Meat grinders and molecular epidemiology: two supermarket outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection.
Between 23 June and 15 July 1994, 21 cases (19 primary and 2 secondary) of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection were identified in the Bethel, Connecticut, area. Three pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns from 15 isolates (I, n = 13; II, n = 2; and III, n = 1) were observed. A case-control study that excluded secondary cases and patients with PFGE II and III patterns (n = 16) demonstrated that consumption of food from one supermarket was associated with illness (15/16 cases vs. 31/47 geographically matched controls, odds ratio [OR] undefined, lower 95% confidence interval OR = 1.45, P = .018). No one food was associated with illness. Inspection of the supermarket revealed deficiencies in hygiene and meat handling practices. The 2 cases with PFGE II ate raw beef and raw lamb from a second supermarket. These outbreaks demonstrate the value of PFGE in supporting epidemiologic investigations and the potential for outbreaks arising from retail outlets.
Banatvala
N
N
Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
Magnano
A R
AR
Cartter
M L
ML
Barrett
T J
TJ
Bibb
W F
WF
Vasile
L L
LL
Mshar
P
P
Lambert-Fair
M A
MA
Green
J H
JH
Bean
N H
NH
Tauxe
R V
RV
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003237:Connecticut / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005511:Food Handling / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology