Draper, Anthony

Morton C

Heath, Joshua

Lim, Justin

Schiek A

Davis S

Krause, Vicki

Markey, Peter

2017-03-31

In June 2015, an outbreak of salmonellosis occurred among people who had eaten at a restaurant in Darwin, Northern Territory over 2 consecutive nights. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of diners who ate at the restaurant on 19 and 20 June 2015. Diners were telephoned and a questionnaire recorded symptoms and menu items consumed. An outbreak case was defined as anyone with laboratory confirmed Salmonella Typhimurium PT9 (STm9) or a clinically compatible illness after eating at the restaurant. Environmental health officers inspected the premises and collected food samples. We contacted 79/83 of the cohort (response rate 95%); 21 were cases (attack rate 27%), and 9 had laboratory confirmed STm9 infection. The most commonly reported symptoms were diarrhoea (100%), abdominal pain (95%), fever (95%) and nausea (95%). Fifteen people sought medical attention and 7 presented to hospital. The outbreak was most likely caused by consumption of duck prosciutto, which was consumed by all cases (OR 18.6, CI 3.0-∞, P < 0.01) and was prepared on site. Salmonella was not detected in any food samples but a standard plate count of 2 x 107 colony forming units per gram on samples of duck prosciutto demonstrated bacterial contamination. The restaurant used inappropriate methodology for curing the duck prosciutto. Restaurants should consider purchasing pre-made cured meats, or if preparing them on site, ensure that they adhere to safe methods of production.

Centre for Disease Control, Northern Territory Government Department of Health, Darwin, Northern Territory.. National School of Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.. OzFoodNet, Australian Government Department of Health, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory..

Environmental Health Branch, Northern Territory Government Department of Health, Darwin, Northern Territory..

Environmental Health Branch, Northern Territory Government Department of Health, Darwin, Northern Territory..

Environmental Health Branch, Northern Territory Government Department of Health, Darwin, Northern Territory..

Environmental Health Branch, Northern Territory Government Department of Health, Darwin, Northern Territory..

National School of Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory..

Centre for Disease Control, Northern Territory Government Department of Health, Darwin, Northern Territory..

Centre for Disease Control, Northern Territory Government Department of Health, Darwin, Northern Territory..

Communicable diseases intelligence quarterly report 2017-03-31; 41(1): E16-E20

1447-4514

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28385135/?otool=iaurydwlib

https://hdl.handle.net/10137/5251

Animals

Female

Humans

Male

Northern Territory

Salmonella Food Poisoning

Salmonella Infections

Disease Outbreaks

Ducks

Food Microbiology

Restaurants

An outbreak of salmonellosis associated with duck prosciutto at a Northern Territory restaurant.

Journal Article

Publication