On January 18, 1985, 576 cases of staphylococcal food poisoning occurred at the school cafeteria of Eighth U.S. Army Camp in Yongsan, Seoul. Symptoms included abdominal cramps (43.5%), diarrhea (36.5 %), vomiting (36.1nausea (12.0%). Incubation period of the illness ranged from 2 to 6 hours, with - a median of 3 hours. None were hospitalized.
Lunch menu was ham, applesauce, milk, roll, margarine, and potato. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from the vomitus of patients and the all foods except milk and applesauce. Food histories, obtained from 976 pupils by using the questionnaire, implicated ham as the food associated with illness. The rate among those who ate ham was 50.2%, while only 20.8% of those who did not eat the ham became ill (P<0.01). The result of phage typing on the vomitus and the ham showed the same type 54, 75.
Ham was contaminated by Staphylococcus aureus when it was cooled in a cook room after cooking.. Because the ham was not handled with a proper sanitary way for the time of cooling. The contaminated ham induced secondary contamination of the other foods through the kitchen tools or/and the food handlers.
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