Abstract

WONG-MC CLURE, Roy; SILVA-SOLORZANO, Armando  and  BADILLA-VARGAS, Xiomara. Intoxicación alimentaria por Clostridium perfringens en el Centro Penitenciario de Atención Institucional de San José: estudio de cohorte retrospectivo. Acta méd. costarric [online]. 2004, vol.46, n.2, pp.78-83. ISSN 0001-6002.

Introduction: The sicknesses transmitted by foods appear annually in Costa Rica. They are usually studied until the etiologic agent is identified and but not until the source of contamination is determined. In Costa Rica there are no records of the importance of improving the inocuence of foods by the events that compromise the public health each year therefore the importance to study the present outbreak. In the present study a diarrheic outbreak in a penitentiary center of San José in the 2003, trying to determine the pos sible contaminated food. Materials and methods: The present retrospective cohort study identify as exposition the foods prepared in the center within the 72 hours previous to the epidemic peak. The present study corresponds to a retrospective cohort that identify as exposition to prepared foods within the Center in the previous 72 hours to peak epidemic. The description of the cohort and the calculus of the RR was made posteriously to determine the possible casual association. The samples of feces were processed in the laboratory of reference INCIENSA. Results: The totality of the individuals were sex male, all inmates, average age 31.19 years (CI95%=28.92-33.46) The most frequent symptoms are diarrhea (92.3%) and abdominal colic pain (84.6%). Laboratory results isolated as etiologic agent the Clostridium perfringens entorotoxigenic (CPE). Analyzing foods supplied, epidemic peak and incubation period, we have sausage(RR=1.19,CI95%0.520-2.710) and the preparation of grind meat(RR=2.18,CI95%:0.638-7.47), show to be the only food to transmit the CPE. Discussion: The outbreak in the center evidence that the symptoms described correspond with documentation for intoxication by CPE and taking in consideration only necessary conditions for the transmission only with sausage and preparation of grind meat, counting with this biologic plausibility. Considering incubation period, calculated relative risks and the statistics power, we conclude that the probable contaminated food was the preparation made with grind meat, so that sanitary measures must be reinforced.

Keywords : Clostridium perfringens; brote diarréico; enfermedad transmitida por alimentos.