Transcript Title of Presentation Myriad Pro, Bold, Shadow, 28pt

Global Foodborne Infections
Network (GFN)
Building capacity to detect, control and
prevent foodborne and other enteric
infections from farm to table
Nirali Desai, MPH
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases
Division Of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases
GFN Vision and Mission
Vision

A world where all countries prevent and control foodborne and
other enteric infections
Mission

To enable countries to detect, control, and prevent foodborne
and other enteric infections by:
 Building capacity for integrated surveillance
 Fostering collaboration among human health, veterinary, food
and other relevant sectors.
What is GFN?
A network of professionals and institutions working in
veterinary, food and public health disciplines committed to
enhancing capacity of countries to conduct integrated
surveillance of foodborne and other enteric infections
GFN Steering Committee
GFN Main Activities






International and Regional training courses
External Quality Assurance System (EQAS)
Country Data Bank (CDB)
Focused regional and national projects
Reference services
CDC-specific technical expertise
International Training
Courses





Progressive training cycle
Microbiologists and Epidemiologists (Human, Veterinary,
and Food Disciplines)
National and International formats
Courses run between 4-7 days
Bench training and table top exercises
International Training
Courses
Microbiology Bench Training
 Global/Region-specific pathogens (e.g.,
Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli, V.
cholerae, S. Typhie, Brucella, Shigella,
Listeria, C. botulinum)
 Quality assurance
 Biosafety
 Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing
 Advanced methods
Epidemiology Training
 Outbreak detection and response
 Evaluation of surveillance systems
 Study design
 Source attribution
 Burden of disease
 Data management
Joint Epidemiology and Laboratory
 Integrated surveillance
 Risk assessment
 Country Plans of Action
 Advocacy and communication
 Information sharing networks
 Project proposal writing
Cumulative Number of Participants
Trained (2000-2013)
3500
3177
3000
2956
2611*
2500
2217*
2000
2335
1884*
1643
1500
1231
1000
942*
773
539
500
291
0
65
2000
145
2001
2002
*Missing country participant information
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
After training – focus on project and
program follow up

Focused Regional/National Projects
 Burden of Illness Studies (e.g. Jordan, Slovenia, the Caribbean)
 Enhanced Surveillance Studies (e.g. China, Fiji, Philippines,
Kazakhstan)

Reference Services
 Verification of laboratory findings
 Assist with technical questions
 Participation in regional projects

CDC-specific technical expertise
 In 2012-2013, CDC GFN led and provided ongoing SME support and
training to institutions in:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Delhi, India
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Johannesburg, SA
CAREC
Brasilia, Brazil
External Quality Assurance
System (EQAS)

Aims
 To have laboratories evaluate their performance of
serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST)
 To improve quality of surveillance data
 To assess the quality of Salmonella serotyping and AST in
laboratories worldwide
 To evaluate the effectiveness of the training courses
 To identify barriers for serotyping and AST
External Quality Assurance
System (EQAS)

Proficiency test





8 anonymous strains of Salmonella and Shigella
4 Campylobacter isolates
1 blank sample
Supplier of reference strain
Results
 Submitted through secure website
 Instant individual evaluation reports

Yearly cumulative evaluation reports posted online
 In 2012, 192 labs in 93 countries participated with a decline in
correct tests in both Salmonella serotyping and AST
GFN Country Databank


GFN member institutions asked to provide access to
information about top 15 Salmonella serotypes from both
human and non-human sources
As of 2013, over 2 million isolates and 359 different
serotypes reported


Over 1 million S. Enteritidis
400,000 S. Typhimurium
Global Impact of DFWED Activities
Thank you