An outbreak of foodborne hepatitis A: the value of serologic testing and matched case-control analysis

Abstract

In April 1981, an outbreak of hepatitis A occurred among state legislators in Tennessee. Although the number of cases was small, we traced the source to a food handler who served cold meats and cheese. This investigation demonstrates the value of rapid serologic testing using a radioimmunoassay technique and matched case-control analysis to identify small foodborne outbreaks of hepatitis A.