A foodborne outbreak of Salmonella infection due to overproduction of egg-containing foods for a festival.

A large outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred in Catalonia in June 2002 with 1435 cases and 117 hospitalizations. Consumption of a hard pastry with vanilla cream was strongly associated with illness. Stool samples from cases and food-handlers were analysed. The premises of the food manufacturer were inspected and food samples were taken for microbiological analysis. Salmonella serotype Enteriditis was isolated from 154 cases, three food-handlers and nine food samples. Outbreak-associated strains showed a coincident phage type, antibiotype and pulse-field gel electrophoresis pattern. Inadequate handling of foods containing eggs occurred because the establishment exceeded its safe food production capacity to meet demand for the pastry, which was consumed on the day of a traditional festival. Excessive production of foods for holidays or special events represents a potential public health threat.

Evaluation of an enzyme immunoassay for verotoxin detection in Escherichia coli.

Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli strains (VTEC) cause hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome in humans. Laboratory diagnosis by conventional methods is slow and cumbersome. The results of a new rapid enzyme immunoassay (EIA Premier EHEC) for verotoxin detection both in isolated strains and in clinical samples are presented, and they are compared with cell culture (CC) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Fifty-four strains have been analyzed by both EIA and PCR, and 33 by all three methods. The kit has also been evaluated for experimentally infected stool samples directly and after their enrichment on MacConkey broth. Nineteen, out of the 54 strains, were positive by EIA and 20 by PCR. The results of the 33 strains evaluated by the three techniques were coincident with one exception. The latter was uninterpretable by CC, negative by EIA and positive by PCR. The sensitivity of the kit for experimentally infected stool samples was approximately 5 x 10(7) bacteria/ml in the direct test, and 5 x 10(4) bacteria/ml after broth enrichment. EIA sensitivity and specificity were similar to those of CC and PCR. The diagnostic times were 18h for EIA, 3 days for PCR and 5 days for CC. Sensitivity, rapidity and ease of performance make this technique especially valuable for clinical diagnosis.