Foodborne and Waterborne Disease in Canada - 1982 Annual Summary

Data on foodborne disease in Canada in 1982 are compared with those for 1981. A total of 988 incidents comprising 791 outbreaks and 197 single cases, caused illnesses in 7,384 persons in 1982. These figures are greater than for 1981, and, in fact, the numbers of incidents and cases are the highest on record. Salmonella , Staphylococcus aureus , Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus caused most of the illnesses. The main Salmonella serovars were S. typhimurium , S. muenster and S. infantis . Escherichia coli 0157:H7 hemorrhagic colitis was reported for the first time. Parasitic diseases were caused by Trichinella spiralis and Giardia lamblia . The same number of animal related incidents occurred in 1982 and 1981 involving paralytic shellfish poison, scombroid poison and insect infestation of food. There were also 72 incidents and 113 cases of chemical origin; extraneous matter, rancid compounds and cleaning substances were the most frequently implicated. Unusual chemical problems included ammonia from decomposition in tuna, strychnine in vitamin pills (murder), tartaric acid in gum, excess licorice in candy, calcium chloride in a popsicle, sodium acetate in potato chips and sodium hydroxide in pretzels. Some of these are discussed in more details under the narrative reports. There were 15 deaths from salmonellosis, hemorrhagic colitis ( E. coli 0157:H7 infection), Clostridium perfringens gastroenteritis and strychnine poisoning. About 30.7% of incidents and 40.1% of cases were associated with meat and poultry. Bakery products, marine foods and dairy foods were also important vehicles of foodborne disease. Mishandling of food took place mainly in foodservice establishments (38.1% of incidents, 75.7% of cases), homes (13.9% of incidents, 7.1% of cases) and food processing establishments (11.5% of incidents, 4.0% of cases). Chemicals, such as extraneous matter, sodium hydroxide and tin, were the agents associated with 51.8% of incidents caused by processors' mishandling. The three largest of these types of outbreaks, however, were associated with contamination by Salmonella or S. aureus (total of 102 cases). On a population basis incidents were greatest in Ontario, followed by those in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Alberta. Reports of nine foodborne disease incidents are presented. In addition, four incidents of waterborne disease were documented in 1982, three fewer than in 1981. All were caused by ingestion of infectious agents but the nature of two of them was unknown. The largest out-break (121 cases) was a result of contamination of a town water supply by Giardia originating from beavers.