An outbreak of food poisoning suspected to be caused by Vibrio fluvialis

A small outbreak of gastroenteritis was reported in June 1981 from Arangaon village of Maharashtra State, India. Of the 34 participants who took lunch in a religious ceremony, 14 became suddenly sick 4 to 6 hours after the meal with clinical manifestations of food poisoning. Of the 14 stool samples examined, one from each patient, Vibrio fluvialis was isolated from nine without the growth of any other enteropathogenic bacteria. Although any left-over portions of food were not available for bacteriological examination, the results do suggest that the food, probably contaminated with the organism, was the source of infection in the disease outbreak.