Background: On 20-21 February 2006, six cases of diarrhoea-associated haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) were reported by paediatricians to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. We initiated an investigation to identify the etiologic agent and determine the source of the outbreak in order to implement control measures.

, a case-control study designed to identify risk factors for sporadic infections with thermotolerant Campylobacter bacteria was conducted in three counties in southeastern Norway. The investigation was confined to infections which were acquired in Norway. A total of 52 bacteriologically confirmed cases and 103 controls matched by age, sex, and geographic region were interviewed. The following risk factors were found to be independently associated with illness in conditional logistic regression analysis: consumption of sausages at a barbecue (odds ratio [OR] = 7.64; P = 0.005), daily contact with a dog (OR = 4.26; P = 0.024), and eating of poultry which was brought into the house raw (frozen or refrigerated) (OR = 3.20; P = 0.024). The risk associated with consumption of sausages at a barbecue could not be attributed to cross-contamination from poultry products. By univariate analysis, consumption of poultry which was bought raw and frozen was associated with illness (OR = 2.42; P = 0.042), even though freezing substantially reduces the number of viable campylobacters. When poultry consumption was examined by countIy of origin, eating of poultry produced in Denmark or Sweden was strongly associated with illness (OR = 13.66; P = 0.014), whereas consumption of poultry produced in Norway was not (OR = 1.33; P = 0.41).

In 1987, a nationwide outbreak of Salmonella typhimurium O:4-12 infection traced to contaminated chocolate bars occurred in Norway. In the 5 years after the outbreak, elevated numbers of sporadic cases caused by the epidemic strain of Salmonella were detected, followed by a decline in subsequent years. To characterize the epidemiology of this infection, the authors analyzed information concerning all sporadic cases reported in Norway from 1966 to 1996. Of the 153 patients infected by the outbreak strain, 43% were less than 5 years of age, and only three persons had acquired the infection abroad. In contrast, 46% of the cases attributable to other S. typhimurium O:4-12 variants and 90% of the total number of Salmonella infections were related to foreign travel. A distinct seasonality was observed: 76% of the cases appeared between January and April. At the same time of year, the epidemic strain was regularly encountered as the etiologic agent of fatal salmonellosis among wild passerine birds, suggesting an epidemiologic link between the avian and human cases. The strain was rarely isolated from other sources. From 1990 to 1992, the authors conducted a prospective case-control study of sporadic indigenous infections to identify risk factors and obtain guidance for preventive efforts. Forty-one case-patients, each matched by age, sex, and geographic area with two population controls, were enrolled. In conditional logistic regression analysis, the following environmental factors were independently related to an increased risk of infection: drinking untreated water, having direct contact with wild birds or their droppings, and eating snow, sand, or soil. Cases were also more likely than controls to report having antecedent or concurrent medical disorders. Forty-six percent of the study patients were hospitalized for their salmonellosis.

On November 15, 2004, a cluster of three cases of Salmonella Thompson infection was registered by the Norwegian reference laboratory. In the following days further cases occurred, prompting a case-control study among the first 13 cases and 26 matched controls. By December 31, 21 cases had been reported, with the first onset on October 24. Consumption of rucola lettuce (Eruca sativa, also known as rocket salad or arugula) (OR 8,8 [1,2-infinity]) and mixed salad (OR 5,0 [1,0-infinity]) was associated with illness. On November 26, Swedish authorities notified the finding of Salmonella Thompson in rucola lettuce through the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. Later, several countries reported finding this and other Salmonella serovars and Campylobacter in rucola produced in Italy. In response to our alert through the international Enter-net surveillance network, Sweden and England also reported an increase of cases. Salmonella Thompson isolates from products and patients from several countries showed high similarity by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, but some isolates showed significant differences. We think that the outbreak in Norway reflected a larger international outbreak caused by rucola imported from one Italian producer. Findings of other pathogens indicate a massive contamination, possibly caused by irrigation with nonpotable water. Rapid international information exchange is invaluable when investigating outbreaks caused by internationally marketed products.

We report the emergence of Salmonella enterica isolates of serotype Concord (and its monophasic variant 6,7:l,v:-) producing the extended-spectrum ␤-lactamases (