Success Stories

For Public Health

Jan. 10, 2024

Read about important foodborne outbreaks that PulseNet has helped identify.

PulseNet in Action

Kidney Failure-Causing E. coli in Backyard Water Sources

A sprinkler connected to a hose spraying water onto a yard — Utah Public Health Department uses PulseNet to solve an outbreak affecting children playing in water.

In the summer of 2023, a concerning cluster of severe Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 infections emerged in a Utah community, primarily sickening young children. The people who got sick had severe symptoms, leading to seven hospitalizations and causing two children to develop life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a condition that can lead to kidney failure. Public health officials knew they needed to quickly find the source, and Utah's public health laboratory, a key partner in the PulseNet national network, sprang into action.

Public health professionals used whole genome sequencing (WGS) to determine the genetic "fingerprint" of the E. coli bacteria from the sick children. Simultaneously, they collected environmental samples for testing from the city's untreated, pressurized irrigation water system. Using PulseNet's analysis technology, the results were definitive: the E. coli strain from the sick children genetically matched to the strain found in the irrigation water. This provided undeniable evidence linking the children's illnesses to the contaminated water.

This rapid and precise identification directly protected other children and families from getting sick, improved awareness of the risk of untreated water, and helped prevent outbreaks like this from occurring in the future.

Salmonella in Pig Ear Dog Treats

Dog chewing on a pig ear dog treat — Michigan PulseNet partners played integral role in detecting and investigating a Salmonella  outbreak with an unusual source – pig ear dog treats.

Between February - April of 2019, Michigan PulseNet partners recognized a pattern emerging in their routine monitoring of food poisoning outbreaks. After detecting illnesses caused by a specific strain of Salmonella, they notified CDC, FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), and surrounding state public health and veterinary diagnostic laboratories to determine whether this Salmonella strain had made people sick elsewhere. CDC's PulseNet network compared samples from across the United States and found that other states were seeing related Salmonella bacteria. A national investigation was initiated in May 2019, and officials in 9 states with the related Salmonella bacteria dove into action under the coordination of CDC and FDA CVM. Patient interviews revealed that many had contact with dogs before getting sick, with some buying pig ear dog treats for their pets.

Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture and Rural Development worked together, collecting and testing pig ear products for Salmonella. Investigators and laboratory scientists together made an alarming discovery, that the pig ear dog treats were contaminated with multiple strains of Salmonella, some of which had been making people sick much earlier than was detected at the start of the investigation. Investigators ultimately identified seven Salmonella strains in pig ear dog treats that caused 154 human illnesses in 34 states.

Without the vigilance of the Michigan public health and agriculture team, quick action by federal partners, and PulseNet's national surveillance infrastructure, illnesses linked to pig ear dog treats may have continued or never been detected. Additionally, this investigation led to several recalls and an import alert. Heightened scrutiny of pet treat contamination testing has reduced the size of outbreaks linked to pet treats and strengthened collaboration across sectors and jurisdictions. This is just one of hundreds of Salmonella outbreaks stopped each year due to diligent PulseNet monitoring and epidemiological action at the state and federal level.