Foodborne Outbreak due to Braised Chop Suey Supplied by Chafing Dish

On February 13, 2002, a public health center in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, was notified that many individuals living at the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force base had symptoms resembling those of food poisoning. Self-administered questionnaires requesting information regarding meal consumption and symptoms were distributed to all 281 members at the base. A case of the illness was defined as a member who had had watery or mucousy stool, or loose stool with abdominal cramps, more than twice a day after consuming dinner on February 12. Control of the illness was defined as a member with no symptoms. The dinner on February 12 was significantly associated with the illness(Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio:3.59, 95 confidence interval:1.06-12.20). A case-control study showed that, among the food supplied at dinner on February 12, the braised chop suey was significantly associated with the i