title: Outbreak of campylobacteriosis following pre-cooked sausage consumption.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A small outbreak of campylobacteriosis involving three cases was investigated in terms of Campylobacter types present in the suspect food (pre-cooked sausages) and clinical samples from the cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Foods and faecal samples from people involved in the incident, which occurred in Christchurch, New Zealand, were tested for the presence of Campylobacter and identification of the species made. Isolates were typed by Penner serotyping and macrorestriction analysis using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Investigations were conducted as to whether the contamination was on the surface or the interior of the sausages.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All isolates from food and faecal samples were identified as C. jejuni and were indistinguishable from one another by the typing methods employed. Only the surfaces of the sausages were contaminated. Three other isolates of an indistinguishable subtype were isolated from campylobacteriosis cases in Christchurch occurring over approximately the same period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given the rarity of the subtype isolated from the three family members and the three other cases, it is possible that the outbreak was larger than the initial investigation revealed. It is likely that the sausages were contaminated after they had been cooked by the retailer and were not reheated prior to consumption. This report illustrates the role of cross-contamination in an outbreak with an unusual food vehicle for campylobacteriosis. Physical separation of cooked and raw product is necessary to prevent recurrences of outbreaks similar to the one described here.
authors.affiliation: ESR Limited, Christchurch Science Centre, Ilam, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Whyte
authors.forename: Brent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gilpin
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cornelius
authors.forename: J Andrew
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nicol
mesh_terms: D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology