Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of pathogens in foodborne disease cases in Haining City， Zhejiang Province， and to provide a basis for the prevention and investigation of foodborne diseases and outbreak events.

Methods Information on foodborne disease patients from 2014 to 2023 was collected， and stool or anal swab samples were tested for relevant pathogens. The χ² test was used to compare the differences in pathogen detection rates among different groups， and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors for pathogen detection.

Results A total of 5 814 samples were tested， with a positive detection rate of 15.36%. The detection rates were 4.95% for norovirus， 4.49% for Escherichia coli， 3.59% for Salmonella， 2.22% for Vibrio parahaemolyticus， and 0.11% for Shigella. The positive detection rates showed seasonal characteristics， with a minor peak in March-April dominated by norovirus and a major peak in July-September dominated by bacteria. The three groups with the highest detection rates were workers， white-collar workers and other groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age， season， and antibiotic use before consultation were significant influencing factors for pathogen detection （P<0.05）. Total pathogen detection risk was lower in the group that took antibiotics before visiting the clinic compared to those who did not （OR=0.29， 95%CI： 0.15‒0.49）. The detection risk for norovirus was lower in the preschool age group （OR=0.19， 95%CI： 0.04‒1.00）， in summer and autumn （OR range 0.23‒0.41）， and in the group taking antibiotics （OR=0.42， 95%CI： 0.15‒0.92）， but higher in the adolescent group （OR=1.40， 95%CI： 1.05‒1.88）. The detection risk for enteropathogenic Escherichia coli was higher in summer （OR=1.82， 95%CI： 1.30‒2.60）. The detection risk for Salmonella increased in the elderly group and in summer （OR range 1.44‒2.21）， but decreased in the adolescent group， in winter， and in the group taking antibiotics （OR range 0.22‒0.65）. The detection risk for Vibrio parahaemolyticus increased in summer and autumn （OR range 1.80‒1.90）， but decreased in the primary and secondary school student group and in winter （OR range 0.10‒0.32）.

Conclusion The prevalence of foodborne disease pathogens in Haining City is relatively high. Age， season， and antibiotic use before consultation are independent influencing factors for pathogen detection. These findings suggest that specific hypotheses regarding pathogenic factors can be proposed based on the time of occurrence and the age distribution of cases during field investigations of foodborne outbreaks.