FOOD POISONING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19985, 18 December 1934, Page 8

FOOD POISONING

RARE ORGANISM THE CAUSE

METHODS OF INFECTION By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, December 17. A rare type of organism known as aetryx was responsible for the outbreak of food poisoning cases at Pukekohe last week. A statement to this effect was made by Dr. J. Hughes. Medical Officer of Health at Auckland, after consultation with Dr. Gilmour. pathologist at the Auckland Hospital, who conducted bacteriological investigations into the various case's. Six people from the Pukekohe district were admitted to hospital suffering from mysterious symptoms of food poisoning. Mrs L. Nicholson died on Thursday morning. Other milder cases were also reported. Mrs Burrows has been discharged from hospital, and all the other patients continue to make satisfactory progress. Various samples of foodstuffs taken from the three houses involved were sent to Auckland last week for analysis. The results of the investigation have established that the meat eaten by the three families* was not the cause of the sickness as was at one time thought possible. Other research proved conclusively that the infection of the patients was by aetryx bacillus. “The aetryx organism is one of the food poisoning groups,” said Dr. Hughes. “Unfortunately comparatively little is known about it. It can be conveyed by flies and also by human carriers, and it sets up gastro enteritis, an acute form of colic, which in some cases can become very serious. “Food can be quite all right when if leaves a shop and still be infected by the organism. Flies alighting on food while it is being prepared or after it has been cooked can infect it very rapidly if they are carrying the germs. Certain people may also act as carriers, infecting food through handling it. One thing is immediately apparent, the necessity of protecting food from the risk of contamination by flies.”