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husband, aged 29 years, wife aged 24 years and a daughter aged two years,
fell ill one after the other at approximately 24-hour intervals; the child
fell ill first, followed by the mother and then the father. In each case
the main symptoms were diarrhoea and vomiting, with varying degrees of pain
and prostration.
Investigations revealed that the infection may have occurred during
a visit by the mother and daughter to a relative whose child was suffering
from gastro-intestinal symptoms. Faecal specimens submitted for bacteriologies
examination by the sufferers were all reported negative.
(b) In this incident two members of a family of three were
affected with symptoms of mild vomiting and fever. Those affected were a
woman aged 61 years and her daughter aged 26 years; the husband remained
unaffected.
The only suspicious item of food not eaten in common with the
husband was a portion of continental sausage. An unconsumed remnant of
this sausage was sent for bacteriological examination, together with faecal
specimens from all members of the family, but the results were negative.
(c) In this instance, a man aged 51 years and his wife aged
38 years, were affected with pain, headache, fever, drowsiness and
prostration whilst their son, aged 2 years, remained well. Of the food not
eaten in common with the child, the likeliest article seemed to be a
pork pie, the remains of which were sent for bacteriological examination.
However, these and the faecal specimens submitted by the three members of the
family were reported negative.
(d) In the fourth outbreak, two students, a man aged 29 years
and a woman aged 23 years, staying with a Kensington family, were notified
as cases of food poisoning, after they suffered symptoms of pain, vomiting,
headache, thirst and fever. Very little significance could be attached to
any of the food eaten by the two patients in the period just prior to onset,
except that they had both attended a party 48-hours before the onset in a
neighbouring borough.
Unfortunately, both patients moved away, leaving no forwarding
address, before investigations could be completed.
(e) The last outbreak concerned two West Indian seamen, aged
20 years and 21 years respectively, who were spending their shore leave at
a Kensington address when they suffered symptoms of pain and vomiting.
From investigations, it appeared that the very short illness was
probably due to a dietary indiscretion during the course of celebrations held
on their arrival. Faecal specimens were reported negative.
Single cases
In addition to the outbreaks referred to above, there were
thirty-one single cases of food poisoning notified. In twenty of these, no
causative agent was identified, but in the remaining eleven cases, the
identified agents were as follows s-
Agent Cases
Salmonella typhi-murium 7
Salmonella newport 3
Salmonella anaturn 1
Seven of these eleven cases were admitted to hospital for treatment
and recovered.
Salmonellosis - Cross infection in hospitals
Occasionally outbreaks of infection occur in hospitals due to