Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T17:57:04.250Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A large outbreak of human salmonellosis traced to a local pig farm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

H. C. F. Maguire
Affiliation:
PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ
A. A. Codd
Affiliation:
PHLS Newcastle Laboratory
V. E. Mackay
Affiliation:
North West Durham Health Authority
B. Rowe
Affiliation:
PHLS Division of Enteric Pathogens
E. Mitchell
Affiliation:
PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

An outbreak of Salmonella typhimurinm definitive type (DT) 193 affecting 206 persons occurred in July and August 1989 in a small town in northern England. A descriptive study suggested that cold meats including pork from a butcher's shop in the town were vehicles of infection. An analytical study of a cohort attending a function in the town showed a significant association between illness and consumption of cold roast pork supplied by the butcher's shop (P = 0·00000004). S. typhimurium DT 193 with the same antibiotic resistance pattern (to ampicillin, streptomycin, sulphonamides and tetracyclines) as the outbreak strain, and possessing a single plasmid of 80 MDa was isolated from samples of meat bought from the shop and implicated in illness, and from samples of pig faeces taken from the farm supplying the shop. It was concluded that inadequate processing of infected pork meat at the shop may have contributed to this outbreak but that cross contamination also played an important part in transmission. Control measures included a temporary closure of the shop and subsequent implementation of a detailed protocol for meat processing and monitoring of all procedures at the shop.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

References

REFERENCES

1.O'Sullivnn, DGM et al. The investigation and control of an outbreak of illness due to Salmonella kedougou associated with pre-cooked turkey. Epidemiol Infect. In Press.Google Scholar
2.Salmonella surveillance: Cold cooked mats. Commun Dis Rep 1989; 38: 1.Google Scholar
3.Roberts, JA, Sockett, PN, Gill, ON.Economic impact of a nationwide outbreak of salmonellosis: cost of benefit of each intervention. Br Med J 1989; 298: 1227–30.Google ScholarPubMed
4.Galbraith, NS, Barrett, NJ, Sockett, PN.The changing pattern of foodborne disease in England and Wales. Public Health 1987; 101: 319–28.Google ScholarPubMed
5.PHLS. ERL. Widespread salmonellosis from contaminated meats. Br Med J 1975; 4: 529.Google Scholar
6.PHLS. ERL. Salmonella heidelberg from cooked meats. Br Med J 1970; 1: 291.Google Scholar
7.PHLS. ERL. Salmonella infection from meat, Br Med J 1973; 4: 433.Google Scholar
8.Barrell, RAE.Isolations of salmonellas from humans and foods in the Manchester area: 1981–1985. Epidemiol Infect 1987; 98: 277–84.Google ScholarPubMed
9.PHLS. ERL. Salmonellosis from roast pork. Br Med J 1972; 3: 62.Google Scholar
10.Rowe, B, Threlfall, EJ.Antibiotic resistance in salmonella. PHLS Microbiol Dig 1986: 3: 68.Google Scholar
11.PHLS. ERL. Patterns in salmonella food poisoning. Br Med J 1972; 2: 600.Google Scholar
12.Anonymous. Multistate outbreaks of salmonellosis caused by pre-cooked roast beef. MMWR 1981: 32: 391–2.Google Scholar
13.The Microbiological Safety of Food. Part I. Report of the Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food. London: HMSO 1990: 5978.Google Scholar