An Outbreak of Food Poisoning Caused by Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli O169: H41

概要

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An outbreak of food poisoning caused by heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) -producing Escherichia coli occurred at a school for physiologically-handicapped children in Saitama Prefecture during the period from Sept. 27 to Oct. 2, 1991. It was recognized that 51 of 219 students and 78 of 119 staff members had enteritis. The main symptoms observed in the 78 diseased staff members were diarrhea (87.2%), abdominal pain (67.9%) and fever (21.8%). In bacteriological examinations, E. coli O169: H41 was isolated from the feces of 35 diseased staff members, two nonpatients and four asymptomatic cooks. School lunch was suspected to be the source of this outbreak, but E. coli or any other pathogen was not isolated from any food, water or the swabs of cook's hands or utensils. It was demonstrated that E. coli O169: H41 strains isolated from 39 of 41 persons produced ST. The virulence of isolates was confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the suckling mouse test. The ST-producing strains were carrying about 88 Md and 49 Md plasmid, however the non-toxigenic strains were carrying only the 49 Md plasmid. All of the strains from the 41 persons have the same phenotypical characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. This report may be the first one of an outbreak caused by E. coli O169: H41 in Japan.
日本食品微生物学会の論文