Socioeconomic Status and Foodborne Pathogens in Connecticut, USA, 2000-2011(1).
Foodborne pathogens cause >9 million illnesses annually. Food safety efforts address the entire food chain, but an essential strategy for preventing foodborne disease is educating consumers and food preparers. To better understand the epidemiology of foodborne disease and to direct prevention efforts, we examined incidence of Salmonella infection, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli infection, and hemolytic uremic syndrome by census tract-level socioeconomic status (SES) in the Connecticut Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network site for 2000-2011. Addresses of case-patients were geocoded to census tracts and linked to census tract-level SES data. Higher census tract-level SES was associated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, regardless of serotype; hemolytic uremic syndrome; salmonellosis in persons ≥5 years of age; and some Salmonella serotypes. A reverse association was found for salmonellosis in children <5 years of age and for 1 Salmonella serotype. These findings will inform education and prevention efforts as well as further research.
Bridget M
BM
Whitney
Christina
C
Mainero
Elizabeth
E
Humes
Sharon
S
Hurd
Linda
L
Niccolai
James L
JL
Hadler
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D019058:Community Networks; D003237:Connecticut / Q000453:epidemiology; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D012475:Salmonella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D022603:Shiga Toxins; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
D022603:Shiga Toxins
Connecticut; Escherichia coli O157; SES; STEC; Salmonellae; Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli; United States; bacteria; enteric infections; epidemiology; hemolytic uremic syndrome; salmonellosis; socioeconomic status