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The role of the pre-symptomatic food handler in a common source outbreak of food-borne SRSV gastroenteritis in a group of hospitals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

S. V. Lo ,
A. M. Connolly ,
S. R. Palmer ,
D. Wright ,
P. D. Thomas  and
D. Joynson
S. V. Lo
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Medicine, West Glamorgan Health Authority
A. M. Connolly
Affiliation:
Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (Welsh Unit), Abton House, Wedal Road, Cardiff CF4 3QX
S. R. Palmer
Affiliation:
Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (Welsh Unit), Abton House, Wedal Road, Cardiff CF4 3QX
D. Wright
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Medicine, West Glamorgan Health Authority
P. D. Thomas
Affiliation:
Public Health Laboratory, Singleton Hospital, West Glamorgan Health Authority
D. Joynson
Affiliation:
Public Health Laboratory, Singleton Hospital, West Glamorgan Health Authority
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A common source outbreak of small round structure virus (SRSV) gastroenteritis affected 81 patients and 114 staff in four hospitals served by one central hospital kitchen. Eating salad items was found to be significantly associated with illness. In a cohort study of a staff buffet function eating turkey salad sandwiches was associated with illness (relative risk = 2·4; 95% CI = 1·4–4·1; P = 0·003), and a case control study of patients in one hospital showed an odds ratio of 6·6 (95% CI = 1·0–71·6; P = 0·04) for eating tuna salad and becoming ill. One of two food handlers who prepared the salads became ill the day following food preparation; she also had a young child at home who had been ill with a gastrointestinal illness during the previous two days. Contamination of food by mechanical transmission of the virus from the child via clothes and hands of the mother, or pre-symptomatic faecal excretion in the mother are possible explanations of contamination of food.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 113 , Issue 3 , December 1994 , pp. 513 - 521
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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