Barbecued chicken causing a multi-state outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni enteritis

Area of Science:

• Food Safety
• Microbiology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Foodborne illness remains a significant public health concern in Europe despite improvements in food safety.
• Campylobacter jejuni infections cause considerable morbidity and mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate an outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni enteritis.
• To identify the source and transmission route of the infection.

Main Methods:

• Epidemiological investigation of a barbecue party outbreak involving human cases in Germany, Liechtenstein, and Austria.
• Microbiological analysis of chicken meat and environmental samples from the implicated farm and slaughterhouse.
• Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for molecular typing of Campylobacter jejuni isolates.

Main Results:

• Five out of six attendees at a barbecue party developed Campylobacter jejuni enteritis.
• Chicken meat purchased in Tyrol, Austria, was identified as the likely source.
• Identical C. jejuni strains were isolated from patients, chicken meat, and carcasses from the implicated farm and slaughterhouse.
• PFGE analysis showed indistinguishable patterns between outbreak isolates and meat isolates, confirming a common source.

Conclusions:

• The outbreak strain of C. jejuni was found to be colonizing the slaughterhouse, leading to cross-contamination of chickens.
• The study highlights the importance of thorough epidemiological investigations to trace foodborne outbreaks.
• Geographic mobility of food products necessitates robust surveillance to accurately assess the incidence of campylobacteriosis.