Pulsed field gel electrophoresis identifies an outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Montevideo infection associated with a supermarket hot food outlet.

In February 1996 Salmonella enterica serotype Montevideo infection in a patient in the North Tyneside area was attributed to consumption of cooked chicken bought from a supermarket hot food outlet. Isolates from the patient, leftover food, and environmental samples were indistinguishable by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). PFGE also demonstrated that an outbreak of infection with S. Montevideo associated with the hot food outlet had occurred in late 1995 and early 1996. This study shows the importance of microbial strain discrimination in outbreak investigations and illustrates the value of close liaison between microbiologists, epidemiologists, and environmental health officers in the control of salmonella outbreaks.