Suspected Contaminated Food Linked to E. albertii Outbreak in China
In 2023, an outbreak of gastroenteritis in a Hangzhou junior high school was attributed to Escherichia albertii, marking the first reported case outside Japan. The outbreak affected 22 students, but the contaminated food source was not identified. E. albertii, often misidentified as E. coli, causes symptoms like diarrhea and fever. Despite extensive testing, no food samples were available for analysis, but contaminated food is suspected as the outbreak's source. The study highlights the genetic diversity of E. albertii strains, complicating outbreak predictions.