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.