Abstract:
Epidemiological data of foodborne diseases in Brazil are scarce. In Paraná State, there is little information on the prevalence of Salmonella serovars and fagotypes involved in outbreaks. The aim of this study was to evaluate epidemiological data of salmonellosis outbreaks notified in Paraná State between January 1999 and December 2008. During the study period, 286 Salmonella outbreaks occurred and a total of 5641 people were exposed, 2027 (35.9%) became ill, and 881 (16.3%) were hospitalized. Fifty-two cities (13.0%) in Paraná notified Salmonella outbreaks. Eggs and egg products, meat and meat products and other foods were, respectively, associated with 45.0, 34.8 and 20.2% of the notified outbreaks. Serovar Enteritidis was prevalent and identified in 87.8% of the strains isolated from patients and in 80.6% of the strains isolated from food involved in outbreaks. Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 was the prevalent phagotype. However, a prevalence of PT9 occurred after 2003. Of the total number of outbreaks analyzed, 49.7% occurred in residences. This result indicates that educational actions of the State Food Safety and Inspection Service should be for both comercial and domestic fodd handlers.
