Chapter 19.L2, Problem 15CT

15. An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness was reported in a day care center. Of 67 people, 14 came down with symptoms of nausea, cramps, and diarrhea within 2 to 3 hours of eating. Food items included fried rice, peas, and apple rings. Symptoms occurred in 14 of the 48 who had eaten the fried rice and in none of those who had not eaten it. The rice had been cooked the night before and refrigerated. The next morning, it had been fried with leftover chicken and held without refrigeration until lunchtime.

a. On the basis of symptoms and food types, what do you expect the etiological agent to be?

b. What would you expect to culture from the food?

c. To what other disease is this one similar?

d. How can it be differentiated from the agent and disease in question 14?