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FOOD POISONING
The number of food poisoning cases notified by medical practitioners
during the year was nine - one proved fatal. Forty-eight other cases were
found by investigation and of these all but four occurred in an outbreak at a
boarding school.
There were 10 single cases and the causal organism was identified in
nine of them. Six were due to s. typhi-murium, one to s. Newport, one to
s. anatum and another to toxin food poisoning.
The fatal case was the result of the ingestion of heat-resistant CI. Welchii.
Two adult sisters became violently ill with severe diarrhoea and vomiting within
twelve hours after lunching together. They were removed to hospital but one
died before admission. The dead woman's husband who also shared the meal
suffered abdominal pain tenesmus and nausea.
Heat-resistant C1. Welchii organisms were isolated from the body of the
deceased and from the stools of the surviving sister who was discharged after
10 days.
Part of the meal left over was examined at the Central Public Health
Laboratory but no evidence of CI. Welchii could be found. However, from the
history of the case it was evident that reheated meat must have been the food
causing the illness.
Reheated meat at the midday meal proved the suspected cause of the
outbreak at the boarding school. Onset of illness - abdominal pains and diarrhoea
- occurred in the early hours of Monday morning - some 14 hours after
the meal. Samples of the meat and specimens of faeces of 29 of the persons
(pupils and staff) who had eaten the meal were submitted for bacteriological
examination. Heat-resistant C1. Welchii (non-haemolytic Type 4) were isolated
from the meat and in 25 of the faecal specimens.
Of 67 pupils 38 were taken ill but faecal specimens of 7 pupils who had
had the meal, but showed no symptoms, were also positive.
There was one other family outbreak involving a mother and her 6 year
old daughter. The causal organism here was s. Newport but owing to the late
date of notification it was not possible to obtain sufficient information about food
consumed before the illness.
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