PulseNet and Cyclospora
ecthompsonmd
July 18, 2026
I’m a surgeon. I follow infectious disease and public health. This cyclosporiasis made me look up the parasite. I wasn’t familiar with it. I also wanted to dive into how we detect outbreaks. FoodNet and PulseNet are how we detect and track outbreaks. While FoodNet acts as the “report card” tracking long-term baseline numbers, PulseNet is the active “detective”. It is a national laboratory network, coordinated by the CDC and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), designed to detect and stop fast-moving foodborne outbreaks in real time. If FoodNet tells us how many people are getting sick, PulseNet tells us
