Investigation on Food Poisoning Outbreak Caused by Staphylococcus aureus Enterotoxin A and Incidence of Staphylococcal Food Poisoning in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Abstract

Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is one of the most common foodborne diseases resulting from the ingestion of food contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins. The aim of the study is to provide an overview of the incidence of staphylococcal food poisoning in Bahrain and to describe the epidemiological and microbiological investigations of food poisoning outbreak among school members in 2018. A single-center, retrospective study was conducted at Public Health Laboratories (PHL) in Bahrain. All food poisoning samples received at PHL from 2013 to 2021 were included in this study. The epidemiological and laboratory investigations of an outbreak in 2018 among school members were included. Overall, staphylococcal enterotoxin food poisoning accounted for 28.1% of confirmed food poisoning cases; Staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) was the most prevalent toxin (60%). In the school outbreak, the laboratory investigation showed the presence of SEA in chicken shawarma. SEA has also been isolated from patients’ stool samples and food handlers’ hands, nose and throat swabs. Outbreak investigations revealed that poor hygiene practices during food processing and improper food handling practices accounted for this outbreak. SEA was the cause of food poisoning outbreak among members of the school due to poor personal hygiene of the food handlers and improper food handling. Training workers to follow all hygienic protocols and practices for preparing, handling, and cooking food should be considered to avoid future outbreaks.