An outbreak of salmonellosis linked to a marine turtle.
In September 1998, an outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred in a coastal Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory over a seven day period. An investigation was conducted by the Center for Disease Control, Territory Health Services. Thirty-six cases were detected and 17% (n=6) were hospitalized. Salmonella chester was isolated from eight of nine stool specimens. Sixty-two percent of cases interviewed (n=28) reported consumption of a green turtle (Chelonia mydas) within a median of 24 hours prior to onset of illness. Of the remainder, all but two were contacts of other cases. Salmonella chester was isolated from a section of partially cooked turtle meat. There are no previous published reports of salmonellosis associated with consumption of sea turtles despite them being a popular food source in coastal communities in the Pacific.
O'Grady
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Center for Disease Control, Territory Health Services, Darwin, Australia.
Krause
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015876:Northern Territory / Q000453:epidemiology; D012478:Salmonella Food Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D014426:Turtles / Q000382:microbiology*; D014871:Water Microbiology