Outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella typhimurium associated with ground beef served at a school potluck.
An outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred among at least 47 persons attending a school potluck. Illness was associated with consumption of ground beef (estimated odds ratio, 16.3; 95% confidence interval, 2.2 to 338.3). Salmonella Typhimurium isolated from infected individuals and the implicated ground beef revealed identical pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns and was multidrug resistant. The implicated ground beef was improperly handled during the cooking process and stored above the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cooling temperature standard for >15 h before being served. This outbreak demonstrates the limitations of food safety regulations in settings where foods are prepared in the home environment for communal potlucks, bake sales, or other such gatherings held at schools, churches, or other institutions. Public health authorities should encourage school and other institutional administrators to develop policies that require dissemination of safe food preparation guidelines to prospective food handlers when such events are scheduled.
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, 3601 C Street, Suite 540, Anchorage, Alaska 99503, USA. joe_mclaughlin@health.state.ak.us
Joseph B
JB
McLaughlin
Louisa J
LJ
Castrodale
Michael J
MJ
Gardner
Rafiq
R
Ahmed
Bradford D
BD
Gessner
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002417:Cattle; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012478:Salmonella Food Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012574:Schools
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents