title: [Application of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis in a food-borne outbreak of Salmonella serotype Muenchen infection].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the application of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in food-borne outbreak.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pathogens were isolated and further characteristics identified by traditional methods. The strains isolated were carried out with molecular typing with using PFGE. PFGE was performed by Laboratory Directions for molecular subtyping of Salmonella by PFGE (CDC, USA) and the results of PFGE were analyzed by BioNumerics soft.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Totally 14 Salmonella serotype Muenchen strains were isolated from 19 patients, 3 of 9 suspicious foods were positive for S. muenchen and 7 strains were isolated from 18 cooks. The biochemistry characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility of all the strains isolated were the same. 23 S. muenchen isolates were all shown indistinguishable by PFGE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PFGE should play a key role in identifying the outbreak-associated isolates and distinguishing them from unrelated sporadic isolates. It might also demonstrate that the genetic fingerprints of serotype Muenchen isolates derived from patients were indistinguishable from those derived from drinks. PFGE might provide precise information on bacterial food-borne pathogens, promptly identify the source of infection, and effectively prevent from spreading. It should be one of the early warning method on controlling outbreak of the food-borne disease.
authors.affiliation: Jingzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jingzhou 434000, China.
authors.forename: Mao-yi
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Qing-hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Quan-xue
authors.initials: QX
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Qi-liang
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Jian-zhao
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012478:Salmonella Food Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D019779:Salmonella enterica / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012703:Serotyping