Washington - A national database to identify and match outbreaks of diseases caused by contaminated food was announced by the Clinton Administration.
The technology, which uses electric pulses or currents to analyze genetic material, will help scientist pinpoint the spread of reported cases of E. coli, salmonella, cyclospora and other diseases caused by contaminated food.
Vice President Al Gore was expected to announce a national database and network, nicknamed PulseNet, at a White House briefing.
"This technology is good for industry, good for the consumer, and good for everyone. It's a necessary tool to get a better handle on foodborne disease and the causes of these illnesses," said one industry scientist.
An on-line library will be created for health officials around the nation to compare and match samples of pathogens from tainted food.
The Centers for Disease Control already operate FoodNet, a network that logs foodborne illness outbreaks from fewer than a dozen states.
For example, during the Hudson Foods Co. recall of some 25 million pounds of ground beef late last summer, scientists were able to link just 18 illnesses in Colorado to the tainted meat.
Although many more cases of illness were suspected, other areas where the beef was sold did not have the technology to precisely match DNA fingerprints with the Colorado beef, said another industry expert.
"This technology means that we'll know where hot spots of foodborne disease are occurring, and whether they are related," she said.
The CDC has estimated that more than 9,000 Americans die annually from various types of foodborne disease.
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