Proposing new procedures for the management and prevention of foodborne diseases: an Italian experience: New procedures for foodborne disease prevention

Proposing new procedures for the management and prevention of foodborne diseases: an Italian experience

New procedures for foodborne disease prevention

Authors

  • Silvia Di Federico CREAGEN - Environmental, Genetic and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center, Section of Public Health, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
  • Domenico Maione Food Hygiene and Nutrition Service, Public Health Department, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • Silvia Cilloni Public Health Unit, Public Health Department, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • Elisa Raschi Official Veterinary Service, Public Health Department, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • Nadia Montanari Public Health Unit, Public Health Department, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • Salvatore Di Ruocco Food Hygiene and Nutrition Service, Public Health Department, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • Simona Rizzi Official Veterinary Service, Public Health Department, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • Francesca Pia Lionetti Public Health Unit, Public Health Department, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • Eufemia Bisaccia Public Health Unit, Public Health Department, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3794-8423
  • Antonio Poeta Official Veterinary Service, Public Health Department, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • Daniela De Vita Food Hygiene and Nutrition Service, Public Health Department, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • Emanuela Bedeschi Public Health Unit, Public Health Department, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
  • Marco Vinceti CREAGEN - Environmental, Genetic and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center, Section of Public Health, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; Depatment of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0551-2473
  • Tommaso Filippini CREAGEN - Environmental, Genetic and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center, Section of Public Health, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2100-0344

Keywords:

foodborne disease, foodborne outbreak, epidemiology, prevention, procedure

Abstract

Background and aim: Foodborne diseases are a public health issue with more than 4,000 outbreaks in 2021 in European Union countries and United Kingdom and their management is important for prevention and controls of outbreaks. Recently, new technological tools and strategies, including whole genome sequencing (WGS), have become available to allow the highest level of discrimination in the investigation of foodborne outbreak. In this study, we presented the updated procedure for assessment of foodborne disease within a community of Northern Italy. Methods: In the Reggio Emilia Local Health Authority (RE-AUSL), foodborne disease monitoring and control are managed by the following health Services: Public Health Unit (SIP); Food Hygiene and Nutrition Service (SIAN) and Official Veterinary Service (SSPV) composing the developed MTA group (‘Gruppo Malattie Trasmesse da Alimenti’). Among the new tools being implemented, there is a shared computerized folder and new related managements procedures available to MTA members only, allocating information regarding any material useful to the MTA group. Results: The main new features of the new procedure are: information sharing in all phases of the management of the infectious episode, integration of the three services through the creation of the MTA group and updated criteria for procedure activation, and finally a dedicated training programme. Conclusions: Timely investigation, management and control of MTA outbreaks is essential for both health and economic reasons. The new features and procedures implemented in this Italian community may allow to identify rapidly the causes of a case or outbreak and better counteract their spread.

References

EFSA. The European Union One Health 2021 Zoonoses Report. EFSA J 2022; 20 (12): 7666. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7666.

National Health Institute. Food infections. 2023. https://www.epicentro.iss.it/tossinfezioni/.

Tortorella V, Masciari P, Pezzi M, et al. Histamine poisoning from ingestion of fish or scombroid syndrome. Case Rep Emerg Med 2014; 2014: 482531. doi:10.1155/2014/482531.

Hungerford JM. Histamine and scombrotoxins. Toxicon 2021; 201: 115-26. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.08.013.

Notermans SHW. Food-borne outbreak. In: Robinson RK, editor. Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology. Academic Press 1999. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/food-borne-outbreak

Tuscany Region. [Guidelines for the correct management of foodborne disease outbreaks]. 2011. https://www.epicentro.iss.it/tossinfezioni/pdf/LineeGuidaToscanaTossinfezioni.pdf

Weiser AA, Gross S, Schielke A, et al. Trace-back and trace-forward tools developed ad hoc and used during the STEC O104:H4 outbreak 2011 in Germany and generic concepts for future outbreak situations. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2013; 10 (3): 263-9. doi:10.1089/fpd.2012.1296.

Greiner M. Tracing back and forward – source identification in foodborne outbreaks. Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung. 2013. https://mobil.bfr.bund.de/cm/343/tracing-back-and-forward-source-identification-in-foodborne-outbreaks.pdf.

EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards, Koutsoumanis K, Allende A, et al. Whole genome sequencing and metagenomics for outbreak investigation, source attribution and risk assessment of food-borne microorganisms. EFSA J 2019; 17 (12): e05898. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2019.5898.

Brown E, Dessai U, McGarry S, et al. Use of whole-genome sequencing for food safety and public health in the United States. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2019; 16 (7): 441-50. doi:10.1089/fpd.2019.2662.

Borella P, Vecchi E, Incerti F, et al. The relevance of molecular genotyping to allocate cases in a suspected outbreak of Legionella pneumonia in patients with prolonged immunosuppressive therapy. Int J Infect Dis 2020; 91: 174-6. doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2019.11.002.

White AE, Smith KE, Booth H, et al. Hypothesis generation during foodborne-illness outbreak investigations. Am J Epidemiol 2021; 190 (10): 2188-97. doi:10.1093/aje/kwab118.

World Health Organization. Foodborne Disease Outbreaks: Guidelines for Investigation and Control. 2008. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/43771/9789241547222_eng.pdf.

Russini V, Spaziante M, Varcasia BM, et al. A whole genome sequencing-based epidemiological investigation of a pregnancy-related onvasive listeriosis case in central Italy. Pathogens 2022; 11 (6): 667. doi:10.3390/pathogens11060667.

EFSA. Guidelines for reporting Whole Genome Sequencing-based typing data through the EFSA One Health WGS System. EFSA Support Publ 2022: EN-7413. doi:10.2903/sp.efsa.2022.EN-7413.

Ministry of Health. FAQ - Listeria. 2022. https://www.salute.gov.it/portale/p5_1_2.jsp?lingua=italiano&id=292.

Emilia-Romagna Region. Regional Prevention Plan 2021-2025. 2021. https://salute.regione.emilia-romagna.it/prp

Emilia-Romagna Region. Establishment of the regional technical group for the coordination of activities for the integrated management of foodborne diseases. 2022.

Local Health Unit of Reggio Emilia. [The patient’s charter] 2011. https://www.ausl.re.it/allegati/carta-dei-serv-eng_210203110305.pdf

Bardellini E, Amadori F, Veneri F, et al. Coronavirus Disease-2019 and dental practice: A project on the use of ozonized water in the water circuit of the dental armchair. Stomatologija 2020; 22 (2): 35-8.

European Commission. Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). 2023. https://food.ec.europa.eu/safety/rasff_en.

Ministry of Health. [Review of infectious disease reporting system (PREMAL)]. 2022. https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2022/04/07/22A02179/sg.

Emilia-Romagna Region. Prophylaxis measures for public health needs-Measures to be taken against individuals with some infectious diseases and their cohabitants and contacts. 1998. https://www.trovanorme.salute.gov.it/norme/renderNormsanPdf?anno=0&codLeg=25185&parte=1%20&serie=

Pagliano P, Arslan F, Ascione T. Epidemiology and treatment of the commonest form of listeriosis: meningitis and bacteraemia. Infez Med 2017; 25 (3): 210-6. PMID: 28956537.

Cody EM, Dixon BP. Hemolytic uremic syndrome. Pediatr Clin North Am 2019; 66 (1): 235-46. doi:10.1016/j.pcl.2018.09.011.

Pagliano P, Ascione T, Boccia G, et al. Listeria monocytogenes meningitis in the elderly: epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic findings. Infez Med 2016; 24 (2): 105-11.

Brisca G, La Valle A, Campanello C, et al. Listeria meningitis complicated by hydrocephalus in an immunocompetent child: case report and review of the literature. Ital J Pediatr 2020; 46 (1): 111. doi:10.1186/s13052-020-00873-w.

Castellazzi ML, Marchisio P, Bosis S. Listeria monocytogenes meningitis in immunocompetent and healthy children: a case report and a review of the literature. Ital J Pediatr 2018; 44 (1): 152. doi:10.1186/s13052-018-0595-5.

Filipello V, Amato E, Gori M, et al. Epidemiology and molecular typing of pregnancy-associated listeriosis cases in Lombardy, Italy, over a 10-year period (2005-2014). Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol 2017; 2017: 6479121. doi:10.1155/2017/6479121.

Cito G, Luisi S, Faldini E, et al. Listeriosis in pregnancy: a case report. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2005; 18 (6): 367-8. doi:10.1080/1476050400029616.

Emilia-Romagna Region. Export Emilia-Romagna region. 2022. https://imprese.regione.emilia-romagna.it/notizie/notizie-attualita/2022/nel-primo-trimestre-2022-cresce-del-24-lexport-dellemilia-romagna

World Trade Organization. The WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement). 1998. https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/sps_e/spsagr_e.htm

US Food and Drug Administration. Prevention strategies to enhance food safety. 2023. https://www.fda.gov/food/new-era-smarter-food-safety/prevention-strategies-enhance-food-safety.

Luth S, Deneke C, Kleta S, et al. Translatability of WGS typing results can simplify data exchange for surveillance and control of Listeria monocytogenes. Microb Genom 2021; 7 (1): mgen000491. doi:10.1099/mgen.0.000491.

Pietzka A, Allerberger F, Murer A, et al. Whole genome sequencing based surveillance of L. monocytogenes for early detection and investigations of listeriosis outbreaks. Front Public Health 2019; 7: 139. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2019.00139.

Guennouni M, Admou B, Bourrhouat A, et al. Knowledge and practices of food safety among health care professionals and handlers working in the kitchen of a Moroccan University Hospital. J Food Prot 2022; 85 (4): 676-85. doi:10.4315/JFP-21-305.

Downloads

Published

28-02-2024

Issue

Section

ORIGINAL CLINICAL RESEARCH

How to Cite

1.
Di Federico S, Maione D, Cilloni S, Raschi E, Montanari N, Di Ruocco S, et al. Proposing new procedures for the management and prevention of foodborne diseases: an Italian experience: New procedures for foodborne disease prevention. Acta Biomed [Internet]. 2024 Feb. 28 [cited 2024 Jul. 18];95(1):e2024022. Available from: https://mattioli1885journals.com/index.php/actabiomedica/article/view/15317