An outbreak investigation featuring a cohort study associated with food contamination with an unknown organism: Confirmed with a variety of biological identification techniques 2015 – Karl Olsen N0425691
During October 2015, an outbreak of 14 cases of symptoms related to gastroenteritis occurred at a bank staff party in Nottingham, it was confirmed via a cohort study that Salmonella was the infectious pathogen. A lack of significant association between specific food sources and illness suggests an attack rate distributed through multiple foods, including salad and chicken, which were considered to be contaminated through a food handler.
Introduction
A conventional outbreak investigation is when two or more people share identical or related diseases/symptoms or excrete the same pathogens. This is common when cases are shared between individuals that have circumstantial association. In this particular case, the number of confirmed symptoms exceeded that expected and illuminated the potential cause; a foodborne disease. Moreover, on the 11th of October 2015, the first incidence of 14 human cases of symptoms related to food poisoning occurred between bank staff colleagues in Nottingham; United Kingdom. Symptoms of diarrhoea and fever manifested themselves and were reported within a week of a party of which 36 of 42 staff members attended. Symptoms subsided by the 15th of October. The occurrence and proximity of these infections suggest a link which can be explained by the consumption of identically prepared food and drinkable products at the party described previously. As a response to this, a cohort study was launched to identify the source of infection using data derived from bank/party staff faecal samples, and the party food sources. Possible contaminations sources are numerous, but can be elucidated by the following means.
The aim of this study is gather