Food borne illness Investigation

Question: Discuss about the Report on Problem-Based Learning exercise for Food borne illness Investigation ? Answer: Problem-Based Learning exercise: Food borne illness Investigation The attack rate for this outbreak can be calculated as: Total number of people who attended the dinner= 200 Number of persons who became ill= 60 Therefore, Attack Rate= 60/200*100 = 30% The attack rate for this outbreak is 30%. Case study analysis: Possible pathogen that caused the outbreak- Staphylococcus aureus is the possible pathogen that caused the food poisoning outbreak in this case. It is a spherical shaped gram-positive bacterium and produces a heat stable toxin (the condition also called as staphylococcus intoxication) (Aycicek, et al., 2005). Food vehicle- The food vehicle involves the protein foods such as ham quiche, chicken, tuna, egg products, unrefrigerated or improperly refrigerated meat, and sandwich fillings, mixed sea food pizza, shrimp, mushroom pies, salads, creamed potatoes and cream-filled desserts like pastries, custards, ice-cream and fruits. Causes of Outbreak- Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for causing the food-borne illness mainly by contaminating the food through respiratory droplets (cough and sneeze), skin fragments and by direct body contact. Improper handling of cooked/or processed food by local political party members, improper refrigeration, keeping the food at room temperature for a long time as buffet had been prepared on Friday 10th and was transported in unrefrigerated vehicle as well as it was left in unrefrigerated condition until its consumption the next day. All these factors leads to the production of a toxin called as enterotoxin which is resistant to heat, freezing and refrigeration and thus, the growth of this bacteria in buffet meal (Kadariya, et al., 2014). Rationale behind discerning the pathogen- Staphylococcus aureus is likely to be involved in this case because cases have been reported where S. aureus is the major cause behind illness due to eating the types of food which are listed in this case; the major type of food is quinche as a prime target for staphylococci infection in this case. The other rationale is based on the timings of the onset of symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, abdominal/stomach pain within thirty minutes to six hours after eating the food infected by bacteria (Kadariya, et al., 2014). Similar Incidences of outbreak with this pathogen- In United States, an outbreak of food poisoning occurred in a Military Lunch Party on July 30, 2012. Gastrointestinal illness was reported in 13 persons within 2-3 hours after eating the lunch who attended the military party. Bacterial Intoxication, mainly Staphylococcal enterotoxin A infection was found to be the main reason behind this outbreak. Perlo; a chicken, sausage and rice dish was identified as major type of food that caused the infection. The investigators and authorities identified improper handling and inappropriate food preparation measures as the major cause behind this outbreak (CDC, 2013). In 16 elementary schools of Texas, 1364 children became ill while eating the lunch. Chicken salad was identified as one of the food that resulted in illness in majority of the children. Bacterial examination of chicken salad was done and S. aureus was found to be present in large numbers. Keeping the food for very long time in warm classrooms resulted in food contamination (FDA, 2012). The controls measures that should be taken to prevent further outbreak of this type are: Personal hygiene of food handlers is important. This includes properly washing the hands, proper cleaning or sanitization of food-served areas and utensils, food handlers without any wound or skin infections. Also, cooked food should be stored in the refrigerators as soon as possible. Promoting Public health interventions and education programs related to food safety as well as public awareness and adherence to microbiological guidelines provided by WHO and FDA should be done (Bredbenner, et al., 2013). References: Aycicek, H., Cakiroglu, S., and Stevenson, T.H. (2005). Incidence of Staphylococcus aureus in ready-to-eat meals from military cafeterias in Ankara, Turkey. Food Control, vol. 16(6), pp. 531-534. Bredbenner, C.B., Berning, J., Biggers, M., and Quick, V. (2013). Food safety in home kitchens: a synthesis of the literature. International Journal of Environment Research and Public Health, vol. 10, pp. 4060-4085. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Outbreak of Staphylococcal Food Poisoning from a Military Unit Lunch Party-United States, July, 2012, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), vol. 62(50), pp. 1026-1028. Kadariya, J., Smith, T.C., Thapaliya, D. (2014). Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcal food-borne Disease: An ongoing Challenge in Public Health. BioMed Research International, pp. 1-9. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2012). Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook Staphylococcus aureus. Retrieved on 19th July, 2015 from https://www.fda.gov/