At a glance
- CDC receives reports of infections, identifies prevention measures, and provides data to inform food safety action.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulate food products, establishing and enforcing standards to prevent and limit contamination.
- CDC collects and analyzes data on Campylobacter infections through a number of surveillance systems.
What CDC is doing
State health departments report cases of Campylobacter infection to CDC. CDC uses the reported information to
- Monitor cases
- Track antimicrobial resistance
- Estimate the total number of people infected each year
- Identify prevention measures to meet food safety goals
- Provide data and analyses that inform food safety action and policy
What other agencies are doing
USDA-FSIS
USDA-FSIS regulates meat, poultry, and processed eggs.
The agency establishes and enforces performance standards limiting Campylobacter contamination rates in these products. It also posts contamination testing results online.
FDA
FDA regulates all foods other than those regulated by USDA-FSIS.
FDA publishes the Food Code, a model for regulating retail and food service establishments. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus to preventing contamination.
CDC surveillance systems
CDC has several surveillance systems collecting Campylobacter data:
- Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) collects data on human infections caused by Campylobacter.
- Laboratory Enteric Disease Surveillance (LEDS) collects data on laboratory-confirmed Campylobacter infections from state public health laboratories.
- National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) tracks changes in antimicrobial resistance among Campylobacter bacteria isolated from humans, meat sold at retail, and food animals.
- National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) collects data from state health departments about outbreaks linked to Campylobacter.
- PulseNet compares the DNA fingerprints of Campylobacter from patients to find groups of infections that may indicate an outbreak.
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