CLOSTRIDIUM-PERFRINGENS FOOD-BORNE OUTBREAK - AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC INVESTIGATION

On 3 April 1994, the Western Sector Public Health Unit was notified of an outbreak of gastroenteritis at a Christian youth camp. Attending t he camp were 820 people; 241 (42 per cent) of 574 camp participants wh o completed a questionnaire reported illness. Of these, 230 met the ca se definition. Main symptoms reported were stomach cramps (78 per cent ), diarrhoea (67 per cent) and nausea (46 per cent). Bacterial analysi s of leftover chicken grew 2.3x10(7) and 3.3x10(7) colonies/g of Clost ridium perfringens, and we identified Type A enterotoxin of C. perfrin gens in four of seven stool samples collected from ill people. Camp pa rticipants who consumed chicken at lunch on the second day of the camp were nearly four times as likely to be ill than those who did not (re lative risk 3.81, 95 per cent confidence interval 3.07 to 4.72). There were deficiencies in hygiene and food preparation. We highlight the i mportance of time and temperature controls in food preparation and sto rage to prevent contamination and subsequent poisoning by C. perfringe ns or other food pathogens. This investigation demonstrates the import ance of a multidisciplinary team when investigating disease outbreaks.