Food as source of outbreaks of group A streptococcal disease.

摘要

A recent report described an outbreak of scarlet fever in a primary school. The outbreak investigation concluded that person-to-person transmission was the main source of transmission. This does not explain the simultaneous illness in a large number of children (n=29) occurring within 5 days and ongoing transmission over a month despite rigorous exclusion of cases from school. The investigation did not take into account that the source of every outbreak of group A streptococ-cal disease reported in the literature so far has been contaminated food with seven outbreaks of foodborne streptococcal disease reported from the European Union since 1970. A previous outbreak report of group A streptococcal pharyngitis in an elementary school found that attendees who ate macaroni and cheese prepared by a cook with a hand wound infected by the outbreak strain had a significantly higher risk of group A streptococcal disease.