Main foodborne pathogens and implicated food in children with foodborne infection

Objective To explore the distribution of main foodborne pathogens isolated from children with foodborne disease and to provide a basis for developing prevention measures and clinical treatment for the disease.Methods Totally 6 320 medical records, 3 968 specimens, and relevant information were collected from children aged under 14 years and seeking medical service for suspected foodborne acute diarrhea at sentinel surveillance hospitals in Gansu province from 2013 to 2015.Specific pathogens in the specimens were isolated and detected.Results The detection rates of main foodborne pathogens were significantly different among the diarrheal children at various ages, except for Norwalk viruses with relative high detection rate in the children of different age.Nontyphoidal Salmonella(detection rate:3.54%) and Shigella(2.25%) were the most prevalent in children aged 6-14 years(χ²=11.76, P=0.01), while Escherichia coli(3.23%) was a main pathogen detected among the children aged 1-2 years(χ²=21.72, P=0.01).There were monthly variations in the detection rates of nontyphoidal Salmonella and Escherichia coli;the detection rate peaked in March for nontyphoidal Salmonella(3.23%, χ²=21.65; P=0.03) and in August for Escherichia coli(4.81%, χ²=52.49; P=0.01).Milk, dairy and friuts were the main suspected food contaminated by the pathogens detected among the children.Conclusion The detection rate of foodborne pathogens is different among diarrheal children of various ages and in different seasons; the main food possibly contaminated by the pathogens are milk, dairy and fruits.