Skip to main content
Emerging Infectious Diseases logoLink to Emerging Infectious Diseases
. 1998 Jan-Mar;4(1):21–27. doi: 10.3201/eid0401.980104

Outbreak investigations--a perspective.

A L Reingold 1
PMCID: PMC2627658  PMID: 9452395

Abstract

Outbreak investigations, an important and challenging component of epidemiology and public health, can help identify the source of ongoing outbreaks and prevent additional cases. Even when an outbreak is over, a thorough epidemiologic and environmental investigation often can increase our knowledge of a given disease and prevent future outbreaks. Finally, outbreak investigations provide epidemiologic training and foster cooperation between the clinical and public health communities.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (31.7 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Buehler J. W., Smith L. F., Wallace E. M., Heath C. W., Jr, Kusiak R., Herndon J. L. Unexplained deaths in a children's hospital. An epidemiologic assessment. N Engl J Med. 1985 Jul 25;313(4):211–216. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198507253130402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Canter J., Mackey K., Good L. S., Roberto R. R., Chin J., Bond W. W., Alter M. J., Horan J. M. An outbreak of hepatitis B associated with jet injections in a weight reduction clinic. Arch Intern Med. 1990 Sep;150(9):1923–1927. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Decker M. D., Booth A. L., Dewey M. J., Fricker R. S., Hutcheson R. H., Jr, Schaffner W. Validity of food consumption histories in a foodborne outbreak investigation. Am J Epidemiol. 1986 Nov;124(5):859–863. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114464. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fleming D. W., Cochi S. L., MacDonald K. L., Brondum J., Hayes P. S., Plikaytis B. D., Holmes M. B., Audurier A., Broome C. V., Reingold A. L. Pasteurized milk as a vehicle of infection in an outbreak of listeriosis. N Engl J Med. 1985 Feb 14;312(7):404–407. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198502143120704. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fraser D. W., Tsai T. R., Orenstein W., Parkin W. E., Beecham H. J., Sharrar R. G., Harris J., Mallison G. F., Martin S. M., McDade J. E. Legionnaires' disease: description of an epidemic of pneumonia. N Engl J Med. 1977 Dec 1;297(22):1189–1197. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197712012972201. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Garbe P. L., Davis B. J., Weisfeld J. S., Markowitz L., Miner P., Garrity F., Barbaree J. M., Reingold A. L. Nosocomial Legionnaires' disease. Epidemiologic demonstration of cooling towers as a source. JAMA. 1985 Jul 26;254(4):521–524. doi: 10.1001/jama.254.4.521. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Goodman R. A., Buehler J. W., Koplan J. P. The epidemiologic field investigation: science and judgment in public health practice. Am J Epidemiol. 1990 Jul;132(1):9–16. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115647. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hayes E. B., Matte T. D., O'Brien T. R., McKinley T. W., Logsdon G. S., Rose J. B., Ungar B. L., Word D. M., Pinsky P. F., Cummings M. L. Large community outbreak of cryptosporidiosis due to contamination of a filtered public water supply. N Engl J Med. 1989 May 25;320(21):1372–1376. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198905253202103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mahoney F. J., Hoge C. W., Farley T. A., Barbaree J. M., Breiman R. F., Benson R. F., McFarland L. M. Communitywide outbreak of Legionnaires' disease associated with a grocery store mist machine. J Infect Dis. 1992 Apr;165(4):736–739. doi: 10.1093/infdis/165.4.xxxx. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Reingold A. L., Kane M. A., Murphy B. L., Checko P., Francis D. P., Maynard J. E. Transmission of hepatitis B by an oral surgeon. J Infect Dis. 1982 Feb;145(2):262–268. doi: 10.1093/infdis/145.2.262. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Schlech W. F., 3rd, Lavigne P. M., Bortolussi R. A., Allen A. C., Haldane E. V., Wort A. J., Hightower A. W., Johnson S. E., King S. H., Nicholls E. S. Epidemic listeriosis--evidence for transmission by food. N Engl J Med. 1983 Jan 27;308(4):203–206. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198301273080407. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Steere A. C., Malawista S. E., Snydman D. R., Shope R. E., Andiman W. A., Ross M. R., Steele F. M. Lyme arthritis: an epidemic of oligoarticular arthritis in children and adults in three connecticut communities. Arthritis Rheum. 1977 Jan-Feb;20(1):7–17. doi: 10.1002/art.1780200102. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Tauxe R. V., Vandepitte J., Wauters G., Martin S. M., Goossens V., De Mol P., Van Noyen R., Thiers G. Yersinia enterocolitica infections and pork: the missing link. Lancet. 1987 May 16;1(8542):1129–1132. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(87)91683-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Taylor D. N., Wachsmuth I. K., Shangkuan Y. H., Schmidt E. V., Barrett T. J., Schrader J. S., Scherach C. S., McGee H. B., Feldman R. A., Brenner D. J. Salmonellosis associated with marijuana: a multistate outbreak traced by plasmid fingerprinting. N Engl J Med. 1982 May 27;306(21):1249–1253. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198205273062101. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Weinstein R. A., Bauer F. W., Hoffman R. D., Tyler P. G., Anderson R. L., Stamm W. E. Factitious meningitis. Diagnostic error due to nonviable bacteria in commercial lumbar puncture trays. JAMA. 1975 Aug 25;233(8):878–879. doi: 10.1001/jama.233.8.878. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Emerging Infectious Diseases are provided here courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

RESOURCES