A Large Outbreak of Shigella sonnei Gastroenteritis Associated with Consumption of Fresh Pasteurised Milk Cheese

A large outbreak of Shigella sonnei gastroenteritis occurred in Murcia Region (Southeast Spain) in the winter of 1995-1996. More than 200 people were affected. Epidemiological investigations implicated a regionally manufactured fresh pasteurised milk cheese as the vehicle of infection. A case-contro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of epidemiology 2001-01, Vol.17 (6), p.533-538
Main Authors: García-Fulgueiras, A., Sánchez, S., Guillén, J. J., Marsilla, B., Aladueña, A., Navarro, C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Bacillary dysentery
Bacterial diseases
Bacterial diseases of the digestive system and abdomen
Biological and medical sciences
Brand names
Brands
Case studies
Case-Control Studies
Cheese
Cheese - microbiology
Cheeses
Child
Child, Preschool
Contamination
Dairy products
Disease Outbreaks
Diseases
Dysentery, Bacillary - epidemiology
Epidemics
Epidemiology
Female
Food contamination & poisoning
food-borne diseases
Fresh cheeses
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis - epidemiology
Gastroenteritis - microbiology
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Illnesses
Infant
Infectious diseases
Laboratories
Legislation
Male
Meals
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Milk
Outbreaks
Public health
Restaurants
Shigella
Shigella sonnei
Shigella sonnei - isolation & purification
Shigellosis
Spain - epidemiology
Statistical analysis
Surveillance
Towns
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Description
Summary:A large outbreak of Shigella sonnei gastroenteritis occurred in Murcia Region (Southeast Spain) in the winter of 1995-1996. More than 200 people were affected. Epidemiological investigations implicated a regionally manufactured fresh pasteurised milk cheese as the vehicle of infection. A case-control study showed a statistically significant association between the illness and consumption of the suspect cheese. The dispersed sale of the cheese resulted in a regional dissemination of the organism and people were affected in eight townships. Research suggested that an infected foodhandler at the cheese factory might have been the source of contamination and that the processing method might have allowed cross-contamination to occur. This study emphasises the importance of increasing the control of strict hygiene during the processing of fresh cheese, since legislation does not forbid direct contact by hand that could result in contamination of cheese even when the milk pasteurisation process was correctly performed.
ISSN:0393-2990
1573-7284
DOI:10.1023/A:1014504305666