Outbreak of haemolytic uraemic syndrome and bloody diarrhoea due to Escherichia coli O104:H4, south-west France, june 2011

As of 12:00 28 June 2011, 15 cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) or bloody diarrhoea have been identified in the Gironde, south-west France. Investigations suggest the vehicle of transmission was sprouts, served at an event in Bègles on 8 June 2011. A strain of shiga toxin- producing Escherichia coli O104:H4 has been isolated from five cases. This strain is genetically related to the strain identified in the recent E. coli O104:H4 outbreak in Germany, and shares the same virulence and antimicrobial resistance characteristics.