title: An outbreak of infection with Salmonella enteritidis phage type 4 associated with the use of raw shell eggs.
abstract: A community outbreak of Salmonella enteritidis phage type (PT) 4 infection, associated with eating food from a sandwich bar in Colchester, occurred in July 1991. One hundred and forty-four people were reported with food poisoning, of whom 132 met the clinical case definition. Three cohort studies of 92 people showed that illness was associated with the consumption of food containing mayonnaise. S. enteritidis PT4, indistinguishable by plasmid profile analysis, was isolated from stool samples from 83 people, food items including egg shells from the sandwich bar, and birds taken from the egg producing farm which supplied the eggs. This was the largest recorded outbreak of S. enteritidis PT4 infection in recent years associated with eggs produced in the United Kingdom. Existing advice on avoiding the use of raw eggs in uncooked dishes had not been followed. This outbreak highlights the importance of training in the implementation of this advice.
authors.affiliation: North East Essex Health Authority.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Irwin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Barham
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Pencheon
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lofts
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Mahony
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Soltanpoor
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Threlfall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001434:Bacteriophage Typing; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004531:Eggs / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005511:Food Handling; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012478:Salmonella Food Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012483:Salmonella Phages; D012477:Salmonella enteritidis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology