Foodborne Disease Definition
A foodborne disease is considered to be any illness associated with or in which the causative agent is obtained by the ingestion of food.
Approximately 66% of all foodborne illness outbreaks are caused by bacterial pathogens.
Of the 200 foodborne outbreaks reported each year, approximately 66% are of undetermined etiology.
Unidentified causes may be from the Salmonella and Campylobacter species, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringes, Clostridium botulinum, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli 0157, Shigella, Vibrio and Yersinia enterolitica, which are transmitted through foods.
A wide variety of home cooked and commercially prepared foods have been implicated in outbreaks, but they are most frequently related to foods of animals origin, such as poultry, eggs, red meat, seafood and dairy products.
Foodborne Disease Definition
