台灣中部某醫學中心沙門氏菌病患流行病學暨Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis感染之流行病學特徵探討

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to understand the epidemiology of Salmonella infections in humans in Taiwan, and to identify the epidemiological characteristics associated with S. Enteritidis infection. Methods: 61 patients from a medical center in central Taiwan with confirmed cases of Salmonella infection were interviewed with a structured questionnaire to collect information with regard to demographic data as well as proximity to pig farms, history of animal contacts, consumption of animal products, source of drinking water, and kitchen hygiene. All exposure information was traced back for one month prior to the onset of illness. Patients infected with Salmonella other than S. Enteritidis served as references, and a case-case comparison study was conducted to identify epidemiological characteristics associated with S. Enteritidis infection. Results: The results indicated that the main sero-groups of Salmonella in patients were sero-groups D1 (42.6%; 26/61) and B (32.8%; 20/61). After serotyping, it was determined that the most three prevalent Salmonella serotypes were S. Enteritidis (42.6%; 26/51), S. Typhimurium (21.3%; 13/61) and S. Stanley (9.8%; 6/61). By univariate analysis, consumption of eggs (odds ratio: 4.1; 95% CI: 1.4-12.2) and organic vegetables (odds ratio: 4.5; 95% CI: 1.4-14.5) were found to be significant epidemiological characteristics associated with S. Enteritidis infection. Conclusions: Consumption of eggs and organic vegetables may play an important role in the transmission of S. Enteritidis in Taiwan. Therefore, public health education, especially with regard to proper food handling, is necessary to prevent people from contracting an S. Enteritidis infection.