Publications by authors named "Colin Basler"

Aims: Contact with backyard poultry (i.e., privately-owned, non-commercial poultry) was first associated with a multistate outbreak of salmonellosis in 1955.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state partners investigated nine Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to frozen vegetables.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Non-typhoidal Salmonella cause an estimated 1.4 million human illnesses, 26,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths annually in the United States. Approximately 11% of these infections are attributed to animal contact.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Globally, hepatitis A virus (HAV) is one of the most common agents of acute viral hepatitis and causes approximately 1.4 million cases and 90,000 deaths annually despite the existence of an effective vaccine. In 2019, federal, state, and local partners investigated a multi-state outbreak of HAV infections linked to fresh blackberries sourced from multiple suppliers in Michoacán, Mexico.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In December 2018, PulseNet, the national laboratory network for enteric disease surveillance, identified an increase in Salmonella Typhimurium isolates with an uncommon pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern which was previously isolated from hedgehogs. CDC, state, and local health partners interviewed patients with a questionnaire that focused on hedgehog exposures, conducted traceback of patients' hedgehog purchases, and collected hedgehog faecal pellets and environmental samples. Isolates in this outbreak were analysed using core-genome multi-locus sequence typing (cgMLST) and compared to sequence data from historic clinical isolates from a 2011-2013 outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium illnesses linked to pet hedgehogs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Poultry contact is a risk factor for zoonotic transmission of non-typhoidal Salmonella spp. Salmonella illness outbreaks in the United States are identified by PulseNet, the national laboratory network for enteric disease surveillance. During 2020, PulseNet observed a 25% decline in the number of Salmonella clinical isolates uploaded by state and local health departments.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: Extensively drug-resistant Campylobacter jejuni infections cannot be treated with any commonly recommended antibiotics and pose an increasing public health threat.

Objectives: To investigate cases of extensively drug-resistant C jejuni associated with pet store puppies and describe the epidemiologic and laboratory characteristics of these infections.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In August 2017, health officials identified, via survey, patients with C jejuni infections who reported contact with puppies sold by pet stores.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Abstract: In 2017 and 2019, five outbreaks of infections from multiple strains of Salmonella linked to the consumption of whole, fresh Maradol papayas were reported in the United States, resulting in 325 ill persons. Traceback, laboratory, and epidemiologic evidence indicated papayas as the likely vehicle for each of these outbreaks and identified the source of papayas. State and U.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * The facility began a phased closure on April 12 due to the outbreak, during which a CDC team was brought in to assist. Hospitalizations included 48 patients, primarily employees, with two fatalities reported.
  • * The outbreak highlighted how quickly COVID-19 can spread in meat processing environments due to close working conditions, and it emphasized the need for effective mitigation strategies to reduce transmission risks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * The use of core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) provided better resolution without needing a reference genome, successfully categorizing outbreak isolates into two clades, while predicting high antimicrobial resistance across the isolates.
  • * WGS facilitated the genetic identification of antimicrobial resistance and linked human cases to pet store puppies despite limited canine exposure information, enhancing the overall epidemiological investigation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * Between April 9-27, data indicated that out of 115 processing facilities in 19 states, about 3% of workers (4,913) contracted COVID-19, with 20 related deaths reported.
  • * Effective measures to reduce transmission include symptom screening, discouraging sick workers from coming in, maintaining social distance, using face coverings, and regularly disinfecting high-touch surfaces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * An outbreak from uncommon Salmonella serotypes Cotham and Kisarawe affected 166 patients across 36 states, predominantly young children, with nearly 40% requiring hospitalization.
  • * Investigations revealed the presence of these Salmonella strains in breeding facilities and retail stores, emphasizing the importance of educating pet owners about health risks and the need for improved monitoring and biosecurity in the reptile industry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The 2018 outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in New Jersey and Pennsylvania was linked to a restaurant chain and prompted a national investigation by the CDC following reports of multiple infections.
  • A total of 240 cases were identified across 37 states, with 104 patients hospitalized and 5 fatalities, most of whom had consumed romaine lettuce shortly before falling ill.
  • The investigation traced the contaminated lettuce back to distributors in the Yuma growing region, highlighting the challenges of managing foodborne illness outbreaks caused by environmental contamination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health departments, and other state and federal partners have linked contact with live poultry to 70 human Salmonella outbreaks in the United States from 2000 to 2017, which resulted in a total of 4,794 illnesses, 894 hospitalizations, and 7 deaths. During human salmonellosis outbreaks environmental sampling is rarely conducted as part of the outbreak investigation. CDC was contacted by state health officials on June 12, 2018, to provide support during an investigation of risk factors for Salmonella infections linked to live poultry originating at a mail-order hatchery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We investigated an outbreak of listeriosis detected by whole-genome multilocus sequence typing and associated with packaged leafy green salads. Nineteen cases were identified in the United States during July 5, 2015-January 31, 2016; isolates from case-patients were closely related (median difference 3 alleles, range 0-16 alleles). Of 16 case-patients interviewed, all reported salad consumption.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Foodborne salmonellosis causes an estimated 1 million illnesses and 400 deaths annually in the United States (1). In recent years, salmonellosis outbreaks have been caused by foods not typically associated with Salmonella. On May 2, 2017, PulseNet, CDC's national molecular subtyping network for foodborne disease surveillance, identified a cluster of 14 Salmonella Chailey isolates with a rare pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Campylobacter causes an estimated 1.3 million diarrheal illnesses in the United States annually (1). In August 2017, the Florida Department of Health notified CDC of six Campylobacter jejuni infections linked to company A, a national pet store chain based in Ohio.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF