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Volume 29, Number 6—June 2023
Research

Risk Factors for Non-O157 Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli Infections, United States

Ellyn P. Marder1Comments to Author , Zhaohui Cui, Beau B. Bruce, LaTonia Clay Richardson, Michelle M. Boyle, Paul R. Cieslak, Nicole Comstock, Sarah Lathrop, Katie Garman, Suzanne McGuire, Danyel Olson, Duc J. Vugia, Siri Wilson, Patricia M. Griffin, and Carlota Medus
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (E.P. Marder, Z. Cui, B.B. Bruce, L. Clay Richardson, P.M. Griffin); Maryland Department of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA (M.M. Boyle); Oregon Health Authority, Portland, Oregon, USA (P.R. Cieslak); Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver, Colorado, USA (N. Comstock); University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA (S. Lathrop); Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville, Tennessee, USA (K. Garman); New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA (S. McGuire); Connecticut Emerging Infections Program, New Haven, Connecticut, USA (D. Olson); California Department of Public Health, Richmond, California, USA (D.J. Vugia); Georgia Department of Public Health, Atlanta (S. Wilson); Minnesota Department of Health, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA (C. Medus)

Main Article

Table 3

Risk factors associated with domestically acquired non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli infection, FoodNet case–control study, United States, 2012–2015*

Consumption/exposure*† Cases,‡ n = 774 Controls,‡ n = 2,365 Multivariable analysis
OR (95% CI) PAF (95% CI) p value§
Fruits and vegetables
Lettuce 288/447 (64) 710/1,268 (56) 2.6 (1.8–3.6) 39.3 (29.2–46.6) <0.001
Tomatoes 227/435 (52) 605/1,265 (48) 1.7 (1.3–2.3) 21.3 (10.4–29.4) 0.03
Prepared outside the home 101/443 (23) 175/1,266 (14) 2.5 (1.8–3.5) 13.7 (10.0–16.3) <0.001
Watermelon 145/448 (32) 302/1,276 (24) 2.4 (1.8–3.4) 19.0 (14.0–22.7) <0.001
Prepared inside the home 120/445 (27) 291/1,274 (23) 1.7 (1.2–2.3) 10.9 (5.4–15.0) 0.03
Exotic fruit such as kiwi, avocado 140/444 (32) 336/1,274 (26) 1.7 (1.3–2.3) 13.2 (6.7–18.0) 0.02
Prepared outside the home 35/449 (8) 30/1,275 (2) 3.9 (2.1–7.1) 5.8 (4.2–6.7) <0.001
Iceberg lettuce prepared outside the home 86/415 (21) 156/1,245 (13) 2.7 (1.8–3.9) 12.9 (9.4–15.4) <0.001
Pineapple 98/449 (22) 221/1,279 (17) 1.8 (1.3–2.6) 9.9 (5.0–13.3) 0.02
Prepared outside the home 23/440 (5) 29/1,274 (2) 3.6 (1.8–7.1) 3.8 (2.3–4.5) 0.02
Salsa 71/442 (16) 137/1,275 (11) 1.9 (1.3–2.8) 7.6 (3.7–10.3) 0.04
Onions other than white or red prepared outside the home 54/438 (12) 87/1,260 (7) 2.5 (1.6–4.0) 7.4 (4.6–9.2) 0.006
Romaine lettuce prepared outside the home 51/431 (12) 95/1,227 (8) 2.2 (1.4–3.4) 6.4 (3.4–8.3) 0.03
Peppers prepared outside the home 41/440 (9) 56/1,274 (4) 3.0 (1.8–5.0) 6.2 (4.2–7.5) 0.002
Raw spinach prepared outside the home 30/445 (7) 44/1,286 (3) 2.9 (1.7–5.2) 4.4 (2.7–5.4) 0.02
Cantaloupe prepared outside the home 18/431 (4) 22/1,274 (2) 4.3 (1.9–9.9) 3.2 (2.0–3.8) 0.02
Raspberries prepared outside the home
11/432 (3)
10/1,270 (1)
7.7 (2.4–27.5)
2.2 (1.5–2.5)
0.03
Other
Eat at a fast-food restaurant 245/434 (56) 580/1,278 (45) 1.7 (1.3–2.2) 22.5 (11.7–30.7) 0.02
Eat at a table-service restaurant 207/454 (46) 425/1,276 (33) 1.7 (1.3–2.3) 19.4 (11.5–25.4) 0.002
Stomach acid–reducing medications in 4 weeks before illness 93/430 (22) 174/1,261 (14) 2.1 (1.5–2.9) 11.3 (7.3–14.2) <0.001
Contact with someone with diarrheal illness
56/408 (14)
55/1,153 (5)
3.6 (2.2–5.7)
9.9 (7.6–11.3)
<0.001
Meat, poultry, pork, and seafood
Chicken prepared outside the home 203/446 (46) 465/1,269 (37) 1.6 (1.2–2.0) 16.3 (7.6–23.1) 0.04
Pork prepared outside the home 71/450 (16) 86/1,276 (7) 2.9 (1.9–4.2) 10.2 (7.6–12.0) <0.001
Beef prepared at table service restaurant 85/443 (19) 135/1,258 (11) 2.1 (1.5–3.0) 10.1 (6.2–12.9) 0.003
Ground beef hamburger prepared at a table service restaurant 44/445 (10) 73/1,276 (6) 2.4 (1.5–3.8) 5.8 (3.4–7.3) 0.01
Pink ground beef hamburger prepared at a table service restaurant
17/443 (4)
7/1,280 (1)
9.0 (3.5–24.7)
3.4 (2.7–3.7)
<0.001
Environmental
Live on, visit, or work on a farm, petting zoo, or fair 72/430 (17) 61/1,258 (5) 8.0(4.7–14.1) 14.7 (13.1–15.6) <0.001
With cows or calves present 42/426 (10) 29/1,258 (2) 9.3 (4.7–19.2) 8.8 (7.8–9.3) <0.001
With cows present 40/429 (9) 29/1,257 (2) 6.8 (3.5–13.5) 8.0 (6.7–8.6) <0.001
With chickens present 27/430 (6) 9/1,255 (1) 26.1 (9.1–87.2) 6.0 (5.6–6.2) <0.001
With calves present 21/424 (5) 9/1,250 (1) 23.3 (7.4–88.9) 4.7 (4.3–4.9) <0.001
With goats present 21/435 (5) 8/1,250 (1) 15.7 (5.3–52.8) 4.5 (3.9–4.7) <0.001
And have contact with cows or calves 19/423 (4) 6/1,246 (0) 18.8 (5.8–70.6) 4.3 (3.7–4.4) <0.001
With sheep present 14/430 (3) 7/1,249 (1) 13.2 (3.9–51.4) 3.0 (2.4–3.2) 0.002
And have contact with cows 13/435 (3) 7/1,244 (1) 8.7 (2.7–32.9) 2.6 (1.9–2.9) 0.01
With pigs present 12/429 (3) 6/1,252 (0) 13.6 (3.5–65.0) 2.6 (2.0–2.8) 0.008
And have contact with calves 9/430 (2) 4/1,242 (0) 11.8 (2.9–59.0) 1.9 (1.4–2.1) 0.02
Visit a farm 40/434 (9) 25/1,271 (2) 9.0 (4.6–17.9) 8.2 (7.2–8.7) <0.001
With cows present 21/436 (5) 9/1,262 (1) 7.7 (3.2–19.5) 4.2 (3.3–4.6) <0.001
With chickens present 12/430 (3) 5/1,270 (0) 10.0 (3.4–31.2) 2.5 (2.0–2.7) 0.002
With horses present 12/434 (3) 5/1,269 (0) 12.8 (4.0–46.6) 2.5 (2.1–2.7) <0.001
With calves present 10/436 (2) 5/1,264 (0) 9.4 (2.6–38.9) 2.0 (1.4–2.2) 0.03
With sheep present 7/427 (2) 1/1,262 (0) 19.7 (3.7–138.7) 1.6 (1.2–1.6) 0.02
And have contact with horse feed 5/438 (1) 2/1,269 (0) 20.9 (3.6–185.6) 1.1 (0.8–1.1) 0.03
Household member visited/worked on farm with animals 43/435 (10) 49/1,254 (4) 3.5 (2.1–5.9) 7.1 (5.1–8.2) <0.001
Live on a farm 28/444 (6) 23/1,277 (2) 5.6 (2.6–12.2) 5.2 (3.9–5.8) <0.001
With chickens present 11/443 (2) 2/1,274 (0) 28.1 (6.5–178.6) 2.4 (2.1–2.5) <0.001
With pigs present 3/443 (1) 0/1,274 (0) 66.9 (4.7–9,270.2) 0.7 (0.5–0.7) 0.05
Camping 32/441 (7) 31/1,268 (2) 3.2 (1.8–5.7) 5.0 (3.2–6.0) 0.006
Household member visited/worked on farm with cows 22/431 (5) 19/1,248 (2) 5.1 (2.4–11.3) 4.1 (3.0–4.7) 0.002
Contact with wild deer or elk or their droppings 20/406 (5) 13/1,214 (1) 4.7 (2.2–10.4) 3.9 (2.7–4.5) 0.006
Contact with goats
9/438 (2)
3/1,255 (0)
21.2 (4.3–145.7)
2.0 (1.6–2.0)
0.005
Water
Swim or play in lake, river, or stream 41/432 (9) 53/1,249 (4) 2.5 (1.5–4.2) 5.7 (3.2–7.2) 0.02
Swallow water from lake 30/433 (7) 35/1,238 (3) 3.0 (1.7–5.3) 4.6 (2.7–5.6) 0.02
Drink untreated water such as lake, spring, river 18/434 (4) 9/1,252 (1) 6.6 (2.8–16.1) 3.5 (2.7–3.9) 0.001

*Values are no. exposures/no. for whom data were available (%) except as indicated. OR, odds ratio; PAF, population attributable fractions. †In the 7 d before illness began unless otherwise specified. Interviewers told respondents to consider foods prepared at any home to be prepared at home and foods prepared at a restaurant or commercial food service establishment to be prepared outside the home. ‡The initial sample for each exposure was 774 noninfant nontraveler cases and 2,365 noninfant nontraveler controls. During nearest-neighbors matching, cases and controls without a match were excluded for the exposure under consideration. Thus, the numbers of cases and controls that were matched and included in the analysis of each exposure is smaller than the total. §Adjusted for multiple testing using the Benjamini-Hochberg-Yekutieli method.

Main Article

1Current affiliation: Washington State Department of Health, Shoreline, Washington, USA.

Page created: April 21, 2023
Page updated: May 18, 2023
Page reviewed: May 18, 2023
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