Introduction: In September 2015, the South Western Sydney (SWS) Public Health Unit was notified of a cluster of Salmonella Typhimurium (STm) cases with a common multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeats analysis (MLVA) pattern. An investigation was conducted to identify a source and contain the outbreak. Methods: The cluster was initially identified through routine geographic information system cluster scanning applied to the New South Wales Notifiable Conditions Management System. Additional cases were identified through a complaint to local council about a bakery. The bakery was inspected and 48 environmental and food swabs were collected for analysis. Results: A total of 26 suspected cases were identified, of which 14 were interviewed. STm MLVA type 3-16-9-11-523 was identified in 19 of 26 case stool specimens. Most cases (12/14) consumed bread rolls containing pork or chicken with chicken liver pâté and raw egg mayonnaise filling. Five cases identified a common bakery exposure. Environmental and food samples from the bakery isolated STm with an identical MLVA pattern. Discussion: An STm cluster in SWS was investigated and found to be linked to Vietnamese bread rolls containing pork or chicken with chicken liver pâté and raw egg mayonnaise filling. Confirmation of a distinct MLVA pattern among STm isolates from clinical, food and environmental samples provided evidence to establish an epidemiological link between the cases and the implicated premises and informed public health action to contain the outbreak.

INTRODUCTION: Skin problems are commonly reported by amputees due to perspiration discomfort inside the prosthesis. Cotton is commonly used in prosthetic socks but its properties are not ideal. This study compared the banana-polyester sock dyed with guava extract (GuaBaNIKA) and cotton socks in terms of air permeability, absorbency and antibacterial activity. METHODS: This was a quantitative quasi-experimental study that compared GuaBaNIKA and cotton socks in terms of air permeability, absorbency and antibacterial activity using standard tests. Fibers from banana pseudostem were mixed with polyester, processed into yarn then fabric and dyed with guava leaf extract. Air permeability was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U Test and descriptive analysis was used for absorbency and antibacterial activity. RESULTS: The mean air permeability for GuaBaNIKA was significantly higher than that of cotton (295.5 vs 112.7 cm3/s/cm2). The air permeability scores were higher in GuaBaNIKA in all 10 specimens tested. GuaBaNIKA absorbed water faster than cotton (< 1 vs > 60 seconds). Both GuaBaNIKA and cotton knit socks did not produce a zone of inhibition. CONCLUSION GuaBaNIKA is more absorbent and permeable than cotton but did not exhibit antibacterial activity. GuaBaNIKA has the potential to be an alternative to cotton in prosthetic socks.