Outbreak of verocytotoxin-producing E. coli O145 and O26 infections associated with the consumption of ice cream produced at a farm, Belgium, 2007

K De Schrijver; G Buvens; B Possé; D Van den Branden; O Oosterlynck; L De Zutter; K Eilers; D Piérard; K Dierick; R Van Damme-Lombaerts; C Lauwers; R Jacobs

doi:10.2807/ese.13.07.08041-en

Surveillance and outbreak reports Open Access

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Outbreak of verocytotoxin-producing E. coli O145 and O26 infections associated with the consumption of ice cream produced at a farm, Belgium, 2007
K De Schrijver^1,2 , G Buvens³ , B Possé⁴ , D Van den Branden¹ , O Oosterlynck⁵ , L De Zutter⁴ , K Eilers¹ , D Piérard³ , K Dierick⁶ , R Van Damme-Lombaerts⁵ , C Lauwers⁷ , R Jacobs⁷
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Affiliations: ¹ Department of Control of Infectious Diseases, Antwerp, Belgium ² Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Antwerp, Belgium ³ Belgian Reference Laboratory for E. coli Department of Microbiology, University of Brussels, Belgium ⁴ Laboratory for Food Microbiology, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium ⁵ Department of Paediatric Nephrology, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium ⁶ Department of Microbiology, Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium ⁷ Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, Antwerp, Belgium

Correspondence:
K De Schrijver
koen.deschrijver wvg.vlaanderen.be
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Citation style for this article: De Schrijver K , Buvens G , Possé B , Van den Branden D , Oosterlynck O , De Zutter L , Eilers K , Piérard D , Dierick K , Van Damme-Lombaerts R , Lauwers C , Jacobs R . Outbreak of verocytotoxin-producing E. coli O145 and O26 infections associated with the consumption of ice cream produced at a farm, Belgium, 2007. Euro Surveill. 2008;13(7):pii=8041. https://doi.org/10.2807/ese.13.07.08041-en

Abstract

In October 2007, an outbreak of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) O145 and E. coli O26 occurred among consumers of ice cream produced and sold in September 2007 at a farm in the province of Antwerp (Belgium). The ice cream was consumed at two birthday parties and also eaten at the farm. Five children, aged between two and 11 years, developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), and seven other co-exposed persons contracted severe diarrhoea. In three of the five HUS cases VTEC O145 infections were laboratory confirmed, one in association with VTEC O26. Identical isolates of E. coli O145 and O26 were detected with PCR and PFGE in faecal samples of patients and in ice cream leftovers from one of the birthday parties, in faecal samples taken from calves, and in samples of soiled straw from the farm at which the ice cream was produced. Ice cream was made from pasteurised milk and most likely contaminated by one of food handlers.