An outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium phage type 135a in a child care centre

Abstract

On 12 December 2002, the Brisbane Southside Public Health Unit commenced a cluster investigation of four notifications of Salmonella Typhimurium infection amongst children under five years of age within a defined geographical area in south-west Brisbane. Initial investigations found that these children attended the same child-care centre (CCC). An Outbreak Control Team conducted investigations that included surveillance, microbiological testing of suspected cases, inspection and environmental sampling of food preparation facilities and other equipment within the CCC, sampling of food specimens, review of menus and audits of selected food suppliers.