Table 3.
Number of reported foodborne disease outbreaks, cases, and deaths, by etiology, China, 2003 to 2008.
| Etiology | Outbreaks |
Cases |
Deaths |
Outbreak size |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % | n | % | n | % | Median (range) | |
| Microorganism | 1090 | 39 | 32983 | 53 | 19 | 6 | 19 (2–464) |
| Bacteria | 1051 | 38 | 31810 | 51 | 18 | 5 | 19 (2–464) |
| Bacillus cereus | 111 | 4 | 2656 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 (2–134) |
| Burkholderia gladioli | 6 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 4 (3–9) |
| Clostridium botulinum | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Escherichia coli | 60 | 2 | 2766 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 26 (4–288) |
| Plesiomons shigelloides | 5 | 0 | 150 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 (9–86) |
| Proteus spp. | 110 | 4 | 3093 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 22 (3–240) |
| Salmonella spp. | 115 | 4 | 3718 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 17 (3–206) |
| Shigella spp. | 11 | 0 | 581 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 (4–379) |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 94 | 3 | 2438 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 (2–185) |
| Vibrio parahaemolyticus | 322 | 12 | 9041 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 20 (2–244) |
| Other bacteria | 216 | 8 | 7337 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 19 (2–464) |
| Virus | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Rotavirus | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Fungi | 10 | 0 | 387 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 (2–144) |
| Other microorganism | 28 | 1 | 746 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18 (2–123) |
| Man-made chemical hazards | 550 | 20 | 6776 | 11 | 163 | 49 | 6 (2–128) |
| Food additives | 146 | 5 | 1931 | 3 | 29 | 9 | 6 (2–116) |
| Nitrite | 139 | 5 | 1795 | 3 | 28 | 8 | 6 (2–116) |
| Other food additives | 7 | 0 | 136 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 (3–41) |
| Heavy metals | 7 | 0 | 129 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 12 (4–52) |
| Organic compounds | 14 | 1 | 187 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 7 (2–81) |
| Methanol | 6 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 6 (3–13) |
| Other organic compounds | 8 | 0 | 147 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 (2–81) |
| Pesticides | 312 | 11 | 3394 | 5 | 106 | 32 | 6 (2–86) |
| Organophosphorus pesticides | 195 | 7 | 2051 | 3 | 33 | 10 | 6 (2–61) |
| Rodenticides | 95 | 3 | 1013 | 2 | 69 | 21 | 4 (2–86) |
| Tetramine | 84 | 3 | 968 | 2 | 67 | 20 | 5 (2–86) |
| Other pesticides | 22 | 1 | 330 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 9 (2–83) |
| Veterinary drugs | 11 | 0 | 128 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 (3–34) |
| Clenbuterol hydrochloride | 8 | 0 | 86 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 (3–22) |
| Other veterinary drugs | 3 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 (3–34) |
| Other man-made chemical hazards | 60 | 2 | 1007 | 2 | 15 | 5 | 10 (2–128) |
| Animal and plant toxins | 536 | 19 | 8285 | 13 | 117 | 35 | 7 (2–218) |
| Aconitine | 3 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 (4–11) |
| Animal thyroxine | 3 | 0 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 (8–32) |
| Cassava | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 (3–10) |
| Colchicine | 3 | 0 | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 (4–34) |
| Datura | 7 | 0 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (3–19) |
| Histamine | 12 | 0 | 338 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 (2–90) |
| Koumine | 4 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 5 (2–6) |
| Phytohemagglutinin | 163 | 6 | 3779 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 15 (3–191) |
| Mushroom poisioning | 158 | 6 | 765 | 1 | 59 | 18 | 4 (2–21) |
| Saxitoxin | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 (2–8) |
| Solanen | 3 | 0 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 (16–24) |
| Tetrodotoxin | 25 | 1 | 106 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 3 (2–21) |
| Toxic honey | 7 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 4 (4–8) |
| Trypsin inhibitor | 3 | 0 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 (5–48) |
| Tung oil | 32 | 1 | 614 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 (5–79) |
| Other animal and plant toxin | 107 | 4 | 2271 | 4 | 20 | 6 | 11 (2–218) |
| Multiple agents | 51 | 2 | 1378 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 22 (2–88) |
| Unknown | 568 | 20 | 13137 | 21 | 29 | 9 | 16 (2–275) |
| Total | 2795 | 100 | 62559 | 100 | 330 | 100 | 14 (2–464) |