak and its cause may have prevented more than
the estimated 800 illnesses. As a result, the CDC developed
standardized PFGE methods and, in collaboration with the
Association of Public Health Laboratories, created PulseNet
so that scientists at public health laboratories throughout
the country could rapidly compare the PFGE patterns of bacteria
isolated from ill persons and determine whether they are
similar.
PulseNet is an early warning system for outbreaks of foodborne
disease. It is a national network of public health laboratories
that performs DNA “fingerprinting” on bacteria
that may be foodborne. The network identifies and labels
each “fingerprint” pattern and permits rapid comparison
of these patterns through an electronic database at the
CDC to identify related strains.
At present, PulseNet tracks four foodborne disease-causing
bacteria: E. coli O157:H7, nontyphoidal Salmonella, Shigella
and Listeria monocytogenes.
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