Published Date: 2006-09-05 00:00:00
Subject: PRO/AH> E. coli VTEC non-O157, lettuce - USA (UT)(02): background
Archive Number: 20060905.2523

E. COLI VTEC NON-O157, LETTUCE - USA (UTAH)(02):BACKGROUND
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[1]
Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006
From: Steve Berger <mberger@post.tau.ac.il>
Source: GideonOnline [edited]
<http://www.GideonOnline.com>

Regarding the recent outbreak of non-O157 VTEC _E. coli_ infection
from lettuce, the following data on outbreaks of _E. coli_ non-O157
infection are abstracted from Gideon [primary references available on
request]:
1975 - An outbreak (2200 or more cases) of _E. coli_ O6:K15:H16
infection at Crater Lake National Park was attributed to contaminated
drinking water.
1983 - Outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness associated with eating
imported French Brie cheese occurred in the District of Columbia,
with subsequent cases in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
The responsible organism in this case was a strain of _E. coli_
serotype O27:H20 which produced a heat-stable toxin.
1998 - An outbreak (3300 estimated cases) of _E. coli_ O6:H16
infection was caused by delicatessen foods supplied by a caterer.
1999 - An outbreak (11 cases, 3 HUS) of _E. coli_ O121 infection was
associated with a lake in Connecticut.
1999 - An outbreak (58 cases; 2 HUS) of _E. coli_ O111:H8 infection
at a cheerleading camp in Texas was ascribed to contaminated ice and
salads. This is the first reported community outbreak attributable
to this strain for the USA.
2004 - An outbreak (111 cases) of ETEC infection caused by 3
serotypes of _E. coli_ was reported among employees of a company in
Illinois.
2006 (publication year) - An outbreak (36 cases) of E. coli O169:H41
infection among employees of a company was ascribed to contaminated
cole slaw.
--
Dr. Steve Berger
<mberger@post.tau.ac.il>
[Not all these outbreaks are VTEC strains. ProMED thanks Dr. Berger
for his continued contributions. - Mod.LL]
******
[2]
Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006
From: Karl Bettelheim <bettelheim@talktalk.net>

I would like to draw your attention to the table I have put together,
which lists the sources of nearly 4000 reported non-O157 VTEC from
around the world including 10 of O121:H19, which were reported from
USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Denmark, Germany and Japan:
<http://www.microbionet.com.au/vtectable.htm>
--
Dr. Karl A. Bettelheim
<bettelheim@talktalk.net>
[ProMED thanks Dr. Karl Bettelheim for his contribution. - Mod.LL]

See Also

E. coli VTEC non-O157, lettuce - USA (UT) 20060904.2521
E. coli VTEC non-O157 - Norway (03) 20060416.1133
E. coli VTEC non-O157 - Norway 20060329.0947
E. coli VTEC non-O157, minced beef - Norway 20060304.0680
2003
----
E. coli, VTEC non-O157 - UK (Scotland): correction 20030828.2166
E. coli, VTEC non-O157 - UK (Scotland) 20030825.2144
2002
----
E. coli O157, sorbitol fermenting - UK (Scotland) 20021101.5685
2001
----
E. coli O26 - South Korea 20010509.0896
1999
----
E. coli O111, diarrhea - USA (Texas) 19990707.1134
1997
----
E. coli, non-0157 - Belgium 19970610.1215
...............................ll/pg/lm

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