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Nursery salmonellosis: delayed recognition due to unusually long incubation period
Insights
A nursery outbreak of Salmonella nienstedten diarrhea was identified. The study highlights a prolonged incubation period, potentially impacting outbreak recognition in hospital settings.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Nosocomial outbreaks of diarrheal illness can pose significant challenges in healthcare settings.
- Salmonella infections, or salmonellosis, are a common cause of foodborne illness.
- Infants in nurseries are particularly vulnerable to infectious agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a nursery outbreak of diarrheal illness caused by Salmonella nienstedten.
- To investigate the unusually long incubation period observed during the outbreak.
- To inform hospital infection control practices regarding salmonellosis.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of a nursery outbreak.
- Epidemiological investigation of patient cases and exposure.
- Clinical observation and laboratory confirmation of Salmonella nienstedten.
Main Results:
- An initial outbreak involved seven infants, with secondary infections affecting five additional infants.
- Recognition of the outbreak was delayed due to an extended incubation period.
- The incubation period ranged from 2 to 18 days, with a median of 10 days.
Conclusions:
- The prolonged incubation period of Salmonella nienstedten in this outbreak may be due to low inoculum, organism characteristics, or age-specific responses.
- Hospital infection control teams must consider extended incubation periods for nosocomial salmonellosis.
- Awareness of atypical incubation periods is crucial for timely outbreak detection and management.
Abstract:
A nursery outbreak of diarrheal illness caused by Salmonella nienstedten initially involved seven infants cared for in one nursery; secondary infection subsequently affected one infant cared for in the same nursery as well as four other infants. Recognition of the outbreak was delayed due to an unusually long incubation period. The period from last known exposure to onset of diarrhea ranged from two to 18 days, with a median of ten days. The prolonged incubation period may have resulted from a low inoculum of the organism, from a previously unknown characteristic of Salmonella nienstedten, or may be an age-specific response. Hospital infection control personnel should be aware that nosocomial cases of salmonellosis may have a longer incubation period than has been previously recognized.