Child care-associated outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and hemolytic uremic syndrome.
We present an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 diarrhea in an urban child care center. Eleven of 45 attendees with diarrhea had positive tests (stool culture or shiga-like toxin assay) for E. coli O157:H7. Two of these 11 (18%) progressed to hemolytic uremic syndrome. Diarrheal illness in child care centers should be considered a public health risk. Staff education, hand washing, and cohorting or exclusion of attendees with diarrhea must be performed to help control infectious outbreaks.
Raffaelli
Ryan M
RM
Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. raffaelli@email.chop.edu
Paladini
Marc
M
Hanson
Heather
H
Kornstein
Laura
L
Agasan
Alice
A
Slavinski
Sally
S
Weiss
Don
D
Fennelly
Glenn J
GJ
Flynn
Joseph T
JT
D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006463:Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D022603:Shiga Toxins / Q000032:analysis
D022603:Shiga Toxins