Campylobacter outbreak due to chicken consumption at an Australian Capital Territory restaurant.
Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in Australia, with 15,008 notifications in 2004. This represents only a small fraction of the total cases of Campylobacter. Despite this, outbreaks are rarely reported. This report describes the investigation of an outbreak of campylobacteriosis following a restaurant meal in the Australian Capital Territory. The outbreak was identified by a general practitioner who notified the Health Protection Service, ACT Health. A retrospective cohort investigation of the 27 work colleagues who attended lunch at the restaurant was conducted. Eleven cases were identified with two culture positive for Campylobacter. An association between eating several dishes containing chicken was identified. This outbreak highlights the important identified risk for Campylobacter infection from commercially prepared chicken. It also demonstrates the important role of clinicians in notifying disease outbreaks.
Black
Andrew P
AP
OzFoodNet Epidemiologist, Health Protection Service, ACT Health, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Andrew.Black@health.gov.au
Kirk
Martyn D
MD
Millard
Geoff
G
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D020958:Australian Capital Territory / Q000453:epidemiology; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002645:Chickens; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005517:Foodborne Diseases; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012147:Restaurants; D013997:Time Factors