Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR): Surveillance Summaries / Vol. 75 / No. 3, June 18, 2026

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Foodborne Disease Outbreaks Associated with Marine Toxins — Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System, United States, 2011–2023
• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR): Surveillance Summaries
• Personal Author:
  Hartley, Cassie M. ; Hoang, Son T. ; Roberts, Virginia A. ; Chard, Anna N.
• Corporate Authors:
  Centers for Disease Control (U.S.)
• Description:
  Marine toxins cause most of the noninfectious outbreaks reported to CDC’s Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System (FDOSS) each year. Certain marine toxins are produced by algae that accumulate in aquatic animals through the food chain, whereas others appear as a result of improper food storage and are therefore preventable. Overgrowths of toxin producing algae (harmful algal blooms) have occurred on both U.S. coasts; the historical geographic range for some species (e.g., Gambierdiscus in tropical and subtropical regions) have expanded. Marine toxins that cause foodborne illness are tasteless, odorless, resistant to cooking or freezing, and can produce a complex variety of gastrointestinal, neurologic, and neuropsychologic symptoms. Among persons with severe illness resulting from ingestion of marine toxins, cardiovascular and respiratory manifestations can result in hospitalization and death. Analyzing these outbreaks provides insight into their incidence, severity, and key characteristics, which can be used to guide food safety and foodborne illness prevention efforts.
• Subjects:
  Disease Outbreaks Foodborne Diseases Food Chain Food Safety Harmful Algal Bloom Marine Toxins
• Source:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR): Surveillance Summaries, 2026; v. 75, no.3
• Series:
  Surveillance Summaries: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Issue
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Pages in Document:
  16 pdf pages
• Volume:
  75
• Issue:
  3
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:48db03e3d79c40f34e0fc0fe78380319945f445ae38a3dfd41c9bd351b84297dd5e8d933fea07d7dc2e43d042b9a52b0c8fa7471650a958c1fbea981bb7c576a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/256286/cdc_256286_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 447.64 KB ]