title: A large outbreak of food poisoning of unknown aetiology associated with Stilton cheese.
abstract: Between November 1988 and January 1989, a total of 155 people in 36 reported outbreaks suffered gastrointestinal symptoms associated with eating Stilton cheese, produced from unpasteurized cow's milk in the English midlands. Symptoms were suggestive of a staphylococcal illness but extensive laboratory testing of cheeses implicated in several of the outbreaks failed to detect any pathogen, toxin or chemical. Control measures were implemented, and included a voluntary withdrawal of the implicated Stilton cheese from sale on 23 January 1989 and a subsequent decision to use pasteurized milk in production of the cheese.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, London.
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Maguire
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pankhurst
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Wieneke
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Mahony
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002611:Cheese / Q000506:poisoning*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003967:Diarrhea; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology; D009325:Nausea; D013202:Staphylococcal Food Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014839:Vomiting