PulseNet China, a model for future laboratory-based bacterial infectious disease surveillance in China

Abstract

Surveillance is critical for the prevention and control of infectious disease. China’s real-time web-based infectious disease reporting system is a distinguished achievement. However, many aspects of the current China Infectious Disease Surveillance System do not yet meet the demand for timely outbreak detection and identification of emerging infectious disease. PulseNet, the national molecular typing network for foodborne disease surveillance was first established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States in 1995 and has proven valuable in the early detection of outbreaks and tracing the pathogen source. Since 2001, the China CDC laboratory for bacterial pathogen analysis has been a member of the PulseNet International family; and has been adapting the idea and methodology of PulseNet to develop a model for a future national laboratory-based surveillance system for all bacterial infectious disease. We summarized the development progress for the PulseNet China system and discussed it as a model for the future of China’s national laboratory-based surveillance system.

Keywords

infectious disease / laboratory-based infectious disease surveillance / pulse field gel electrophoresis / multilocus sequencing typing / PulseNet China

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Acknowledgements

We thank John Klena in the US for his support of PulseNet China suggestions. We thank the personnel from all participating laboratories of the Provincial CDCs for their enthusiastic participation in PulseNet China.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg