ABSTRACT
In order to know the agents and foods related more frequently with food-borne disease outbreaks, we reviewed all the outbreaks studied between 1980 and 1989 by the National Laboratory of Public Health. A total of 79 outbreaks of food-borne diseases of microbial origin were reviewed. The causative agent was identified in 50 (73%) outbreaks. Twenty-four per cent of the outbreaks occurred in parties, 10.3 per cent in school or nurseries, 8.6 per cent in restaurants and 8.6 per cent in hospitals. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common agent, causing 48.2 per cent of the outbreaks. Salmonella enterica was involved in 34 per cent of them. The most frequent serovar was typhimurium. Foods involved were: cheese in 29.3 per cent of the cases; cakes in 15.5 per cent; cooked meat in 15.1 per cent; milk in 13.8 per cent; and fish and seafood in 7.0 per cent of the cases. Since the number of studied incidents represents only a small proportion of all the outbreaks occurring in the country, the constant exchange of information among the laboratories which work on the problem and the promotion of the health care team are necessary in order to improve the epidemiologic surveillance systems and the study and prevention of food-borne disease and food poisoning outbreaks.
