An outbreak of Salmonella Muenchen after consuming sea turtle, Northern Territory, Australia, 2017
Date
2017
Authors
Draper, Anthony
James, Christian L
Pascall, Joy E
Shield, Kathryn J
Langrell, Jennifer
Hogg, Adrian
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Volume Title
Publisher
National Centre for Disease Control
Abstract
An outbreak of Salmonella Muenchen gastroenteritis occurred in a remote coastal Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. There were 22 people sick (attack rate 55%); 7 had laboratory confirmed S. Muenchen infection; 2 required medical evacuation and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). We conducted a descriptive case series to investigate the outbreak. All cases ate meat from a single green turtle (Chelonia mydas). The animal's pre-death stress, improper butchering, insufficient cooking and the unsatisfactory storage of meat all likely contributed to the outbreak. Turtle meat requires safe preparation which includes thorough cooking and appropriate storage to avoid Salmonella infection.
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Source
Communicable Diseases Intelligence
Type
Journal article
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Access Statement
Open Access