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A milk-borne campylobacter outbreak following an educational farm visit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

M. R. Evans ,
R. J. Roberts ,
C. D. Ribeiro ,
D. Gardner  and
D. Kembrey
M. R. Evans
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Medicine, South Glamorgan Health Authority, Abton House, Wedal Road, Cardiff CF4 3QX
R. J. Roberts
Affiliation:
PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (Welsh Unit), Cardiff CF4 3QX
C. D. Ribeiro
Affiliation:
Cardiff Public Health Laboratory, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff CF4 4XW
D. Gardner
Affiliation:
Cardiff Environmental Services, Wood Street, Cardiff CF1 1NQ
D. Kembrey
Affiliation:
Environment and Health Division, Newport Borough Council, Newport NP9 4UR
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Summary

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After a nursery school trip to a dairy farm, 20 (53%) of 38 children and 3 (23%) of 13 adult helpers developed gastrointestinal infection. Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from 15 primary cases and from 3 of 9 secondary household cases. A cohort study of the school party found illness to be associated with drinking raw milk (relative risk 5·4, 95 % confidence interval 1·4–20·4, P = 0·001). There was a significant dose response relationship between amount of raw milk consumed and risk of illness (X2-test for linear trend 12·1, P = 0·0005) but not with incubation period, severity of symptoms or duration of illness. All 18 human campylobacter isolates were C. jejuni resistotype 02 and either biotype I (number 16) or biotype II (number 2). Campylobacter was also isolated from samples of dairy cattle and bird faeces obtained at the farm but these were of different resisto/biotypes. Educational farm visits have become increasingly popular in recent years and this outbreak illustrates the hazard of exposure to raw milk in this setting.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 117 , Issue 3 , December 1996 , pp. 457 - 462
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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