A Salmonella Typhimurium 197 outbreak linked to the consumption of lambs' liver in Sydney, NSW

Abstract

We identified an increase in the number of cases of Salmonella Typhimurium phage type 197 in New South Wales in February 2005. Cases were predominantly of Lebanese descent. To identify risk factors for illness, we conducted an unmatched case-control study including 12 cases and 21 controls. Eight of 12 cases (67%) and no controls reported eating lambs' liver (OR incalculable, P <0.05), and seven of nine cases (78%) and one of 21 controls (5%) reported eating fresh fish (OR 70.0, P <0.05). Among participants who did not eat liver, there was a strong association between eating fish and illness (OR 60.0, P <0.05). The fish was from divergent sources. Five cases had bought the liver from two different butcher's shops, which obtained the lambs' liver from a single abattoir. Consumption of liver is a risk for salmonellosis. Traditional dishes may place some ethnic groups at increased risk of foodborne disease. © 2007 Cambridge University Press.