Locally acquired typhoid fever outbreak linked to chronic carriage in Ottawa, Canada, 2018-2022

In Canada, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi infections are uncommon and typically travel-related. In November 2021, Ottawa Public Health identified a link between two typhoid fever cases, with no recent history of international travel, to the same grocery store ready-to-eat counter.

This report describes the outbreak response to a rare occurrence of chronic S. Typhi carriage in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and provides recommendations for investigations of small-scale protracted outbreaks.

We administered exposure questionnaires using a single interviewer approach, tested stool samples of contacts and food handlers, inspected food premises, collected food samples and reviewed takeout receipts. Social network, spatial and whole genome sequencing analyses were used to investigate additional possible links between cases.

Seven people with typhoid fever and onset from October 2018 to May 2022 were linked to an asymptomatic chronic S. Typhi carrier. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed that all eight isolates matched the outbreak cluster. All cases and carrier resided within an eight km radius in Ottawa. The chronic carrier worked as a food handler at various locations of a grocery store chain, including the implicated ready-to-eat counter. Transmission occurred via food handling, shared workspaces and social and household networks.

The chronic carrier was excluded from food handling until successful completion of treatment and clearance testing. We overcame the challenges of a small but prolonged outbreak by identifying an asymptomatic carrier using a multi-method approach including whole genome sequencing and social network analysis.