Fourteen people have become ill in a Staphylococcus aureus outbreak in China after eating contaminated donkey and goose meat.
In September 2024, the Puyang City Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received a report of a suspected foodborne outbreak involving 14 people who developed nausea, vomiting and diarrhea after a hotel banquet. This was the first reported outbreak of staphylococcal food poisoning in Henan Province.
Seventy people attended the event, 14 fell ill. Among the victims, two patients required hospitalization, 10 received outpatient treatment, and two with mild symptoms did not require treatment.
According to a study published in China CDC Weeklythe estimated incubation period was four hours. The patients were 10 men and four women, ranging in age from 6 to 55 years. Most cases were observed in persons aged 7 to 14 years.
Call for better surveillance
Four strains of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from 22 food debris samples, two environmental swabs, and two anal swabs from patients. The source of the outbreak was identified as contaminated donkey and goose meat.
The analysis showed that all strains isolated from food clustered together with strains from human samples.
The outbreak was due to contamination of donkey and goose meat served as cold mixed dishes with Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins A and B.
The two contaminated items were chilled donkey meat and chilled Cantonese roast goose. However, the lack of samples from kitchen staff or the production environment made it impossible to determine the source of the contamination.
Public health measures included disinfecting cold food storage areas, cutting boards and knives, and disposing of any remaining food items.
Food safety training was also provided to all employees, emphasizing proper food handling techniques, strict hand hygiene and disinfection protocols.
“The discovery of foodborne CA-MRSA ST59 clones during this outbreak highlights the prevalence and transmission risks associated with this hypervirulent lineage. These results highlight the urgent need to strengthen surveillance measures for CA-MRSA among food workers,” the researchers said.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Safety News, Click here)
