Parry Amy, Fearnley Emily, Denehy Emma
Communicable Disease Control Branch, South Australian Department of Health and Ageing, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia . ; OzFoodNet, South Australian Department of Health and Ageing, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia .
Western Pac Surveill Response J. 2012 Nov 13;3(4):16-9. doi: 10.5365/WPSAR.2012.3.4.011. Print 2012 Oct.
In July 2012, an outbreak of Campylobacter infection was investigated by the South Australian Communicable Disease Control Branch and Food Policy and Programs Branch. The initial notification identified illness at a surprise birthday party held at a restaurant on 14 July 2012. The objective of the investigation was to identify the potential source of infection and institute appropriate intervention strategies to prevent further illness.
A guest list was obtained and a retrospective cohort study undertaken. A combination of paper-based and telephone questionnaires were used to collect exposure and outcome information. An environmental investigation was conducted by Food Policy and Programs Branch at the implicated premises.
All 57 guests completed the questionnaire (100% response rate), and 15 met the case definition. Analysis showed a significant association between illness and consumption of chicken liver pâté (relative risk: 16.7, 95% confidence interval: 2.4-118.6). No other food or beverage served at the party was associated with illness. Three guests submitted stool samples; all were positive for Campylobacter. The environmental investigation identified that the cooking process used in the preparation of chicken liver pâté may have been inconsistent, resulting in some portions not cooked adequately to inactivate potential Campylobacter contamination.
Chicken liver products are a known source of Campylobacter infection; therefore, education of food handlers remains a high priority. To better identify outbreaks among the large number of Campylobacter notifications, routine typing of Campylobacter isolates is recommended.
2012年7月，南澳大利亚传染病控制处和食品政策与项目处对一起弯曲杆菌感染暴发事件展开调查。最初的通报确认了2012年7月14日在一家餐厅举办的惊喜生日派对上出现的病例。调查目的是确定潜在感染源，并制定适当的干预策略以预防更多病例出现。
获取了宾客名单并开展回顾性队列研究。通过纸质问卷和电话问卷相结合的方式收集暴露信息和结果信息。食品政策与项目处在涉事场所进行了环境调查。
所有57名宾客均完成了问卷（回复率100%），其中15人符合病例定义。分析显示，发病与食用鸡肝酱之间存在显著关联（相对风险：16.7，95%置信区间：2.4 - 118.6）。派对上提供的其他食物或饮料均与发病无关。3名宾客提交了粪便样本，所有样本弯曲杆菌检测均呈阳性。环境调查发现，鸡肝酱制作过程中的烹饪方式可能不一致，导致部分鸡肝酱未充分烹饪以杀灭潜在的弯曲杆菌污染。
鸡肝制品是已知的弯曲杆菌感染源；因此，对食品处理人员的培训仍是重中之重。为了在大量弯曲杆菌通报中更好地识别暴发事件，建议对弯曲杆菌分离株进行常规分型。
