Sustained Decrease in the Rate of Escherichia coli O157:H7-Positive Raw Ground Beef Samples Tested by the Food Safety and Inspection Service

摘要

We recently reported results obtained from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) regulatory testing program for Escherichia coli O157:H7 in raw ground beef for the period October 1994 through September 2003 (FY1995 through FY2003) (2). In addition to providing a summary of microbiological test results, this report also identified a 50% reduction in the rate of E. coli O157:H7-positive results from FY2002 to FY2003 as estimated by a Poisson regression model (2). We attributed this decrease to both industry actions and regulatory actions by FSIS. However, we acknowledged that continual monitoring would be necessary to document that this observed decrease represented the beginning of a sustained trend, rather than simply reflecting annual variation. Here, we describe subsequent raw ground beef testing from October 2003 through September 2004 (FY2004) and report results obtained when including these data in the previously described model.