Posted by hans on September 15, 1998 at 16:11:28:
Some chefs still don't take sanitation or the proper cooking methods to achieve sanitation serious enough, especially concerning the use of eggs. Well, here is some mortal food for thought.
U. S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
MMWR 45(46):1996 Nov 22
Salmonellosis Associated with a Thanksgiving Dinner--Nevada, 1995
On November 28, 1995, the county coroner's office notified the Clark County Health District in Las Vegas, Nevada, about a
death suspected to have resulted from a foodborne disease. This report summarizes the investigation of the outbreak of
gastroenteritis among persons who attended a Thanksgiving dinner. The investigation documented Salmonella serotype
Enteritidis (SE) infection associated with eating improperly prepared turkey and stuffing containing eggs and emphasizes the
need to use a meat thermometer to ensure complete cooking of turkey and stuffing.
During November 25-28, 1995, all six persons who attended a Thanksgiving dinner at a private home on November 23 and
a seventh person who on November 25 ate food remaining from the dinner had onset of abdominal cramps, vomiting, and
diarrhea. Two persons were hospitalized because of dehydration; a third person was found comatose at home and died from
severe dehydration and sepsis. Stool cultures obtained from three persons, including the decedent, yielded SE phage type
13a. Turkey and stuff ing were the only foods eaten by all seven ill persons. No leftover food was available for culture.
The Clark County Health District interviewed the ill persons (including the cook) to obtain details about the preparation and
cooking of the turkey and stuffing. On November 22, a 13-pound frozen turkey was thawed for 6 hours in a sink filled with cold
water. After thawing, the packet of giblets (heart, liver, and gizzard) was removed, and the turkey was stored in a refrigerator
overnight. However, on November 23, parts of the turkey were noted to be frozen. The turkey was filled with a stuffing made
from bread, the giblets, and three raw eggs, and then placed for 1 hour in an oven set at 350 F (177 C). The setting was
lowered to 300 F (149 C) while the turkey cooked for an estimated additional 4 hours. The turkey was removed from the oven
when the exterior had browned. A meat thermometer was not used. The stuffing was removed immediately and was served
with the turkey. After the outbreak, health officials tested the oven set at 300 F (149 C) and found the temperature to be 350 F
(176 C).
Reported by: O Ravenholt, MD, CA Schmutz, LC Empey, DJ Maxson, PL Klouse, AJ Bryant, Clark County Health District,
Las Vegas; R Todd, DrPH, State Epidemiologist, Nevada State Health Div. Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Br, Div of
Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC.
Editorial Note: Salmonellosis is frequently associated with eating undercooked eggs and poultry. Undercooked eggs are a
particularly common source of SE infections. During 1988--1992, among foodborne disease outbreaks of salmonellosis
reported to CDC in which a single food item was implicated, consumption of turkey and eggs accounted for 4% and 14% of
cases, respectively. In addition, eggs or foods containing eggs as a principal ingredient caused 64% of the SE outbreaks ( 2 ).
Factors probably associated with the outbreak described in this report included inadequate thawing, use of raw eggs in the
stuffing, and undercooking; in addition, the browned color of the turkey may have caused the cook to believe that the turkey
and stuffing were thoroughly cooked. Although the original source of the Salmonella is unknown, the raw eggs used in the
stuffing probably contained SE, and these eggs probably were incompletely cooked; undercooking may occur more commonly
in turkeys that contain stuffing (J. Carpenter, Ph.D., University of Georgia, personal communication, 1996).
Each year, an estimated 45 million turkeys are eaten in the United States at Thanksgiving (J. DeYoung, National Turkey
Federation, personnel communication, 1996). Salmonella infection may result from eating improperly cooked turkey and stuffing
( 3,4). This risk for infection can be reduced by cooking stuffing outside the turkey. Guidelines prepared by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) for persons who choose to cook stuffing inside the turkey recommend preparing the stuffing
immediately before it is placed inside the turkey, stuffing the turkey loosely, inserting a meat thermometer into the center of the
stuffing, and ensuring that the thermometer attains a temperature of at least 165 F (74 C). Additional recommendations for safely
preparing and cooking a turkey include thawing the turkey completely before cooking, cooking in an oven set no lower than
325 F (163 C), and using a meat thermometer to ensure that the innermost part of the thigh attains a temperature of 180 F (82
C). Although the set temperature and cooking time can be used as guides to determine whether food is completely cooked,
inaccuracies in the actual temperature and incomplete thawing before cooking can lead to undercooking. Use of a meat
thermometer provides a more accurate determination of thorough cooking. Further advice on cooking turkeys and stuffing is
available from USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline, telephone (800) 535-4555.
References
1.Cohen ML, Tauxe RV. Drug-resistant Salmonella in the United States: an epidemiologic perspective. Science
1986;234:964-9.
2.Bean NH, Goulding JS, Loa C, Angulo FJ. Surveillance for foodborne-disease outbreaks--United States, 1988-1992.
In: CDC surveillance summaries (October). MMWR 1996;45(no. SS-5).
3.CDC. Foodborne nosocomial outbreak of Salmonella reading--Connecticut. MMWR 1991;40:804-6.
4.CDC. Restaurant outbreak of salmonellosis due to undercooked turkey--Washington. MMWR 1978;27:514,519.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 45(46):1016-7, 1996 Nov 22
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