To determine risk factors associated with the occurrence of sporadic
cases of Salmonella
enteritidis infections among children in France, we conducted a matched
case-control study.
Cases were identified between 1 March and 30 September 1995. One hundred
and five pairs of
cases and controls matched for age and place of residence were interviewed.
In the 1–5 years
age group, illness was associated with the consumption of raw eggs or undercooked
egg-
containing foods (OR 2·4, 95% CI 1·2–4·8). Storing
eggs more than 2 weeks after purchase was
associated with Salmonella enteritidis infection (OR 3·8,
95% CI 1·4–10·2), particularly during
the summer period (OR 6·0, 95% CI 1·3–26·8).
Cases were more likely to report a case of
diarrhoea in the household 10·3 days before the onset of symptoms,
particularly in the age
group [les ]1 year (P=0·01). This study confirms the link
between eggs and the occurrence of
sporadic cases of Salmonella enteritidis among children, highlights
the potential role of
prolonged egg storage and underlines the role of person-to-person transmission
in infants.