First Report of a Foodborne Providencia alcalifaciens Outbreak in Kenya

Providencia alcalifaciens is an emerging bacterial pathogen known to cause acute gastroenteritis in children and travelers. In July 2013, P. alcalifaciens was isolated from four children appearing for diarrhea at Kiambu District Hospital (KDH) in Kenya. This study describes the outbreak investigatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 2015-09, Vol.93 (3), p.497-500
Main Authors: Shah, Mohammad Monir, Odoyo, Erick, Larson, Peter S, Apondi, Ernest, Kathiiko, Cyrus, Miringu, Gabriel, Nakashima, Masahiro, Ichinose, Yoshio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Child
Diarrhea - epidemiology
Diarrhea - etiology
Diarrhea - microbiology
Disease Outbreaks
Enterobacteriaceae Infections - epidemiology
Enterobacteriaceae Infections - etiology
Enterobacteriaceae Infections - microbiology
Female
Foodborne Diseases - epidemiology
Foodborne Diseases - etiology
Foodborne Diseases - microbiology
Humans
Kenya - epidemiology
Male
Providencia - isolation & purification
Providencia alcalifaciens
Solanum tuberosum
Solanum tuberosum - microbiology
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Summary:Providencia alcalifaciens is an emerging bacterial pathogen known to cause acute gastroenteritis in children and travelers. In July 2013, P. alcalifaciens was isolated from four children appearing for diarrhea at Kiambu District Hospital (KDH) in Kenya. This study describes the outbreak investigation, which aimed to identify the source and mechanisms of infection. We identified seven primary and four secondary cases. Among primary cases were four mothers who had children and experienced mild diarrhea after eating mashed potatoes. The mothers reported feeding children after visiting the toilet and washing their hands without soap. P. alcalifaciens was detected from all secondary cases, and the isolates were found to be clonal by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting. Our study suggests that the outbreak was caused by P. alcalifaciens, although no fluid accumulation was observed in rabbit ileal loops. The vehicle of the outbreak was believed to be the mashed potato dish, but the source of P. alcalifaciens could not be confirmed. We found that lack of hygiene, inadequate food storage, and improper hand washing before food preparation was the likely cause of the current outbreak. This is the first report of a foodborne infection caused by P. alcalifaciens in Kenya.
ISSN:0002-9637
1476-1645
DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.15-0126