Staphylococal Food Poisoning in a Restaurant in Taichung City, Taiwan

Chun-Wei Kao

2009 Vol.25 NO.5

Correspondence Author： Chien-Shun Chiou

Abstract：

Public Health Bureau in Taichung City, was informed of a suspected food poisoning in a restaurant on September 8th, 2008. 2 patients were sent to the emergency room. 2 rectal swab samples and 2 vomiting samples from these 2 patients were sent to the Bureau. 3 rectal swab samples from 3 kitchen workers of this establishment were sent to Taiwan CDC. Meanwhile, 2 food samples (from a goose meat lunch box) and 3 environmental samples (chopping board swab, knife swab and water) were sent to Bureau of Food and Drug Analysis for further examination. Staphylococcus aureus enteral toxic type A was isolated from 2 vomiting samples, 1 rectal swab from a patient, and 2 food samples. The isolated pathogens were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and the result revealed the same strain map suggesting the isolated strains and the food-contaminated strains come from the same source, goose meat lunch box. Similar bacterial strains isolated from patient vomit and rectal swab samples reveal that rectal swab examinations are an effective tool for detecting food poisoning caused by Staphyloccocus aureus.
Keywords: food poisoning, Staphyloccocus aureus, enteral toxin, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.