A community-wide outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium infection associated with eating a raw milk soft cheese in France

In 1997, a community-wide outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimur ium (S. typhimurium) infection occurred in France. The investigation includ ed case searching and a case-control study. A case was defined as a residen t of the Jura district with fever or diarrhoea between 12 May and 8 July 19 97, from whom S. typhimurium was isolated in stool or blood. One hundred an d thirteen cases were identified. Thirty-three (83 %) of 40 cases but only 23 (55 %) of 42 community controls, matched for age and area of residence, reported eating Morbier cheese (Odds ratio: 6.5; 95% Confidence Interval: 1 .4-28.8). Morbier cheese samples taken from the refrigerators of two case-p atients and one symptom-free neighbour cultured positive for S. typhimurium of the same phage type as the human isolates. The analysis of distribution channels incriminated one batch from a single processing plant. These find ings show that an unpasteurized soft cheese is an effective vehicle of S. t yphimurium transmission.