An outbreak of group a food-borne streptococcal pharyngitis

Abstract

A food-borne outbreak of pharyngitis from group A streptococcus developed in people attending wedding banquets in the same restaurant on July 5-8, 1986. Of the 300 people interviewed, 179 reported illness; pharyngeal swabs were taken from 115 ill people; from 63 (53%) of them group A streptococci, belonging to serotype T28, M28, were isolated. Statistical analysis performed using chi-square and Cochran's test showed that a prawn hors-d'oeuvre served on July 5 and squills or/and custard cake served on July 7 could have been a possible source of infection. Six people on the staff, 5 of whom belonged to the family of the restaurant manager, and the manager's three young daughters were colonized by the same group A serotype. A possible previous diffusion of the strain among the staff followed by contamination of the food was suspected.

Microorganisms associated with African star apple (Chrysophylum albidum) and their hydrolases

“…The incidence of B. polymyxa, and B. cereus are indicative of environmental contamination of the fruits as the fruits are constantly exposed to air, aerosols and dust particles during the course of selling the fruits which in most cases take days to weeks. Therefore, faulty foods and fruits handling techniques especially in between sales during which the fruits are stored at improper temperature (Gallo et al, 1992) and possibly in contact with contaminated surfaces could be adjudged for the incidences of B. polymyxa and P. aeruginosa. Staphylococcus aureus in fruits clearly attested to human contamination during handling.…”

Disease Manifestations and Pathogenic Mechanisms of Group A Streptococcus

“…Small-scale localized outbreaks of GAS pharyngitis have been described in the literature and appear to occur as a result of transmission of a GAS strain to susceptible individuals through either a common source or, particularly in crowded settings, person-to-person spread. Examples include outbreaks in military training centers as a result of crowding (93,94), multiple outbreaks following consumption of contaminated foods (95)(96)(97)(98)(99)(100)(101)(102), and hospital-acquired puerperal sepsis outbreaks (22)(23)(24).…”

“…Therefore, family members or close contacts of primary cases are at greater risk than the general population for subsequent infection. While GAS is transmitted primarily from person to person, there have been numerous reports of disease outbreaks caused by food-borne GAS (95)(96)(97)(98)(99)(100)(101)(102).…”

Food-borne tonsillopharyngitis outbreak in a hospital cafeteria

“…An important feature of food-borne tonsillopharyngitis is that it can lead to explosive epidemics. Incubation periods of 32-52 h are frequently reported in the foodborne setting, which are shorter than the usual incubation period of 2-4 days, with the first cases developing symptoms as early as 6-8 h after exposure [4,6,7,14,15]. In other outbreaks, the median time until onset has been as long as 96 h, with the first case of patients presenting 2 days after the probable exposure [16].…”

“…Although the main route of contamination is airborne droplets, they can cause foodborne diseases as well [1,2]. The literature reveals this as a common feature in food-borne outbreaks [3][4][5][6][7][8]. In Japan, seven food-borne tonsillopharyngitis outbreaks caused by Group A b-hemolytic streptococci (GAS) had been reported during 1996-2003 [9].…”