Epidemiology and Infection

Table of Contents - 2010 - Volume 138, Issue 04  

Cambridge Journals Online - CUP Full-Text Page
Epidemiology and Infection (2010), 138:501-506 Cambridge University Press
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009
doi:10.1017/S0950268809990756

Original Papers

Outbreaks

A foodborne norovirus outbreak at a manufacturing company

T. P. ZOMERa1a2 c1, B. DE JONGa3, S. KÜHLMANN-BERENZONa2, O. NYRÉNa2a4, B. SVENUNGSSONa3, K. O. HEDLUNDa5, C. ANCKERa3, T. WAHLa3 and Y. ANDERSSONa2

a1 European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden
a2 Department of Epidemiology, Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control (SMI), Solna, Sweden
a3 Department of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden
a4 Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
a5 Centre for Microbiological Preparedness, Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control (SMI), Solna, Sweden
Article author query
zomer tp [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]
de jong b [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]
kühlmann-berenzon s [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]
nyrén o [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]
svenungsson b [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]
hedlund ko [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]
ancker c [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]
wahl t [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]
andersson y [PubMed]  [Google Scholar]

SUMMARY

Over 400 office workers from the same unit of a manufacturing company in Stockholm County, Sweden, fell ill with gastroenteritis. A retrospective cohort study of office workers in the affected unit demonstrated that canteen visitors on one day had an increased risk of illness [risk ratio (RR) 27·1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 15·7–46·8] compared to non-visitors. A second study, investigating canteen visitors' consumption of particular food items, showed that both tomatoes from the salad buffet (RR 5·6, 95% CI 3·2–9·6) and hamburgers (RR 4·9, 95% CI 2·4–9·8) were the most likely vehicles of infection. Norovirus GI.3 (Desert Shield) was identified in stool samples from three office workers and from a food handler who prepared the tomatoes for the salad buffet and hamburger ingredients before vomiting at the workplace on 12 November. The outbreak could have been prevented if the food items prepared by the food handler some hours before vomiting had not been served.

(Accepted August 11 2009)

(Online publication September 21 2009)

Key Words:Cohort study; foodborne outbreak; norovirus

Correspondence:

c1 Author for correspondence: T. P. Zomer, Department of Epidemiology, Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Tomtebodavägen 12B, 171 82 Solna. (Email: Tizza.Zomer@smi.se or Tizza.Zomer@gmail.com)

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