Salmonella Food Poisoning case study

What were the 5 symptoms of food poisoning from the 15 patrons that fell ill?

1. Fever 2. Chills 3. Diarrhea 4. Abdominal cramps 5. Nausea

What is the doubling time for this bacteria?

20 - 30 minutes

When do symptoms occur from Salmonella enteritidis?

6 - 72 hours after ingestion

The caesar dressing was placed in the salad bar and kept at 60F for 8 - 10 hours. Why is this a problem?

A salad bar should be kept at a cool 41F to inhibit bacterial growth. At this point, not only was growth encouraged during the making of the caesar dressing, but also after it was removed from the fridge and placed in the salad bar. Keeping it at that temperature for 8-10 hours allows for growth over a long period of time and thus, the amount of bacteria was greater than the threshold that causes sickness.

How could this have been prevented?

Do not add warm water to the mixture. Immediately refrigerate. Keep the salad bar at 41F. Do not allow to sit for long periods of time. Proper making and storage.

This bacteria was isolated from 13 patrons, where do they believe the bacteria came from?

Fresh eggs that were used in the making of caesar dressing for the salad bar.

What was the treatment?

IV rehydration

What effect did adding the warm water into the mixture of eggs, oil, anchovies and garlic have?

The warm water raised the temperature of the mixture that included the eggs which was likely the source of the Salmonella Enteritidis. The mixture has carbs, protein (egg) and lipids (oil). This, along with teh raised temperature encourages bacterial growth at a faster rate before the mixture was placed in the refrigerator.

Do chickens carry Salmonella enteritidis? If so, why are they not sick?

Yes, chickens are carriers of Salmonella enteritidis, however, it is a naturally occurring bacteria in their gut. This would prevent them from getting sick from the bacteria while still having the ability to pass it to their eggs.

What is the genus and species of the bacteria that causes food poisoning?

Salmonella enteritidis (First word: upper case, second word: lower case - all italicized)

What is the definition of infectious dose and what is the infectious dose of Salmonella enteritidis?

It is the number of organisms necessary to cause disease. In this case, it's 15 - 20 bacteria (this is small).

Why is this considered a self-limiting infection?

It will go away on its own without the use of antibiotics.

What actions should you take to help your body heal?

Keep electrolytes high because diarrhea and vomiting will rid the body of MO, but it will also dehydrate the body (hence the treatment was IV rehydration)

Can the bacteria Salmonella enteritidis be treated with antibiotics? Why or why not?

No, antibiotics will reduce the symptoms of the disease, but it will not get rid of the MO. In fact, the disease causing agent will be there for a longer time and spreading of some bacteria is possible for longer.