How to diagnose a foodborne illness

Abstract

Timely diagnosis of foodborne infection can be critical not only for the patient, but also for the larger community because of the potential to interrupt further spread. This article presents the diagnostic approach to patients with foodborne illness, discussing epidemiologic clues of various foodborne pathogens and their distinguishing clinical features of diagnostic importance. Also discussed are situations whereby stool cultures should be ordered; other helpful stool tests; nonculture methods of identifying organisms and their applicability in clinical settings; the role of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis in typing organisms; and large-scale sharing of data to aid in identification of large outbreaks.

Keywords: Diagnosis; Food poisoning; Foodborne illness; Microbiology; Outbreaks; Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis; Stool antigen detection; Stool culture.