A multi-state outbreak of Salmonella bredeney food poisoning: a case control study.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella bredeney.


METHODS
Case interviews followed by an age and neighbourhood matched case control study.


METHODS
People with laboratory-confirmed S. bredeney and controls matched on age and geographical location in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and Victoria.


RESULTS
We identified 157 persons with S. bredeney spread throughout the eastern states and the ACT. In the matched analysis, cold meat and chicken demonstrated a significant odds ratio of 4.4 (p = 0.017) and 4.2 (p = 0.02) respectively. Among primary cases, the odds ratio for chicken was 6.0 (p = 0.01) and for ground pepper was 3.75 (p = 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
The most likely source of this outbreak was a product contaminated at the point of manufacture and distributed widely within NSW and the ACT and, to a lesser extent, Queensland (Brisbane) and Melbourne. The most probable food is a meat or chicken product, followed by substantial cross contamination of other meat products at retail outlets, which served to amplify the outbreak.
Baker
D F
DF
Environmental Health Food and Nutrition Branch, New South Wales Health Department.
Kraa
E
E
Corbett
S J
SJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011200:Poultry; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012475:Salmonella / Q000145:classification*; D012478:Salmonella Food Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012703:Serotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology