Clostridium perfringens has been confirmed as the cause of more than 100 students falling ill at a university in New Zealand. Health New Zealand and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigated the outbreak among pupils at the University of Canterbury’s University Hall in Christchurch. Students fell ill a few weeks ago during the end-of-year exam period.
Laboratory testing and survey data confirmed New Zealand Food Safety’s theory that the outbreak was likely caused by unsafe preparation of shredded chicken served to students as part of a meal. Clostridium perfringens and its toxin were detected in fecal samples from students who became sick. The illness usually follows the consumption of food that has been kept at unsafe temperatures for too long.
An epidemiological analysis of student survey responses found that eating the shredded chicken dish was the biggest indicator of illness. Vincent Arbuckle, New Zealand Food Safety’s deputy director-general, said: “Unsafe handling practices around cooling, reheating and hot holding of the meat is consistent with how toxins from the bacteria grow and cause illness . “The time between eating the food and symptoms appearing was, on average, about 11 hours, which is typical of this pathogen.
If the issue was undercooked meat, we would expect to see a different pathogen, other symptoms of illness, and a different incubation period, typically around two to five days. “This conclusion is supported by data collected by.
