A NOSOCOMIAL OUTBREAK OF SALMONELLA-ENTERITIDIS INFECTION DUE TO THE CONSUMPTION OF RAW EGGS

The number of reported infections due to Salmonella serotype enteritidis increased six-fold in the northeastern United States from 1976 to 1986.1 , 2 Of the reported outbreaks of food-borne salmonellosis, infections due to S. enteritidis were more likely than those due to other salmonella serotypes to be associated with the consumption of foods containing eggs.3 In 1987, the New York City Department of Health and the New York State Department of Health investigated the largest nosocomial outbreak of S. enteritidis to have occurred in the United States, in which 404 of the 965 patients (42 percent) at one hospital were affected, and. © 1990, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.