Emerging Infectious Diseases (Dec 2001)

A Multistate Outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infections Linked to Alfalfa Sprouts Grown from Contaminated Seeds

  • Thomas Breuer,
  • Denise H. Benkel,
  • Roger L. Shapiro,
  • William N. Hall,
  • Mary M. Winnett,
  • Mary Jean Linn,
  • Jakob Neimann,
  • Timothy J. Barrett,
  • Stephen Dietrich,
  • Frances P. Downes,
  • Denise M. Toney,
  • James L. Pearson,
  • Henry Rolka,
  • Laurence Slutsker,
  • Patricia M. Griffin

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid0706.010609
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 6
pp. 977 – 983

Abstract

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A multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections occurred in the United States in June and July 1997. Two concurrent outbreaks were investigated through independent case-control studies in Michigan and Virginia and by subtyping isolates with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Isolates from 85 persons were indistinguishable by PFGE. Alfalfa sprouts were the only exposure associated with E. coli O157:H7 infection in both Michigan and Virginia. Seeds used for sprouting were traced back to one common lot harvested in Idaho. New subtyping tools such as PFGE used in this investigation are essential to link isolated infections to a single outbreak.

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