Outbreaks of<i>Shigella sonnei</i>infections in Denmark and Australia linked to consumption of imported raw baby corn

Lewis, Hannah C.; Ethelberg, Steen; Olsen, Katharina E. P.; Nielsen, Eva Møller; Lisby, M.; Madsen, S B; Boel, Jeppe; Stafford, Russell; Kirk, Martyn; Smith, Helen; S, Tikumrum; Wisetrojana, A; Bangtrakulnonth, Aroon; Vithayarungruangsri, Jongkolnee; Siriarayaporn, P; Ungchusak, Kumnuan; Bishop, Justin A.; Mølbak, Kåre

doi:10.1017/s0950268808001829

Cited by 48 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…A Shigella sonnei outbreak associated with baby corn was, e.g., correlated with the findings of high numbers of E. coli (34), and the numbers of E. coli in fresh herbs tested positive for Salmonella spp. were greater than 2 log CFU/g (2).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 65%

Escherichia coli Contamination of Lettuce Grown in Soils Amended with Animal Slurry

Jensen¹,

Storm²,

Forslund³

et al. 2013

Journal of Food Protection

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A pilot study was conducted to assess the transfer of Escherichia coli from animal slurry fertilizer to lettuce, with E. coli serving as an indicator of fecal contamination and as an indicator for potential bacterial enteric pathogens. Animal slurry was applied as fertilizer to three Danish agricultural fields prior to the planting of lettuce seedlings. At harvest, leaves (25 g) of 10 lettuce heads were pooled into one sample unit (n = 147). Soil samples (100 g) were collected from one field before slurry application and four times during the growth period (n = 75). E. coli was enumerated in slurry, soil, and lettuce on 3M Petrifilm Select E. coli Count Plates containing 16 mg/liter streptomycin, 16 mg/liter ampicillin, or no antimicrobial agent. Selected E. coli isolates (n = 83) originating from the slurry, soil, and lettuce were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to determine the similarity of isolates. The slurry applied to the fields contained 3.0 to 4.5 log CFU/g E. coli. E. coli was found in 36 to 54% of the lettuce samples, streptomycin-resistant E. coli was found in 10.0 to 18.0% of the lettuce samples, and ampicillin-resistant E. coli in 0 to 2.0% of the lettuce samples (the detection limit was 1 log CFU/g). The concentration of E. coli exceeded 2 log CFU/g in 19.0% of the lettuce samples. No E. coli was detected in the soil before the slurry was applied, but after, E. coli was present until the last sampling day (harvest), when 10 of 15 soil samples contained E. coli. A relatively higher frequency of E. coli in lettuce compared with the soil samples at harvest suggests environmental sources of fecal contamination, e.g., wildlife. The higher frequency was supported by the finding of 21 different PFGE types among the E. coli isolates, with only a few common PFGE types between slurry, soil, and lettuce. The frequent finding of fecal-contaminated lettuce indicates that human pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter can be present and represent food safety hazards.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 65%

Escherichia coli Contamination of Lettuce Grown in Soils Amended with Animal Slurry

Jensen¹,

Storm²,

Forslund³

et al. 2013

Journal of Food Protection

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“…Infection can be spread through contaminated food, drinking water as well as from person-to-person contact due to poor hygiene [1]. However, the main cause of diarrhoea in a developed community is usually due to either foodborne or person to person transmission [8][9][10][11][12]. Diarrhoea can be significantly reduced through improvements in drinking water, sanitation facilities, hygiene knowledge and practices [11,13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current knowledge, attitude and behaviour of hand and food hygiene in a developed residential community of Singapore: a cross-sectional survey

2015

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BackgroundDiarrhoea incidence has been increasing progressively over the past years in developed countries, including Singapore, despite the accessibility and availability to clean water, well-established sanitation infrastructures and regular hygiene promotion. The aim of this study is to determine the current knowledge, attitude and behaviour of hand and food hygiene, and the potential risk factors of diarrhoea in a residential community of Singapore.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted within a residential area in the west of Singapore from June to August 2013. A total of 1,156 household units were randomly sampled and invited to participate in an interviewer-assisted survey using standardised questionnaires. Descriptive, univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using descriptive statistics, Fisher’s Exact test and multivariate logistic regression modelling, respectively. R program was used for all statistical analysis. All tests were conducted at 5 % level of significance with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) reported where applicable.ResultsA total of 240 units (20.8 %) consented and responded to the survey invitation. About 77 % of the expected knowledge and attitude were observed in at least 80 % of the participants, compared to only about 31 % of the expected behaviours and practises. Being single [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.29; 95 % CI = 1.16-4.48], having flu in the past six month (AOR = 3.24; 95 % CI = 1.74-6.06), preferred self-medication (AOR = 2.07; 95 % CI = 1.06–4.12) were risk factors of diarrhoea. Washing hands with water before attending to children or sick persons (AOR = 0.30; 95 % CI = 0.11–0.82), washing hands with water (AOR = 0.16; 95 % CI = 0.05–0.45) and water with soap (AOR = 0.29; 95 % CI = 0.12–0.72) after attending to children or sick persons, and hand washing between 30 s to a minute (AOR = 0.44; 95 % CI = 0.20-0.90) were protective factors against diarrhoea.ConclusionsGood knowledge and attitude of the participants did not positively translate into high compliance and motivation to perform good hygiene practices. This observation may have resulted in a significant extent on the increasing diarrhoea incidences. Current interventions may be improved with more active community partnership among the residents, schools and the relevant social organizations, to raise awareness on the importance of compliance to good hygiene practices, and the risk factors of diarrhoea. A large case–control study would be required to validate these findings in future.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1910-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…The persistence of S. flexneri in Latin America likely reflects the prevailing poverty in the region. In industrialized countries, Shigella infections have frequently been found in day care centers or linked to consumption of imported food and [42-44]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shigella: A Highly Virulent and Elusive Pathogen

Zaidi

Estrada-García

2014

Curr Trop Med Rep

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Despite a significant decrease in Shigella-related mortality, shigellosis continues to carry a significant burden of disease worldwide, particularly in Asia and Africa. Shigella is a highly virulent pathogen comprised of four major species with numerous subtypes. Shigella dysenteriae and Shigella flexneri infections are predominant in resource-limited settings. Clinical presentations range from mild watery diarrhea to severe dysentery with systemic complications such as electrolyte imbalance, seizures and hemolytic uremic syndrome. S. dysenteriae subtype 1, the producer of Shiga toxin, causes the most severe illness and highest mortality. Susceptible strains of Shigella may be effectively treated with inexpensive oral antibiotics such as ampicillin or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Unfortunately, multidrug resistant strains have emerged that have rendered most antibiotics, including fluoroquinolones and extended-spectrum cephalosporins, ineffective. Management and prevention of shigellosis represents a major public health challenge. The development of an effective vaccine is urgently needed to decrease its global impact.

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Outbreaks ofShigella sonneiinfections in Denmark and Australia linked to consumption of imported raw baby corn

Cited by 48 publications

References 18 publications

Escherichia coli Contamination of Lettuce Grown in Soils Amended with Animal Slurry

Escherichia coli Contamination of Lettuce Grown in Soils Amended with Animal Slurry

Current knowledge, attitude and behaviour of hand and food hygiene in a developed residential community of Singapore: a cross-sectional survey

Shigella: A Highly Virulent and Elusive Pathogen

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