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17
B (1)a Food Poisoning
A small outbreak of food poisoning occurred in the
Borough during the year under review, the circumstances
being as follows:
The first case occurred in a man aged 61. An investigation
was immediately carried out and a specimen was
forwarded to the Public Health Laboratory at Maidstone.
The result of the examination of this specimen revealed the
presence of Salmonella typhi-murium (aertrycke) organisms.
When the Sanitary Inspector called for a further specimen, he
was informed that the patient had suddenly been taken
violently ill and had been removed to hospital, where he had,
subsequently, died. A post mortem examination was carried
out, and the cause of death was given as uraemia.
Within a few days of this unfortunate occurence, I was
notified from hospital of a case of gastro-enteritis which had
occurred in a child aged 4, who was living only three houses
away from the above-mentioned case. Almost immediately
afterwards information was received that this patient had,
also, died.
A further exhaustive investigation was carried out with
particular emphasis on locating a common source of infection.
It was not found possible to link the two cases in any way.
Very shortly after the admission of this patient, his mother
and younger brother were removed to hospital, also, with a
diagnosis of gastroenteritis, but these two cases had proved
much milder. In the meantime, a specimen taken in hospital
from the deceased child had revealed the presence of
salmonella typhi-murium organisms.
During the investigations, it was discovered that a son of
the original case of food poisoning, who had worked with his
father, but resided in a neighbouring borough, had been
admitted to hospital as a case of suspected dysentery.
Information was received from the hospital concerned that a
similar food poisoning organism had been isolated from a
specimen taken from this man. Enquiries made by the