Salmonella Outbreak Case Study

An investigation was necessary to find the cause of the outbreak, and how to stop it from continuing to spread. The campus clinic was interested in testing the following nine patients: Sue, Jill, Anthony, Wanda, Maggie, Maria, Arnie, Marco, and Alvin. All of the students have similar symptoms and agreed to being tested except for Alvin.

This lab experiment was done for the purpose of learning how to determine a gram negative bacterium based on multiple tests learned throughout the semester. My gram negative unknown bacterium given to me was Salmonella typhimurium based off of the following tests; Triple Sugar Iron Agar (TSIA), Sulfate Indole Motility (SIM), Methyl Red (MR), Voges-Proskaur (VP), Citrate, Urea Hydrolysis, and Gelatin Hydrolysis. Each test performed gives results such as motility, acid production, fermentation, carbon requirements, or detection of certain coenzymes. With a process of elimination, I determined which bacteria it was not and which bacterium I had, S. typhimurium. The expectation was to master the techniques for each test and utilize the results to determine the unknown bacterium I was given within a two-week period.

This case study, finalized and updated onto the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, talks about the Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Wandsworth Infections Linked to Veggie Booty. Publishing this outbreak onto their website makes it very beneficial and helps the public realize the importance of food health. Food health is just as important as overall public health. It is essential because people need to consume food in order to live, and if their food is tainted or contaminated, it would cause health problems and sickness and in some extreme cases, death. Ensuring food health will overall promote public health in the long run.

In June of 2011, a woman entered the National Institutes of Health Research Hospital in Bethesda Maryland with a serious, but fairly routine infection; however the subsequent events were to prove anything but routine. The woman was suffering from an infection caused by an antibiotic-resistant organism, but it was a new strain, never before encountered. About a month after she was treated and discharged, another patient came down with the same infection, and then more and more. After many unsuccessful attempts to isolate the cause of the infections, the NIH eventually used a new technology, known as "Whole Genome Sequencing," to isolate the pattern of infection and bring it under control. (Melissa Block, Eddie Cornish) This process is a new way to quickly isolate and sequence the entire genome of a particular organism, which the NIH used to help identify the pattern of infection. Of the 17 other patients who contracted the infection, six died, but it was learned that the pathogen can be transmitted in ways never before seen. (Melissa Block, Eddie Cornish)

The USDA issued interim regulations that restricted the interstate sale and transportation of eggs and poultry from flocks to protect the community from salmonella- infected eggs. The USDA has to collects samples from the flock, and if any of the test came out positive and its movement in interstate commerce would be restricted. In 1990, salmonella outbreaks were traced to three houses owned by Rose Acre Farms. Because the “test flocks” tested positive, USDA officials removed and killed sixty hens from the

In the case of the Salmonella gastroenteritis outbreak after a reception, the origin of the illness comes down to the potato salad served at this event, however, the investigators are not certain of the mechanism of contamination. Whether the service worker (infected) might have unknowingly contaminated the food item or whether the food service worker also was infected through the same source as the case-patients remains unclear.2 Because the mechanism is unclear, it’s hard to identify if any of the ingredients in the potato salad were the culprit. In many cases, however, investigators are able to identify the mechanism for contamination.

There are many things that could have contributed to all those kids and the chaperones getting sick. Things that could have caused the outbreak are the food handlers not following the correct procedures.Cooking the food enough and having the correct temperature are some of the procedures that the food handlers could have messed up to cause the outbreak.

4. What are the symptoms: Symptoms include cramps, bloody diarrhea, dehydration, vomiting and urinary tract infections.

For the seven interviews that the team conducted, three of the cases had eaten hamburger or ground beef, no cases had drunk raw milk, only one case had traveled outside Michigan, no restaurant or social event was identified in common, all of the cases had consumed lettuce, and six had eaten alfalfa sprouts. Appendix A shows the line listing of people who became ill with E.coli or E.coli symptoms from June 15 to July 15. Based on those findings no obvious linkages between patients were found. Appendix B shows the epidemic curve for this outbreak. The epidemic curve showed that the onset of illness among cases occurred from June to July with largest number occurring on June 22nd. Based on the appendix D, DNA fingerprinting

This information will help investigators cluster the symptoms with a particular disease and rule out irrelevant information. The surveillance of the components gather in this step will put a perspective on the abnormal health events that are occurring on the outbreak timeline.

In order to understand foodborne illnesses There are four types of pathogens microorganisms that they can contaminate the food and cause illness, than there is different conditions affect the growth of this foodborne harmful microorganisms we also need to know and understand the difference the different types of food that support the growth of pathogens we need to be able to distinguish between foodborne infections intoxications and toxin mediated infections than there is bacteria viruses parasites and fungi and there are different types of biological chemical and physical contaminants and we have to learn about food allergies. To really understand foodborne illness first we need to learn about microorganisms that cause them and

Foster Farms is a United States West Coast poultry company. Foster Farms is a private and family-owned company operated by the Foster family since 1939. The company is based in Livingston, California. The chicken and turkey products of Foster Farms are throughout the West Coast and a few on the East Coast. But there is a disastrous Salmonella outbreak began in March 2013 (Food Safety News 2014). This Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Chicken products from Foster Farms is unintentional crisis. California has the largest number of people infection with Salmonella, with 490 cases counted in California (Food Safety News 2014).

Salmonella is a gram-negative rod, which is known to infect humans, birds, and other mammals by invading and irritating the intestines. It is more common in poultry and swine which, if consumed, can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. The infectious disease can be found almost everywhere and anywhere, including in water, animal feces, raw poultry, and raw seafood. Animals consume salmonella from the soil or contaminated processed feed. In humans, salmonella can lead to a developing typhoid-like fever that persists among other symptoms. However, there is no vaccine available for Salmonella but no treatment is needed because the infection is usually simply

Over 45 incidents of Salmonella poisoning were reported throughout Minnesota over the past two months after eating at the fast food chain restaurant, Chipotle. Health officials are unsure of the exact cause of contamination, however investigations are underway to determine if food was contaminated coming into the store, or if contamination occurred in the restaurant. Employers at Chipotle worked promptly to identify and replace the suspected contaminated ingredient, and it is believed that there is no longer a risk to customers. This issue is not thought to have crossed state lines, however information surrounding the outbreak has been entered into a nationwide monitoring system in case similar cases appear elsewhere. All affected individuals

The people that were getting sick would start off with some symptoms like having “chills , headache , and painful aching in the back , arms , and legs” I found this on page 13 . It was starting to scare people , because after all those symptoms you’d “ began bleeding ; and the patient vomited stale , black blood “ i also found