An outbreak of foodborne streptococcal throat infection

E. Shemesh, T. Fischel, N. Goldstein, M. Alkan, A. Livneh*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Streptococcal pharyngitis is a common disease of epidemic nature, usually transmitted by saliva droplets. We present an epidemiologic analysis of an outbreak of streptococcal pharyngitis in a military unit involving 75 soldiers. The causing organism was Streptococcus pyogenes (group A beta hemolytic Streptococcus, T28 M56), which was isolated from 53 affected individuals. The source of the epidemic was probably an army cook. The infection was transferred by a cabbage salad to individuals who became symptomatic within 24-48 h. This epidemic is a reminder of an exceptional route of streptococcal dissemination and one of the largest outbreaks of foodborne streptococcal pharyngitis documented.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)275-278
Number of pages4
JournalIsrael Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume30
Issue number4
StatePublished - Apr 1994
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Foodborne pharyngitis
  • Streptococcus pyogenes

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