Web survey-based selection of controls for epidemiological analyses of a multi-prefectural outbreak of enterohaemorrhagicEscherichia coliO157 in Japan associated with consumption of self-grilled beef hanging tender

Abstract

An outbreak of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 occurred in multiple prefectures of Japan in November 2009. We conducted two case-control studies with trace-back and trace-forward investigations to determine the source. The case definition was met by 21 individuals; 14 (66.7%) were hospitalised, but no haemolytic uraemic syndrome, acute encephalopathy or deaths occurred. Median age was 23 (range 12-48) years and 14 cases were male (66.7%). No significant associations with food were found in a case-control study by local public health centres, but our matched case-control study using Internet surveys found that beef hanging tender (or hanger steak), derived from the diaphragm of the cattle, was significantly associated with illness (odds ratio = 15.77; 95% confidence interval, 2.00-124.11). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis of isolates from patients and the suspected food showed five different patterns: two in faecal and food samples, and another three in patient faecal samples only, although there were epidemiological links to the meat consumed at the restaurants. Trace-back investigation implicated a common food processing company from outside Japan. Examination of the logistics of the meat processing company suggested that contamination did not occur in Japan. We concluded that the source of the outbreak was imported hanging tender. This investigation revealed that Internet surveys could be useful for outbreak investigations.

Population-based food consumption survey as an additional tool for foodborne outbreak investigations, Germany, 2017

“…Background exposure data from food consumption surveys can be applied for binomial probability analyses, a method that was developed at Oregon Health Authority [40]. Besides food consumption survey data, market share data [41], shopping card or till receipt information [42] and data from market-research panels [43][44][45] have been used in outbreak investigations. We consider our food consumption survey an additional helpful tool for outbreak investigations in Germany.…”

Lessons Learned From a Sequential Mixed-Mode Survey Design to Recruit and Collect Data From Case-Control Study Participants: Formative Evaluation

“…Recruitment challenges are not unique to case-control studies, and other types of observational studies have shifted from traditional telephone interviews to web-based surveys with the goal of reaching larger groups of people more efficiently and at a lower cost [ 7 - 12 ]. While offering some advantages over traditional telephone interviews, web-based surveys often experience lower response rates and lower data quality [ 13 ], and some studies have found demographic differences between telephone and web-based survey participants, likely driven in part by disparities in internet connectivity and access [ 14 ].…”

Use of a non-probabilistic online panel as a control group for case–control studies to investigate food and waterborne outbreaks in Lower Saxony, Germany

“…They are frequently used by marketing companies or polling organizations to obtain information about a target audience. Commercial online panels have successfully been used to collect epidemiological exposure data in retrospective (15) and prospective case-control studies (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21). One of the key benefits of this approach is that it allows efficiently and rapidly recruiting many controls, therefore enabling timely investigation of outbreaks.…”