AN OUTBREAK OF FOOD POISONING APPARENTLY DUE TO STAPHYLOCOCCI

A number of outbreaks of food poisoning due to staphylococci have been studied in recent years. Jordan and Burrows1have cited nine such outbreaks. The outbreak reported here is of interest since it involved a large number of people (206) and since specimens of food collected immediately following the illness were refrigerated and later frozen, so that the bacteriologic analyses are representative of the foods at the time of consumption. A recent outbreak of food illness occurred in a group from one of the shelters of the federal Transient Service Activities in Indianapolis. The men affected were only those on outside work relief projects. The menu, outlined by a trained dietitian, was served throughout all transient centers in the state with identical foods, the same meat, from the same source lots of food products of standardized quality from recognized reputable packers. The outbreak did not occur or recur in