Mysterious Outbreaks of Gastrointestinal Illness Associated with Burritos Supplied through School Lunch Programs†

2006 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 1690-1698 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELLEN B. STEINBERG ◽  
ALDEN HENDERSON ◽  
ADAM KARPATI ◽  
MIKE HOEKSTRA ◽  
NINA MARANO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Dakota ◽  
Incubation Period ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Clinical Syndrome ◽  
Case Definition ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
Gastrointestinal Illness ◽  
Case Definitions ◽  
The North ◽  
Short Period

From October 1997 through March 1998, three outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness among school children were linked to company A burritos. In September 1998, a similar outbreak occurred in three North Dakota schools following lunches that included company B burritos. We conducted an investigation to determine the source of the North Dakota outbreak, identify other similar outbreaks, characterize the illness, and gather evidence about the cause. The investigation included epidemiologic analyses, environmental investigation, and laboratory analyses. In North Dakota, a case was defined as nausea, headache, abdominal cramps, vomiting, or diarrhea after lunch on 16 September 1998. Case definitions varied in the other states. In North Dakota, 504 students and staff met the case definition; predominant symptoms were nausea (72%), headache (68%), abdominal cramps (54%), vomiting (24%), and diarrhea (16%). The median incubation period was 35 min and median duration of illness was 6 h. Eating burritos was significantly associated with illness (odds ratio, 2.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.6 to 4.2). We identified 16 outbreaks that occurred in seven states from October 1997 through October 1998, affecting more than 1,900 people who ate burritos from two unrelated companies. All tortillas were made with wheat flour, but the fillings differed, suggesting that tortillas contained the etiologic agent. Results of plant inspections, tracebacks, and laboratory investigations were unrevealing. More than two million pounds of burritos were recalled or held from distribution. The short incubation period, symptoms, and laboratory data suggest that these outbreaks were caused by an undetected toxin or an agent not previously associated with this clinical syndrome. Mass psychogenic illness is an unlikely explanation because of the large number of sites where outbreaks occurred over a short period, the similarity of symptoms, the common food item, the lack of publicity, and the link to only two companies. A network of laboratories that can rapidly identify known and screen for unknown agents in food is a critical part of protecting the food supply against natural and intentional contamination.

scholarly journals Estimation of influenza activity in Vojvodina (Serbia) for five consecutive influenza seasons

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 589-597
Author(s):  
Mioljub Ristic ◽  
Mirjana Strbac ◽  
Snezana Medic ◽  
Vladimir Petrovic
Keyword(s):  
Influenza A ◽  
Influenza Season ◽  
Influenza Infection ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
Case Definition ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
Case Definitions ◽  
Influenza A H1n1

Background/Aim. After pandemic 2009/10 influenza season, influenza A (H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and B viruses have continued to circulate in the population. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological and virological characteristics of influenza and evaluate values of proposed case definitions of influenza like illness (ILI), severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) for detecting laboratory-confirmed influenza cases in Vojvodina. Methods. We conducted a descriptive epidemiological study using surveillance reports and laboratory data from October 2010 to May 2015 (five surveillance seasons). Results. Out of 1,466 samples collected, 720 (49.1%) were laboratory confirmed as influenza. Influenza A infection was more frequently detected than influenza B infection. Using the case definition of ILI was a good predictor for influenza confirmation (p < 0.05) during 5 influenza seasons. The predominant age-range of patients with confirmed influenza A (42.2%) and B (43.0%) infections was 30 to 64, but the patients aged from 15 to 29 years were more likely to have influenza A (p = 0.0168). In the period from December to January, influenza A (17.8%) was more frequently registered than influenza B (7.6%). The highest number of deaths (19/38) and hospitalized patients (128/402) was registered during the last influenza season (2014/15). The immunosuppressed patients with confirmed influenza infection were more likely to have influenza B than influenza A (p = 0.0110). Conclusion. Our results indicate that influenza surveillance should be continued and expanded in order to fully assess the burden of the disease in given population.

June 2002 floods in the Red River of the North basin in northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregg J. Wiche ◽  
K.G. Guttormson ◽  
S.M. Robinson ◽  
G.B. Mitton ◽  
B.J. Bramer
Keyword(s):  
North Dakota ◽  
Red River ◽  
The North

The North Dakota State Mill and Elevator

1938 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-51
Author(s):  
Gilbert W. Cooke
Keyword(s):  
North Dakota ◽  
The North

TEMPERATURE IN RELATION TO THE TRANSMISSION AND PATHOGENICITY OF WHEAT STRIATE MOSAIC VIRUS

1964 ◽  
Vol 42 (9) ◽  
pp. 1123-1133 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. T. Slykhuis ◽  
P. L. Sherwood
Keyword(s):  
Mosaic Virus ◽  
Incubation Period ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Wheat Seedlings ◽  
Acquisition Access Period ◽  
The North ◽  
Different Temperatures ◽  
North American Type ◽  
Test Plants

Endria inimica Say acquired the North American type of wheat striate mosaic virus during periods of 15 minutes or longer on diseased plants held at five constant temperatures ranging from 10 to 33 °C. When infective insects were given inoculation access periods varying from 1 to 4 days at different temperatures, the percentage of test plants infected increased with temperature from 12.5% at 10° to 81.4% at 33 °C. After an acquisition access period of 2 days at 24 °C, insects kept at 8 or 10 °C did not transmit virus, but the percentage of others that transmitted at successively higher temperatures increased from 3.3% at 16 °C to 73.3% at 33 °C. The preinfective period was more than 29 days for insects kept at 16 °C and only 5 days for some kept at 27, 30, and 33 °C. The average preinfective period was 11 days at 20 °C, but decreased to 6.4 days as temperature increased to 33 °C. The percentage of test plants that became infected increased from 0.1% at 16 °C to 44.3%, at 33 °C. Stewart and Ramsey wheat seedlings exposed to infective E. inimica for 2 days did not develop symptoms during a subsequent 60 day period at 10 °C. After the same plants were placed in a greenhouse at 20–25 °C, 26% and 27%, respectively, developed symptoms. The incubation period for symptoms in plants ranged from 17 to more than 62 days at 16 °C. It decreased as temperature increased but varied from 6 to 25 days at 30 °C. Forty-two and 48% of Stewart and Ramsey wheat plants respectively, developed symptoms at 16 °C, and increased to almost 100% for both varieties at 30 and 33 °C. The above results indicate that high temperatures during early summer are prerequisite for severe epidemics of wheat striate mosaic in spring wheat.

scholarly journals Effects of a 5-year trawling ban on the local benthic community in a wind farm in the Dutch coastal zone

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 962-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda J. N. Bergman ◽  
Selma M. Ubels ◽  
Gerard C. A. Duineveld ◽  
Erik W. G. Meesters
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Zone ◽  
Benthic Community ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Benthic Assemblages ◽  
The North ◽  
Wiener Diversity Index ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Reference Areas

Abstract As part of a large impact study in a wind farm (OWEZ) in the Dutch coastal zone, the effects of exclusion of bottom trawling on the benthic community were studied by comparison with nearby reference areas which were regularly fished. In addition to a standard boxcorer for common macrofauna, a Triple-D dredge was used to collect longer-lived, more sparsely distributed infauna and epifauna. Multivariate analysis did not reveal any difference between the assemblages in and outside OWEZ with respect to abundance, biomass, and production after a 5-year closure. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index pointed to a significantly higher diversity in OWEZ compared with some of the reference areas. A minority of the bivalve species assumed to be sensitive to trawling showed higher abundances (Spisula solida) or larger sizes (Tellina fabula, Ensis directus) in OWEZ than in some of the reference areas. In general, samples collected with the Triple-D showed more differences between areas than boxcore samples. No evidence was also found that the species composition in OWEZ relative to the reference areas had changed in the period between 1 (2007) and 5 (2011) years after closure. The change observed in all areas between 2007 and 2011 was mainly due to relatively small variations in species abundances. In conclusion, 5 years after the closure of OWEZ to fisheries, only subtle changes were measured in the local benthic community, i.e. a higher species diversity and an increased abundance and lengths of some bivalves. Depleted adult stocks, faunal patchiness, and a limited time for recovery (5 years) might explain that a significant recovery could not be found. The current study shows that designation of large-scale marine protected areas as planned for the North Sea will not automatically imply that restoration of benthic assemblages can be expected within a relatively short period of years.

scholarly journals Accounting for the surface temperature persistence by using signal energy

2021 ◽  
Vol 144 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 363-377
Author(s):  
Jiangnan Li ◽  
Zhian Sun ◽  
Feng Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Critical Exponent ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Boreal Winter ◽  
Signal Energy ◽  
The North ◽  
Power Rule ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Temporal Intervals

AbstractThe autocorrelation function (ACF) and its finite Fourier transform, referred to as signal energy, have been investigated using the ECMWF daily surface temperature data. ACF itself provides a measure of the influence of leading fluctuation between two different time points. Considering the decay of ACF, it is found that the scaling power-rule of ACF is only valid in a very short period, as the decay of ACF exists before it reaches a random noise state. Therefore, the method of the critical exponent of ACF is limited in the short length of the temporal interval. On the other hand, the distributions of the signal energy always show nice patterns, indicating the degree of persistence change. It is found, for a short period, that the distributions of the signal energy and the critical exponent are very similar, with a correlation coefficient over 0.97. For a longer period, though the critical exponent of ACF becomes invalid, the signal energy can always provide an effective method to investigate climate persistence in different lengths of time. In a 5-day period of boreal winter, the southern part of North America has a larger value of signal energy compared to the northern part; thus, the surface temperature is more stable in the north part. The result becomes opposite in the boreal summer. The method of signal energy can also be applied to a particular interval of time. In different temporal intervals, the signal energy presents very different results, especially over the El Nino regions

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