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C. jejuni outbreak linked to chicken livers
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An outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni that started in Vermont and affected other Northeastern states was linked to undercooked chicken livers, according to a report in MMWR.
Two cases of C. jejuni were identified in Vermont on Oct. 2, 2012. One patient’s work included handling live and slaughtered chickens and turkeys, and the other reported eating a mousse made from chicken livers at a restaurant. A third patient became ill after eating at the same restaurant. No additional diners from the restaurant were identified with the infection.
Another Vermont resident was found to have the same isolate as the outbreak strain and reported eating pan-fried chicken livers at another Vermont restaurant, which reported receiving the chicken livers from the establishment where the first patient worked. The Vermont Department of Health notified other states in New England where the products of the establishment were distributed.
They identified two more cases, one each in New Hampshire and New York. The chicken livers were purchased at a supermarket in New Hampshire, and the fifth patient cooked them to medium-rare for herself and family members, including the New York patient. The strain in these two patients was indistinguishable from the outbreak in Vermont.
An investigation of the two restaurants showed no violations of food safety guidelines, nor did an investigation of the establishment where the livers were produced. A laboratory investigation of frozen chicken livers from the restaurant found two samples were positive for C. jejuni. An analysis of fresh livers at the production establishment identified C. jejuni isolates indistinguishable from the outbreak strain. The establishment stopped selling the chicken livers.
“Vermont is one of the few states that investigates all reported cases of campylobacteriosis and performs [pulsed-field gel electrophoresis] on all Campylobacter isolates submitted to the laboratory,” the investigators wrote. “This strategy, along with the combined efforts of state and federal partners, enabled the timely detection of the outbreak and identification of the source.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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