title: Foodborne transmission of sorbitol-fermenting Escherichia coli O157:[H7] via ground beef: an outbreak in northern France, 2011.
abstract: Sorbitol-fermenting Escherichia coli O157:[H7] is a particularly virulent clone of E. coli O157:H7 associated with a higher incidence of haemolytic uraemic syndrome and a higher case fatality rate. Many fundamental aspects of its epidemiology remain to be elucidated, including its reservoir and transmission routes and vehicles. We describe an outbreak of sorbitol-fermenting E. coli O157:[H7] that occurred in France in 2011. Eighteen cases of paediatric haemolytic uraemic syndrome with symptom onset between 6 June and 15 July 2011 were identified among children aged 6 months to 10 years residing in northern France. A strain of sorbitol-fermenting E. coli O157:[H7] stx2a eae was isolated from ten cases. Epidemiological, microbiological and trace-back investigations identified multiply-contaminated frozen ground beef products bought in a supermarket chain as the outbreak vehicle. Strains with three distinct pulsotypes that were isolated from patients, ground beef preparations recovered from patients' freezers and from stored production samples taken at the production plant were indistinguishable upon molecular comparison. This investigation documents microbiologically confirmed foodborne transmission of sorbitol-fermenting of E. coli O157 via beef and could additionally provide evidence of a reservoir in cattle for this pathogen.
authors: Institut de Veille Sanitaire, Saint-Maurice and Lille, France.
authors: L A
authors: LA
authors: King
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Loukiadis
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Mariani-Kurkdjian
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Haeghebaert
authors: F-X
authors: FX
authors: Weill
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Baliere
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Ganet
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Gouali
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Vaillant
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Pihier
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Callon
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Novo
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Gaillot
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Thevenot-Sergentet
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Bingen
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Chaud
authors: H
authors: H
authors: de Valk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D005285:Fermentation; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006463:Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013012:Sorbitol
keywords: E. coli O157; France; Shiga toxin-producing E. coli; haemolytic uraemic syndrome; outbreak