Abstract
An investigation of a food poisoning outbreak in Moo 2 Village of Kambok subdistrict,
Khamcha-ee district, Mukdahan Province was carried out to confirm the diagnosis,
verify the outbreak and to determine the etiology in order to control the outbreak. The
descriptive study was conducted on seven outpatients and two hospitalized patients who
were diagnosed at Khamcha-ee Hospital on 26 February 2008. All nine patients involved
lived in two separated houses; their ages varied from 13 to 83 years, with the median age
being 38 years. The clinical features were abdominal pain (100%), headache (88.88%),
fever (88.88%), and diarrhea (77.78%). The incubation periods varied from 6 to 29 hours. The food suspected of causing the particular illness was koi (raw red-ants eggs), a kind of
native salad. Salmonella serogroup B was identified from the raw ant eggs in question,
and rectal swab cultures of all patients. This outbreak was most likely caused by Salmonella
serogroup B, based on the clinical features, incubation periods and the laboratory
findings. Health education was given to food handlers in Moo 2 village. The investigation
disclosed possible evidence of risk factors of poor sanitation and poor hygiene in the
kitchens and toilets. Active surveillance was maintained in the affected area for one week
without the emergence of new cases.
