The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a new edition of the Bad Bug Book – Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook, a general reference on known causative agents of foodborne illness.
The guide is intended for practical use and not intended to be a comprehensive scientific or clinical reference. Each chapter is about a pathogen – a bacterium, virus, or parasite – or a natural toxin that can contaminate food and cause illness. Examples chapters include:
- Gram-Negative Bacteria
- Brucella species
- Yersinia enterocolitica
- Salmonella species
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Shigella species
- Vibrio cholerae Serogroups O1 and O139
- Francisella tularensis
- Escherichia coli (ETEC, EPEC, EHEC)
- Gram-Positive Bacteria
- Clostridium botulinum
- Bacillus cereus and other species
- Clostridium perfringens
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Listeria monocytogenes
- Viruses
- Noroviruses
- Hepatitis A virus
- Hepatitis E virus
- Rotavirus
- Natural Toxins
- Aflatoxins
- Ciguatoxin
- Shellfish toxins (PSP, DSP, NSP, ASP, AZP)
- Mushroom toxins
- Venomous Fish
The book also includes a large section on Parasitic Protozoa and Worms as well as a chapter on Prions and Transmissible Spongiform Encephalities.
Links to recent articles from the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports are provided in selected chapters, to provide readers with current information about outbreaks or incidents of foodborne disease. New to this edition is a separate “consumer box” in each chapter which plainly describe what can make you sick and how to prevent it.
Access the FDA website to download the full Bad Bug Book, 2nd Edition.
