By the end of this module, you should be able to:
- Recognize how to use surveillance and laboratory data to identify outbreak etiology.
- Identify necessary supplies and processes for stool testing.
- Interpret stool testing results and limitations.
After forming our outbreak investigation team, we should attempt to identify the outbreak etiology. Depending on how the outbreak was detected, we may or may not know the etiology of the outbreak this early in the investigation. Whether we know the etiology or not will influence the next steps in the outbreak investigation.
Returning to our case study, it appears that Rita’s stool specimen has arrived!
Resources
- Bad Bug Book – FDA (Go to Publication)
- Specimen Collection Instructions for Patients – Colorado CoE (Go to Guidance document)
- Stool Collection Instructions for Patients (Video: Go to English or Go to Spanish)
- “Onset, Duration, and Symptoms of Foodborne Illness and Associated Organism or Toxin” table from Appendix 2 of CIFOR Guidelines, 3rd ed (Go to Guidance document)
- ATG, GAC, what can sequencing do for me? – Washington CoE (Go to Recorded Webinar)
- Laboratory Investigations Related to Foodborne Outbreaks – Tenessee CoE – (Go to Online Course)
- Molecular Epidemiology and Sequencing Approaches in Public Health – New York CoE (Go to Recorded Webinar)