As a result of this investigation, lettuce growing and processing practices are being reviewed and guidelines for good manufacturing practices are being developed by public health agencies in collaboration with the fresh produce industry to prevent further outbreaks of this kind. Prompt recognition of the commercial apple juice as the source of this outbreak resulted in rapid recall of the widely distributed product. The patterns from the patient isolates from Colorado and the ground beef isolate at the USDA laboratory were transmitted electronically to CDC via the Internet, where they were found to be indistinguishable. No matching patterns were found, providing strong evidence that the outbreak was not nationwide. By identifying these pseudo-outbreaks as such, health departments can conserve resources by investigating only true outbreaks.
Recognized outbreaks are only the tip of the iceberg of foodborne illness.
Most foodborne infections are sporadic, meaning there is no link to a known outbreak. Investigation of these outbreaks should result in identification of hazards and implementation of new measures to increase the safety of our food supply.