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A Hospital Cafeteria-Related Food-Borne Outbreak Due to Bacillus cereus: Unique Features

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Larry M. Baddour ,
Shelia M. Gaia ,
Ronald Griffin  and
Richard Hudson
Larry M. Baddour*
Affiliation:
Memphis and Shelby County Health Department and the, University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennesse
Shelia M. Gaia
Affiliation:
Memphis and Shelby County Health Department and the, University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennesse
Ronald Griffin
Affiliation:
Memphis and Shelby County Health Department and the, University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennesse
Richard Hudson
Affiliation:
Memphis and Shelby County Health Department and the, University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennesse
*
University of Tennessee, Memphis, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, 956 Court Avenue, H308, Memphis, TN 38163
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Abstract

Although Bacillus cereus is a well-known cause of food-borne illness, hospital-related outbreaks of food-borne disease due to B. cereus have rarely been documented. We report a hospital employee cafeteria outbreak due to foods contaminated with B. cereus in which an outside caterer was employed to prepare the suspect meals. Data were collected from 249 of 291 employees who had eaten either of the two meals. With a mean incubation period of 12.5 hours, 64% (160 of 249) of employees manifested illness. Symptoms, which averaged 24.3 hours in duration, included diarrhea (96.3%), abdominal cramps (90%), nausea (50.6%), weakness (24.7%), and vomiting (13.8%). Eighty-seven employees sought medical attention, 84 of whom were seen in an emergency room. Although a significant difference was not demonstrated in food-specific attack rates, B. cereus was cultured from both rice and chicken items that were served at both meals. Sixty-three employees submitted stools for culture that grew no enteric pathogens, but none were examined for B. cereus. This food-borne outbreak demonstrates: (1) the need for hospital kitchen supervisors to ensure proper handling of food when outside caterers are employed; (2) that significant differences in food-specific attack rates may not be demonstrated in outbreaks, which may be related to several factors; and (3) the importance of notifying microbiology laboratory personnel when B. cereus is a suspect enteric pathogen, since many laboratories do not routinely attempt to identify this organism in stool specimens.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 7 , Issue 9 , September 1986 , pp. 462 - 465
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1986

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