Many of us have had a wonderful picnic or family gathering ruined by an evening of nausea and vomiting. Your stomach hurts, and you wish you could just be well again. Usually, you start feeling better by the next day. It all happened so quickly too. You were just fine a couple of hours ago playing volleyball with your cousins.
Summer is the time of year when we take a few more chances. We may go to exotic places on vacation, drive a little too fast to get to grandma's house, and play outdoor games our older bodies no longer want to play. We also take extra risks with the food we eat during this time of year. Picnics can last all day long. Food spread out in the sunshine all afternoon is a disaster waiting to happen. Is one more bite of Aunt Norma's potato salad really worth the possible pain and suffering it can cause?
Nausea and vomiting are classic signs of staphylococcal food poisoning. The organism that causes this poisoning of our food, Staphylococcus aureus, is present on our skin and in our noses. This bacterium is the most common cause of food poisoning in the United States. More than 50% of the population carry this organism around with them. Only strains of Staphylococcus aureus that produce a toxin can cause food poisoning. The toxin is a heat-stable (even boiling doesn't destroy the toxin) protein and it causes nausea, vomiting, retching, abdominal cramping, and prostration (you are so sick you can't even get out of bed).
Foods that require a lot of handling during preparation are more likely to be contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus. Examples of foods that can be wonderful havens for Staphylococcus aureus are egg salad, tuna salad, potato salad, chicken salad, macaroni salad, cream-filled pastries, cream pies, chocolate eclairs, sandwich fillings, milk and dairy products. However, just because a food contains Staphylococcus aureus does NOT mean it will result in food poisoning. At least 100,000 bacterial cells must be present per gram of food and these organisms must also be able to produce the toxin.
You can prevent growth of this bacteria by keeping the foods you serve at proper temperatures. The all day food feasts in the sunshine are a bad idea. If you go on a picnic keep those salads cool. Temperatures below 7.2o Celsius (45oFahrenheit) will keep the bacteria's growth rate at such a low level that you will avoid giving your guests food poisoning. Take some ice with you on your picnic and keep the food on ice. If that is not possible limit the time you make those types
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