title: Foodborne outbreaks surveillance in the Piedmont Region, Italy (2002-2009).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  this article summarises the results of eight years (2002-2009) of investigations on food borne disease outbreaks carried out the Regional Agency for Public Health in Piedmont, which is an Italian Region (4,432,571 citizens, 2008).
  
  
  METHODS
  the investigations were conducted as cohort studies supported by laboratory analysis of: food and patients. The data were reported by general practitioners and hospital physicians, and were collected, evaluated and recorded in 22 Hospitals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  it recorded 803 outbreaks of food borne disease, of which 177 mushroom outbreaks with 318 ill people and 499 outbreaks for all the others agents with 3,381 ill people. The maximum prevalence was 15.7/100,000 (2004). The most important causes for numbers of ill people have been (2002-2009): salmonellosis (34%, 1,250/3,699), mushroom poisoning (9%, 318/3,699), Escherichia coli (8%, 228/3,699), Staphyilococcus (6%, 209/3,699), virus (5%, 198/3,699), Clostridium perfringens (4%, 154/3,699), Bacillus cereus (2.1%, 76/3,699), scombrotoxin (1.8%, 65/3,699). 303 out of 304 mushrooms outbreaks occurred from consumers that picking mushrooms themselves to eat in private homes and for all others agents: 57% of 499 the outbreaks occurred in private homes, 27% in restaurants, 6% in canteens, but 39% of 3,381 ill people had eaten in restaurants and other public food facilities, 32% in private homes and 24% in canteens. After mushrooms the eggs (75 outbreaks) were the most important food recognized.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the theoretical maximum prevalence which can be hypothesized with this data in Piedmont (2002-2009) is 141/100,000 (sum of the maximum prevalence recorded at least in one Piedmont Hospital district).
authors.affiliation: giuzic@tin.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zicari
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gorrasi
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Gioia
authors.forename: Maria Vittoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Traversi
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rivetti
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Soardo
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cerrato
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carraro
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gilli
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Magliola
mesh_terms: D001409:Bacillus cereus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D005511:Food Handling; D005519:Food Preservation; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008387:Marine Toxins / Q000506:poisoning; D008499:Medical Records; D009145:Mushroom Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D011634:Public Health; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012478:Salmonella Food Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology; D013202:Staphylococcal Food Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D008387:Marine Toxins; C034101:scombrotoxin