Rapid detection of a Salmonella typhimurium Outbreak

Objective In June 2013, a cluster of fever cases with fatigue, headache, diarrhea as main symptoms occurred in Meishan, Sichuan province, To rapidly detect the pathogen, identify the infection source and control outbreak, the samples were collected from the cases and people engaged in food preparation, and food samples were collected too. Salmonella typhimurium was detected in 6 case samples and 2 food samples. Same PFGE pattern after digestion with XbaⅠ enzymes was observed for the strains isolated from case samples and food samples. The result indicated that the outbreak was caused by contamination of food by Salmonella typhimurium.