Hepatitis A Outbreak Linked to Semidried Tomatoes in France
Author Information
Author(s): Gallot Céline, Grout Lise, Roque-Afonso Anne-Marie, Couturier Elisabeth, Carrillo-Santisteve Paloma, Pouey Jérôme, Letort Marie-José, Hoppe Stéphanie, Capdepon Pascal, Saint-Martin Sylvie, De Valk Henriette, Vaillant Véronique
Primary Institution: French Institute for Public Health Surveillance
Hypothesis
What was the source of the hepatitis A outbreak in southwestern France in 2010?
Conclusion
The outbreak was associated with eating a batch of semidried tomatoes imported from Turkey.
Supporting Evidence
- Two clusters of hepatitis A were reported in southwestern France.
- Twenty-eight case-patients were hospitalized, and all recovered.
- 57% of nonsecondary case-patients reported eating in a sandwich shop.
- 51% of case-patients reported eating semidried tomatoes.
Takeaway
Some people got sick from eating semidried tomatoes that were not cooked properly. The tomatoes came from Turkey.
Methodology
A case-control study was conducted with 30 nonsecondary case-patients and 109 controls, using a standardized questionnaire and logistic regression.
Limitations
The batch of contaminated tomatoes was no longer available for virologic analysis.
Participant Demographics
Case-patients were aged 7–54 years, with a median age of 31.5 years, and a male:female ratio of 1.2:1.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% confidence interval 9.7–87.0 for sandwiches; 95% confidence interval 4.4–30.2 for semidried tomatoes.
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website