title: Outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness of unknown etiology associated with eating burritos--United States, October 1997-October 1998.
abstract: From October 1997 through October 1998, 16 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness associated with eating burritos occurred in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania. All but one outbreak occurred in schools, and most of the approximately 1700 persons affected were children. This report summarizes investigations of two of these outbreaks and describes the collaborative efforts of CDC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to identify the etiologic agent(s); these outbreaks may have been caused by an undetected toxin or a new agent not previously associated with illness.
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005502:Food; D005522:Food Services; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology