A multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections associated with consumption of mesclun lettuce.
Arch Intern Med
; 159(15): 1758-64, 1999.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-10448779
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
An outbreak of Escherichia coli O157H7 infections in Connecticut and Illinois during May 28 to June 27, 1996, was investigated to determine the source of infections.METHODS:
Independent case-control studies were performed in both states. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed on E. coli O157H7 isolates. A case-patient was defined as a Connecticut or northern Illinois resident with diarrhea whose stool culture yielded E. coli O157H7 of the outbreak-associated PFGE subtype. Controls were town-, age-, and sex-matched to case-patients. We traced implicated lettuce to the farm level and performed environmental investigations to identify unsafe lettuce production practices.RESULTS:
In Connecticut and Illinois, infection was associated with consumption of mesclun lettuce (Connecticut matched odds ratio [MOR], undefined; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.4 to infinity; and Illinois MOR, undefined; 95% CI, 1.4 to infinity). We traced implicated lettuce to a single grower-processor. Cattle, a known E. coli O157H7 reservoir, were found near the lettuce fields. Escherichia coli (an indicator of fecal contamination) was cultured from wash water and finished lettuce. A trace-forward investigation identified 3 additional states that received implicated lettuce; E. coli O157H7 isolates from patients in 1 of these states matched the outbreak-associated PFGE subtype.CONCLUSIONS:
This multistate outbreak of E. coli O157H7 infections was associated with consumption of mesclun lettuce from a single producer. Molecular subtyping facilitated the epidemiological investigation. This investigation increased the knowledge about current production practices that may contribute to the contamination of lettuce by microbial pathogens. Lettuce production practices should be monitored for microbiological safety.
Buscar no Google
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Surtos de Doenças
/
Lactuca
/
Escherichia coli O157
/
Infecções por Escherichia coli
/
Criação de Animais Domésticos
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Animals
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Arch Intern Med
Ano de publicação:
1999
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos