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An outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections following a dairy education school field trip in Washington state, 2015

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2017

K. G. Curran*
Affiliation:
Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
K. E. Heiman Marshall
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
T. Singh
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
Z. Doobovsky
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
J. Hensley
Affiliation:
Whatcom County Health Department, Bellingham, WA, USA
B. Melius
Affiliation:
Washington State Department of Health, Shoreline, WA, USA
L. Whitlock
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
L. Stevenson
Affiliation:
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
J. Leinbach
Affiliation:
Whatcom County Health Department, Bellingham, WA, USA
H. Oltean
Affiliation:
Washington State Department of Health, Shoreline, WA, USA
W. A. Glover
Affiliation:
Washington State Public Health Laboratories, Shoreline, WA, USA
T. Kunesh
Affiliation:
Whatcom County Health Department, Bellingham, WA, USA
S. Lindquist
Affiliation:
Washington State Department of Health, Shoreline, WA, USA
I. Williams
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
M. Nichols
Affiliation:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
*
Author for correspondence: K. G. Curran, E-mail: ydh9@cdc.gov
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Abstract

On 27 April 2015, Washington health authorities identified Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections associated with dairy education school field trips held in a barn 20–24 April. Investigation objectives were to determine the magnitude of the outbreak, identify the source of infection, prevent secondary illness transmission and develop recommendations to prevent future outbreaks. Case-finding, hypothesis generating interviews, environmental site visits and a case–control study were conducted. Parents and children were interviewed regarding event activities. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed. Environmental testing was conducted in the barn; isolates were compared to patient isolates using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Sixty people were ill, 11 (18%) were hospitalised and six (10%) developed haemolytic uremic syndrome. Ill people ranged in age from <1 year to 47 years (median: 7), and 20 (33%) were female. Twenty-seven case-patients and 88 controls were enrolled in the case–control study. Among first-grade students, handwashing (i.e. soap and water, or hand sanitiser) before lunch was protective (adjusted OR 0.13; 95% CI 0.02–0.88, P = 0.04). Barn samples yielded E. coli O157:H7 with PFGE patterns indistinguishable from patient isolates. This investigation provided epidemiological, laboratory and environmental evidence for a large outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections from exposure to a contaminated barn. The investigation highlights the often overlooked risk of infection through exposure to animal environments as well as the importance of handwashing for disease prevention. Increased education and encouragement of infection prevention measures, such as handwashing, can prevent illness.

Information

Type
Original Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 
Figure 0

Fig. 1. Number of people (N = 54) infected with the outbreak strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7, by date of illness onset and dairy education event attendance – Whatcom County, Washington, 20 April–1 June 2015*. *Six additional patients (one primary, five secondary) were ill during 20 April–1 June, but exact illness onset dates were unknown.

Figure 1

Table 1. Laboratory STEC O157:H7 test results of clinical isolates and environmental samples collected from barn by collection date

Figure 2

Fig. 2. Barn layout for dairy education event with environmental sampling locations and previous animal exhibit areas. Environmental samples were collected from distinct event activity areas in the barn 6 and 19 days after the dairy education event. The first hay maze sample included hay from four different bales and swabs from the floor and manure bunker exterior wall; the second consisted of swabs from the floor and manure bunker exterior wall. The manure bunker sample was taken from the interior walls and floor. The first and second circles of farming bleachers sample contained swabs of each of the three sets of bleachers. Both northeast bleachers were swabbed. The petting zoo was located inside a trailer and included a miniature donkey, miniature horse, goat, calf, lamb and rabbit. During previous events, animals, including young cattle, were exhibited in the areas shown with shaded circles in the north end of the barn. The bleachers shown at the circle of farming and petting zoo areas were used in the north end of the barn at previous animal exhibits. Items are not drawn to scale.

Figure 3

Table 2. Selected characteristics reported by teachers of first-grade classes with a case, as compared with classes without a case

Figure 4

Table 3. Odds ratios for selected characteristics of first-grade case-patients, as compared with controls