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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Detection of Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens from Individual Filth Flies
Published on: February 13, 2015
An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis linked to a foodhandler
E S Quiroz1, C Bern, J R MacArthur
1Epidemic Intelligence Service, Epidemiology Program Office, and Respiratory and Enteric Viruses Branch, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30341, USA.
Abstract:
In September and October 1998, a cryptosporidiosis outbreak occurred on a Washington, DC, university campus. In a case-control study of 88 case patients and 67 control subjects, eating in 1 of 2 cafeterias was associated with diarrheal illness (P<.001). Morbidity was associated with eating dinner on 22 September (odds ratio, 8.1; 95% confidence interval, 3.4-19.5); weaker associations were found for 6 other meals. Cryptosporidium parvum was detected in stool specimens of 16 (70%) of 23 ill students and 2 of 4 ill employees. One ill foodhandler with laboratory-confirmed C. parvum prepared raw produce on 20-22 September. All 25 Cryptosporidium isolates submitted for DNA analysis, including 3 from the ill foodhandler, were genotype 1. This outbreak illustrates the potential for cryptosporidiosis to cause foodborne illness. Epidemiologic and molecular evidence indicate that an ill foodhandler was the likely outbreak source.
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