Globally, hepatitis A virus (HAV) is one of the most common agents of acute viral hepatitis and causes approximately 1.4 million cases and 90,000 deaths annually despite the existence of an effective vaccine. In 2019, federal, state, and local partners investigated a multi-state outbreak of HAV infections linked to fresh blackberries sourced from multiple suppliers in Michoacán, Mexico. A total of 20 individuals with outbreak-related HAV infection were reported in seven states, including 11 hospitalizations, and no deaths. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Nebraska State and Douglas County Health Departments conducted a traceback investigation for fresh blackberries reportedly purchased by 16 ill persons. These individuals reported purchasing fresh blackberries from 11 points of service from September 16 through 29, 2019 and their clinical isolates assessed through next-generation sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were genetically similar. The traceback investigation did not reveal convergence on a common grower or packing house within Mexico, but all of the blackberries were harvested from growers in Michoacán, Mexico. FDA did not detect the pathogen after analyzing fresh blackberry samples from four distributors, one consumer, and from nine importers at the port of entry as a result of increased screening. Challenges included gaps in traceability practices and the inability to recover the pathogen from sample testing, which prohibited investigators from determining the source of the implicated blackberries. This multi-state outbreak illustrated the importance of food safety practices for fresh produce that may contribute to foodborne illness outbreaks.

在全球范围内，甲型肝炎病毒 (HAV) 是最常见的急性病毒性肝炎病原体之一，尽管存在有效的疫苗，但每年仍导致约 140 万例病例和 90,000 人死亡。2019 年，联邦、州和地方合作伙伴调查了多州爆发的 HAV 感染，这些感染与来自墨西哥米却肯州多家供应商的新鲜黑莓有关。七个州共报告了 20 例与爆发相关的 HAV 感染者，包括 11 例住院治疗，无死亡病例。美国食品和药物管理局 (FDA)、疾病控制和预防中心 (CDC) 以及内布拉斯加州和道格拉斯县卫生部门对据报道由 16 名患者购买的新鲜黑莓进行了追溯调查。这些人报告说，从 2019 年 9 月 16 日至 29 日，他们从 11 个服务点购买了新鲜黑莓，他们通过下一代测序和系统发育分析评估的临床分离株在遗传上相似。追溯调查并未显示墨西哥境内的普通种植者或包装厂的趋同，但所有黑莓都是从墨西哥米却肯州的种植者那里收获的。由于加强筛查，FDA 在入境口岸分析了来自 4 个分销商、1 个消费者和 9 个进口商的新鲜黑莓样本后，没有检测到病原体。挑战包括可追溯性实践中的差距以及无法从样本测试中恢复病原体，这使调查人员无法确定涉及黑莓的来源。