An outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni infections associated with food handler contamination: the use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.
In 1998, an outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni infections occurred in Kansas among persons attending a school luncheon; community cases were also reported. In a cohort study of luncheon attendees, 27 (17%) of 161 persons reported illness. Consuming gravy (relative risk [RR], 4.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-11.7) or pineapple (RR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.0-5.7) was associated with illness. Both foods were prepared in a kitchen that served 6 other schools where no illness was reported. A cafeteria worker at the luncheon had a diarrheal illness and was the likely source of the outbreak. The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns of the isolates from the food handler and those of 8 lunch attendees were indistinguishable. Isolates from 4 community patients differed. This was the first use of PFGE in a Campylobacter outbreak in the United States; its use was critical in determining that community cases were not linked.
Olsen
S J
SJ
Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. sco2@cdc.gov
Hansen
G R
GR
Bartlett
L
L
Fitzgerald
C
C
Sonder
A
A
Manjrekar
R
R
Riggs
T
T
Kim
J
J
Flahart
R
R
Pezzino
G
G
Swerdlow
D L
DL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination; D005511:Food Handling; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007615:Kansas / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology
D004269:DNA, Bacterial