Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 18, 2026
Detection of Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens from Individual Filth Flies
Published on: February 13, 2015
An Outbreak of Food Poisoning in a Military Establishment
S L Jadhav1, A K Sinha2, A Banerjee3
1Professor and Head, Padm Dr DY Patil Medical College, Pune.
Background:
An outbreak of food poisoning in a military establishment mess was investigated and remedial measures suggested.
Methods:
A total of 391 persons had consumed meals in the mess on the day of the outbreak. A detailed food history was taken from available persons and the attack rates of each specific food items were calculated with the relative risks.
Results:
Of the 391 persons who had consumed meals at the mess, 123 were affected giving an overall attack rate of 31.5%. Majority of the cases had loose motions, fever, pain abdomen and vomiting. The maximum attack rate (65.1%) was for those who had eaten chicken preparation. The relative risk was also highest for those who had eaten chicken at lunch on the day of the outbreak (RR - 33.21, 95% CI 8.39 to 131.53). The mean incubation period was 19.73 hours (range 6 - 57 hours). The median incubation period was 18 hours. Bacteriological confirmation was not successful.
Conclusion:
The chicken dish was the epidemiologically incriminating food item responsible for the outbreak. Clinical and epidemiological features were suggestive of salmonella food poisoning. However, same could not be confirmed bacteriologically.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Infection
The chain begins with pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions, or parasites such as protozoa helminths. These can be present on the skin as transient or resident flora, or they can be acquired from the environment. Identifying and treating the type of infection and...
01:18Steps in Outbreak Investigation
01:27Microorganisms in Agriculture and Food industry
01:17Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...
01:23Stringent Response in E. coli