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. 2013 Aug;57(3):425-33.
doi: 10.1093/cid/cit244. Epub 2013 Apr 16.

Foodborne disease outbreaks caused by Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, and Staphylococcus aureus--United States, 1998-2008

Sarah D Bennett  1 , Kelly A Walsh, L Hannah Gould
Affiliations

Foodborne disease outbreaks caused by Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, and Staphylococcus aureus--United States, 1998-2008

Sarah D Bennett et al. Clin Infect Dis. 2013 Aug.

Abstract

From 1998 to 2008, 1229 foodborne outbreaks caused by Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, and Staphylococcus aureus were reported in the United States; 39% were reported with a confirmed etiology. Vomiting was commonly reported in B. cereus (median, 75% of cases) and S. aureus outbreaks (median, 87%), but rarely in C. perfringens outbreaks (median, 9%). Meat or poultry dishes were commonly implicated in C. perfringens (63%) and S. aureus (55%) outbreaks, and rice dishes were commonly implicated in B. cereus outbreaks (50%). Errors in food processing and preparation were commonly reported (93%), regardless of etiology; contamination by a food worker was only common in S. aureus outbreaks (55%). Public health interventions should focus on these commonly reported errors to reduce the occurrence of outbreaks caused by B. cereus, C. perfringens, and S. aureus in the United States.

Keywords: Bacillus cereus; Clostridium perfringens; Staphylococcus aureus; bacterial toxins; disease outbreaks.

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Conflict of interest statement

Potential conflicts of interest. All authors: No reported conflicts.

All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Number of foodborne disease outbreaks caused by Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, and Staphylococcus aureus, United States, 1998–2008.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Proportion of cases reported in confirmed outbreaks caused by Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, and Staphylococcus aureus by age group, United States, 1998–2008.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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