Foodborne Illness Outbreak: Investigation implicates beef brisket and brown gravy

A suspected outbreak of Clostridium perfringens associated with a church banquet attended by 381 persons was investigated by the Garland Health Department. Interviews with 138 identified attendees revealed that 83 (60%) became ill with diarrhea and abdominal cramps within 24 hours after the banquet....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental health 1990-09, Vol.53 (2), p.20-21
Main Authors: Brock, David R., Teel, John H., Fowler, J. Pat
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Banquets
Beef
Clostridium infections
Cooking
Demographic aspects
Diseases
Epidemics
FEATURES
Food
Food handling
Food preparation
Foodborne diseases
Foodborne illnesses
Gravies
Health aspects
Investigations
Meats
Restaurants
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Summary:A suspected outbreak of Clostridium perfringens associated with a church banquet attended by 381 persons was investigated by the Garland Health Department. Interviews with 138 identified attendees revealed that 83 (60%) became ill with diarrhea and abdominal cramps within 24 hours after the banquet. Food-specific attack rates implicated the beef brisket and brown gravy as possible sources of the outbreak. Analysis of the leftover food revealed that the brisket and gravy served at the dinner exhibited excessively high counts of C. perfringens. The banquet food was prepared at two food establishments where numerous violations of safe food handling were identified Failure to properly monitor and maintain safe food temperatures allowed for the proliferation of C. perfringens in numbers sufficient to induce a foodborne illness.
ISSN:0022-0892