FDA Updates Bad Bug Book

WASHINGTONThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released the second edition of its Bad Bug Book, an online handbook that provides current information about the major known agents that cause foodborne illness, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, prions and naturally occurring toxins.

In addition to updated scientific information, the book includes five new chaptersCronobacter, Enterococcus, Francisella tularensis, phytohaemagglutinin, and venomous fish.

Although the book is intended primarily for scientific and technical readers, each chapter now also includes a separate section for consumers, written in everyday language and focus on food safety, including tips on how to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

Most chapters have been expanded, and the scientific information in each has been reformatted. The new format enables readers to extract more easily from the chapter the specific information they seek. Examples include a separate section on the pathogens or toxins characteristics and habitats, and factors that affect its survival or stability; and separate sections on detection methods, food sources and analysis, and disease characteristics. Links to related information from other federal agencies are included.