Molecular epidemiological investigation of a typhoid fever outbreak in South Africa, 2005 : the relationship to a previuos epidemic in 1993

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Authors

Keddy, Karen H.
Sooka, Arvinda
Ismail, H.
Smith, Anthony Marius
Weber, Ingrid Brigitte
Letsoalo, M.E.
Harris, Bernice Nerine

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Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Abstract

In 2005, over 600 clinically diagnosed typhoid fever cases occurred in South Africa, where an outbreak had been previously described in 1993. Case-control and molecular investigations, including Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) isolates from that area from 1993, 2005 and later, were undertaken. Controls were significantly older than cases (P=0.003), possibly due to immunity from previous infection, and a significantly larger proportion had attended a gathering (P=0.035). Exposure to commercial food outlets and person-to-person transmission was not significant. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multi-locus tandem repeat analysis revealed common clusters of S. Typhi strains identified in 1993 and 2005 as well as in 2007 and 2009. This outbreak probably occurred in a non-immune population due to faecally contaminated water. S. Typhi strains appeared to be related to strains from 1993; failure to address unsafe water may lead to further outbreaks in the area if the current population immunity wanes or is lost.

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Keywords

Epidemic, Multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA), Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), South Africa, Typhoid fever

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Citation

Keddy, KH, Sooka, A, Ismail, H, Smith, AM, Weber, I, Letsoalo, ME & Harris, BN 2010, 'Molecular epidemiological investigation of a typhoid fever outbreak in South Africa, 2005 : the relationship to a previuos epidemic in 1993', Epidemiology and Infection, pp. 1-7. [http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=HYG]