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Salmonellosis outbreaks linked to eggs at 2 gimbap restaurants in the Republic of Korea
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Jun Suk Eun, Joohyun Han, Ji-Hyun Lim, Eunkyung Shin, Junyoung Kim, Da-Jung Ko, Jaeil Yoo, Sungil Kim, Jin Sook Kim, JungSub Park, Ji-Hyuk Park
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Epidemiol Health. 2024;e2024036. Published online March 7, 2024
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2024036
[Accepted]
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 Abstract
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Salmonellosis outbreaks occurred at 2 restaurants 2 days apart, and an epidemiological investigation was conducted to determine whether the outbreaks were connected.
METHODS Case studies were conducted for both outbreaks. Stool samples were collected from individuals, and food samples were collected from the restaurants. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole-genome sequencing analyses were performed on outbreak-related Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (Salmonella Enteritidis) isolates. Traceback investigations were also conducted for the ingredients from gimbap restaurants A and B.
RESULTS In total, 106 people from gimbap restaurant A and 5 from gimbap restaurant B met the case definition. Salmonella Enteritidis was detected in samples from 2 food handlers, 22 patients, and 1 food (iceberg lettuce) at gimbap restaurant A and from 1 patient at gimbap restaurant B. According to PFGE, all isolates were identified as SEGX01.089. The molecular typing of all isolates showed the same pattern, and the genetic distance was close according to phylogenetic analysis. Eggs were the only food ingredient that was supplied to both gimbap restaurants.
CONCLUSIONS The outbreaks were caused by Salmonella Enteritidis, and the source of infections was suspected to be contaminated eggs. To prevent foodborne outbreaks of Salmonella, restaurants should heat eggs sufficiently, and egg farms need to establish management systems that prevent Salmonella infections.
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Summary
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