Epidemiological and microbiological investigation of a large outbreak of monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium 4,5,12:i:- in schools associated with imported beef in Poitiers, France, October 2010

M E Raguenaud (1) , S Le Hello (2) , S Salah (3) , François-Xavier Weill (2) , A Brisabois (4) , G Delmas (5) , Philippe Germonneau (1)

1 CIRE - Limousin - Poitou-Charentes - Cellule de l'Institut de veille sanitaire en région Limousin - Poitou Charentes
2 CNR - Centre National de Référence des Salmonella - Bactéries pathogènes entériques
3 DGAL - Direction Générale de l'Alimentation
4 LSAl - Laboratoire de sécurité des aliments de Maisons-Alfort
5 INVS - Institut de Veille Sanitaire

Epidemiological and microbiological investigation of a large outbreak of monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium 4,5,12:i:-in schools associated with imported beef in Poitiers, France, October 2010 M E Raguenaud ([e-mail]) 1 , An outbreak due to the emerging monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium 4,5,12:i:-occurred in four schools in Poitiers in October 2010. Food trace-back investigation led to the identification of beef burgers as the cause of the outbreak and their subsequent withdrawal. The Institute for Public Health Surveillance conducted a retrospective epidemiological investiga-tion to assess the extent of the outbreak and describe cases. Self-administered questionnaires were com-pleted by students and personnel attending each of the four schools affected. Clinical cases were defined as anyone having eaten at the school when the beef burgers were served and reporting diarrhoea or fever with at least one digestive symptom (nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain), within five days after the incrimi-nated school meal or with unknown date of onset within a 15-day period after the incriminated school meal. Of 1,559 persons exposed, 554 clinical cases were identified corresponding to an overall attack rate of 35.5%. Of 554 clinical cases, a total of 286 (53%) sought medical care and 31 (6%) were hospitalised for more than 24 hours. This multi-school outbreak is one of the biggest food-borne outbreaks of monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium 4,5,12:i:-described in France. Prompt notification of cases and rapid identification and withdrawal of the incriminated batch of beef burg-ers was crucial to limit the extension of this outbreak.

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Santé publique et épidémiologie

M E Raguenaud, S Le Hello, S Salah, François-Xavier Weill, A Brisabois, et al.. Epidemiological and microbiological investigation of a large outbreak of monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium 4,5,12:i:- in schools associated with imported beef in Poitiers, France, October 2010. Eurosurveillance, 2010, 17, pp.40. ⟨10.2807/ese.17.40.20289-en⟩. ⟨pasteur-01115430⟩