Investigation of a large foodborne illness outbreak in Toronto, Canada (50m Lecture)

http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/images/major-outrbreak-2011.jpg

In the August 2013, the organizers of a large public event received a number of complaints of gastrointestinal symptoms related to the consumption of a specific food served by one of their vendors. The food item was a popular new burger and the potential outbreak gained immediate media attention. The organizers instructed the specific food vendor to close the food outlet and notified the local public health agency. The outbreak investigation included inspections of three food establishments, active surveillance for cases, microbiological testing of human specimen and food samples, and an epidemiological analysis. The outbreak management was performed using an Incident Management System and involved environmental controls and regular communication to the media and the public.
In total, 257 reports were investigated in association with this outbreak of which 144 (56%) met the case definition. Of the 144 cases, 93% reported eating the implicated food item within 10 hours of symptoms. Several food samples collected from different locations tested positive for high levels of S. aureus and the presence of the enterotoxin. The same PFGE pattern was detected in all but two of the samples.
Objectives
This presentation outlines the investigation and management of a foodborne illness outbreak associated with the consumption of a new popular food item that was contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin. Challenges and lessons learned related to logistics, the development of the case definition, the environmental inspection, the multi-jurisdictional nature of the outbreak and communications will be described.