Foodborne Outbreaks Linked by DNA Testing

Three outbreaks of severe food-related illness in the Republic of Georgia were shown by DNA testing to be caused by a bacterial strain also associated with foodborne illness in the United States.

ATLANTA—Three apparently separate foodborne outbreaks in the Republic of Georgia proved by DNA testing to be related to each other and to similar illness in Washington State, according to an article in an upcoming issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, CDC's peer-reviewed journal, which tracks new and reemerging infectious diseases worldwide.

In May 1998, three outbreaks of Salmonella food poisoning were identified in the Republic of Georgia. Salmonella infection causes diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting, and fever. The illness in these three outbreaks was so severe that 59 persons were hospitalized. Among those hospitalized were 10 of 14 children who attended a birthday party and ate cake frosted with uncooked icing that contained egg. The other two outbreaks, apparently caused by tainted chicken, affected guests at a wedding reception and a large birthday party in Tbilisi.

The three outbreaks had no obvious connection: patients were hospitalized in two different hospitals in two cities, and no common source of infection was found. However, DNA testing showed that all three outbreaks were caused by a strain of the bacteria that had an identical genetic pattern. A search of a database of the genetic patterns of Salmonella strains isolated in the United States showed that outbreaks in Seattle and Baltimore were caused by closely related strains. The severe illness in both Seattle and the Republic of Georgia suggests that the outbreak-causing strain may be strongly virulent.

Finding closely related strains of Salmonella in such widely separated locations could mean that a virulent bacterium is spreading worldwide. The findings confirm both the usefulness of shared databases and the shrinking nature of the global village.

For more information, contact Dr. Alexander Sulakvelidze at 410-706-4581 (fax), or by e-mail at asulakve@medicine.umaryland.edu. Access the full article at

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol6no1/sulakvelidze.htm

All material in Emerging Infectious Diseases is in the public domain and may be used without special permission; proper citation, however, is appreciated.

For more information on this or related topics, see—

• Emerging Foodborne Diseases: An Evolving Public Health Challenge
• Molecular Typing of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Blockley Outbreak Isolates from Greece
• Salmonella Enteritidis PT6: Another Egg-Associated Salmonellosis?
• Salmonella on the Superhighway

Home | Top of Page | Current Issue | Expedited | Upcoming Issue | Past Issue | EID Search | Contact Us

CDC Home | Search | Health Topics A-Z

This page last reviewed July 1, 1999

Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention