A foodborne outbreak linked to Bacillus cereus at two middle schools in a rural area of Chongqing, China, 2021

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293114
• Publication Date: 2023-10-19T17:37:57Z
• Authors: Tingting Li; Qinpei Zou; Cheng Chen; Qin Li; Shuquan Luo; Zhifeng Li; Chuan Yang; Di Yang; Zhi Huang; Huadong Zhang; Wenge Tang; Li Qi
• Keywords: Cereus; Food poisoning

Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) is a common cause of foodborne illness. An outbreak acute gastrointestinal illness occurred at two middle schools in rural region Chongqing, China, 2021. This study aimed to elucidate the outbreak's characteristics, identify risk factors, and determine source contamination. A retrospective cohort an environmental investigation were conducted. Vomit samples, anal swabs, food samples collected tested by RT-PCR for 18 species bacteria viruses, including B. cereus. Positive underwent biochemical experiments bacterial quantification. total 198 cases reported this outbreak, with attack rate 24.63%. The main symptoms vomiting (100%), bellyache (83.33%), dizziness (62.63%). showed significant association between rice noodles provided nearby manufacturer (RR = 39.63, p < 0.001). was detected 20 vomit three seven count exceeding 103 CFU/g. These findings strongly suggested that linked cereus-contaminated noodles. Enhancing safety surveillance promoting health measures among manufacturers areas crucial prevent similar incidents future China.