Case Study And Food Poisoning
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Staphylococcal food poisoning is one disease that is prevalent worldwide and continues to be one among the top five most reported food-borne outbreaks in many countries.
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Millions of people get affected due to this disease every year. Staphylococcal food poisoning is caused due to consumption of a bacterium known as Staphylococcus aureus. This bacterium releases a good amount of enterotoxins that cause a variety of health complications in the humans.
Below, a case study is represented where a staphylococcal food poisoning outbreak created a great discomfort among children who consumed contaminated food.
A mass outbreak of Staphylococcus food poisoning occurred once in Osaka, Japan, in June 2000, where more than 10,000 cases were reported. There were patients of all age groups including infants and 94-year old adults. Out of these, more than 1,000 patients complained about abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. Primary reason for this disease was low fat skimmed milk that was reconstituted and consumed. Staphylococcus enterotoxins were detected in a particular brand of skimmed milk.
While determining the causative agent of an outbreak, it is necessary to determine the cause of the illness and also to isolate the pathogen. In order to isolate the pathogen, stool and blood samples are used as sample for bacterial culture. In case of Staphylococcus aureus food poisoning that occurred in Osaka, selective media were used to grow the bacteria in lab conditions. Coagulase test and thermonuclease test are used to determine the number of bacteria producing toxin. Serological methods such as radioimmunoassay and ELISA are used to quantitate the amount of toxin present in a patient’s blood sample.
The most important reason for an outbreak is improper heat treatment and unhygienic method of food processing. Staphylococcus aureus is a heat labile bacterium that gets destroyed at high temperatures. It is also important to have proper storage facility and safe handling procedures.
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