Shigellosis outbreak associated with swimming

Abstract

In June 1982, an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness caused by Shigella sonnei occurred among residents of two counties in Oklahoma. A case-control study of cases and age and sex-matched controls showed an association with attendance at a southern Oklahoma lake (14/17 cases vs 3/17 controls, matched pair odds ratio [OR] 9/0, confidence interval [CI] 2.4-infinity). A survey of 85 persons who had visited the lake area showed that persons who had swum were more likely to have been ill with a gastrointestinal illness (50 per cent) than persons who had not swum (0 per cent); among those who had swum, illness was more frequent among those who reported having water in their mouths while swimming (62 per cent) than those who did not (19 per cent) (OR = 6.9, 95% CI = 2.2-21.5). No further primary lake-associated cases had onset of symptoms beyond two days of closing the reservoir. Swimming should be considered as a potential source of enteric infections.