Investigation of a food-borne Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak in a Mexican prison

Abstract

Introduction: Gastroenteritis outbreaks in prisons represent a public health risk worldwide. Identifying and characterizing the etiological agents of gastroenteritis outbreaks in prisons is important for implementing effective prevention and infection control measures. We present the first studied case of a gastroenteritis outbreak in a Mexican prison.

Methodology: Rectal swab samples were obtained from affected inmates. Standard microbiological techniques were used for isolating Salmonella enterica. Isolates were typed by PCR assays of DNA repetitive elements (ERIC, BOX, REP) and RAPD. Antibiotic resistance profiles were performed by the Kirby-Bauer method.

Results: S. enterica serotype Oranienburg was responsible for the outbreak affecting 150 inmates. All patients presented diarrhea, and 70% of them also presented vomiting, with no fatal cases. The origin of the outbreak was undetermined due to the difficulty of gathering epidemiological information, but was likely the result of consumption of shrimp broth or a cantaloupe melon beverage. REP, BOX, and ERIC analyses of 26 serotype Oranienburg strains resulted in Simpson discrimination index (D) values of 0, 0.5507, and 0.5661, respectively. The D values from DG93-RAPD analyses and from the combined ERIC-BOX-DG93 markers were 0.7753 and 0.6092, respectively. All strains showed multiresistance to antibiotics.

Conclusions: This is the only studied case of a gastroenteritis outbreak in a Mexican prison, and of the first such outbreak caused by serotype Oranienburg. The combined ERIC, BOX, and RAPD markers adequately assessed the genotype diversity of analyzed strains. Penitentiary personnel or inmates involved in outbreaks might spread multiresistant strains outside of the facility.