Food Handlers in the Army and Their Relationship to Salmonella Food Poisoning

1 June 1943

journal article
research article
Published by American Public Health Association in American Journal of Public Health and the Nations Health

Vol. 33 (6) , 706-708
https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.33.6.706

Abstract

The potential role of food handler carriers of Salmonella and Shigella as a possible source of epidemic disease outbreaks during the present war is discussed and the Army experience in the Panama Canal Zone during 1940 with food-handler carriers of Salmonella and Shigella. presented. 2000 food handlers were examine[long dash]44 were positive for Salmonella, and 5 positive for Shigella; 14 spp. of Salmonella and 2 spp. of Shigella were isolated. Positive food handlers were generally asymptomatic and were associated with small epidemic outbreaks of food poisoning and diarrhea.