Was my food responsible for sick people? You make the call

[Ashmont]

This is why I do not like pot luck at prepare everything! That way I know all safe procedures are used.

 

[dummy que]

food poisoning

as told by E.R.doctor food poisoning starts 8hr. after you eat she said you can set your watch by it she said it is usaly over in 24hr.

 

[Tricky]

I'm game and I could use a few days off from work.

And I could stand to lose a few more pounds. I think I lost 5 or so when this happened.

 

[Tricky]

I'm seeing 2 people sick before you even cooked the rib roast, let alone served it.

I think that's the key. One of the people who got sick on Day 1 (before the roast was even cooked) at some of the roast on Day 2 and didn't seem to suffer any ill effects beyond the tail end of what he had gone through on Day 1.

 

[ScottyEvil]

I'm curious what in what order people used the bathroom and the personal hygiene habits of the original infected. No one ever thinks about common cloth hand towels, faucet handles, and soap dispensers as points of infection.

 

[IamMadMan]

I'm long past worrying about it. At this point I'm just intellectually curious.

And its probably a good sign that the inlaws have all eaten my cooking since then. So whether or not it was my fault, THEY don't think it was my fault.

And that's what really matters!

Very true.... That is what matters......

Some reading for your curiosity......
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2919422&postcount=31

 

[OSU725]

Not sure if this is appropriate categorized, but looking for some help in determining whether my meat might have been responsible for some sick folks.

Family gathering over two days, and on Day 1 two adult members of my wife's family are complaining of stomach problems and are making trips to the bathroom. Everyone else is happy.

Day 2, I smoke a standing rib roast that is served at about 4 pm. I think I follow safe food handling rules, but the roast does rest for a long time. Everyone eats some except the two family members who were feeling sick the day before and one who is a vegetarian.

By 8 pm that night, as people are leaving to head home, I crawl into bed with a horrible case of the runs and a general feverish feeling. I start throwing up and can't really move for the next 24-36 hours and have zero strength. I later find out that two of my BIL's (traveling home separately) each have to stop on their way home from our house to get out of the car to throw up - one doesn't even make it out of my neighborhood before being sick in my neighbor's front yard. Later that night, my wife and a couple others get similar symptoms.

Ultimately 4 people don't get sick on the night of Day 2 or the next day: the two people who had already been sick on Day 1, the vegetarian who didn't eat any of the rib roast and my MIL, who ate a normal slice of the roast.

Although I've never been to medical school, I imagine this fact pattern as an essay question on a medical school exam - there are some facts that seem to say it was the meat and others that seem to say it was something else that was already going around in the family.

Whaddya all think?

I have taken a few microbiology classes and currently work in a hospital laboratory. While I in no way consider myself an expert I am familiar with the subject.

There are two basic kinds of food poisoning. One is the bacteria is in the food and grows in your intestines and causes food poisoning. This type has a pretty significant incubation period 24-72 hours give or take a few hours. Normally in this situation you are talking undercooked chicken or raw seafood, beef is not a huge culprit. Based on your time line I doubt this was the case.

The second type is toxin caused food poisoning. Basically the bacteria has been in the food for a long period of time and created toxins that cause the problem. This has a much shorter incubation period 6-12 hours. But is more likely found in uncooked foods that have sat around for long periods of time (potato salad, pasta salad, unwashed veggies).

Based on the info you provided I wouldn't be surprised if you guys passed around a stomach bug that was unrelated to your cooking. Was there a common side that was eaten both days??? (you have to be very wary about mayo involved foods at picnics in the summer)

 

[Bigdog]

I had a similar thing happen to my family a few years back. We are pretty sure it was a virus.

 

[daninnewjersey]

I've had food poisoning before. I don't remember a fever associated with it. I think a fever is more of a sign of infection by a bug of some sort....

 

[Mikeinctown]

I agree with the others about it being a flu bug or some other viral infection. The odds that two separate meals are going to cause people to get sick are fairly high. knowing that two people got sck then others started shows that they likely got sick from someone at home and passed the bug along.

Like the others have said, one of the side dishes would have been the cause before the meat was. Most every time you read in the paper here about some food issues it is either veggies or something like potato salad that sat out for too long.

 

[DerbyCityQ]

 

[Fat Cap]

In case, the food poisoning onset period is somewhere between 4-6 hours, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus are the suspected for causing foodborne illness. On the other hand, food poisoning incubation period is longer (about 12 hours to one day or more), if it is caused due to ingestion of Salmonella, Clostridium botulinum, C. perfringens and Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria. E. coli food poisoning takes approximately 3 days for appearance of notable signs.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-long-does-it-take-for-food-poisoning-to-set-in.html