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Outbreaks due to identified agents (two outbreaks)
The first outbreak concerned a family comprising four
persons. They fell ill within five hours of eating some
home-cooked boiled bacon, which had been kept in storage
during a spell of hot weather. All patients suffered severe
symptoms and were admitted to hospital, where they eventually
recovered. Staphylococcal food poisoning was suggested and a
sample of the bacon on examination revealed a heavy growth of
staphylococcus aureus.
The second outbreak involved thirty-nine in-patients and
five members of the staff of a hospital in the borough. All
sufferers experienced sharp attacks of diarrhoea and abdominal
pain after eating a meal including pork. Specimens of the
pork from the same consignment upon examination were found to
be infected by C1. welchii; organisms of the same type were
found in faeces specimens taken from the patients. The main
factor in the outbreak was the reheating of cold cooked meat
and its retention for some time before serving in hot gravy,
which served as an admirable culture medium for the redevelopment
of the organisms and toxin. It is worthy of comment that the
co-operation between the public health department, the hospital
authorities and the Public Health Laboratories was all that
could be desired.
Outbreaks of undiscovered cause (four outbreaks)
Each of three of the outbreaks affected two patients in
the same family. Investigations, which included the
bacteriological examination of food samples and specimens
from the patients, failed to establish a source of infection
or any causative agents.
In the fourth outbreak, four Kensington residents were
notified and on investigation it was found that they were
involved in a larger outbreak affecting approximately sixty
persons employed at a large food factory in a neighbouring
borough. The enquiries into the main outbreak revealed no
source of infection or causative agent. Specimens taken from
the four Kensington patients proved negative and no secondary
cases occurred.
Single cases
In addition to the outbreaks referred to above, there