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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Cureus

An Outbreak of Food Poisoning by Salmonella Typhimurium in a District of Lower Assam in North-East India

  • Suranjana C Hazarika1
  • Mehzabin H Hazarika2
  • Cornelioush Basumatary3
  • Lakshyasri Baishya1
  • Himanto Hazarika4
  • Ajanta Sharma1
  • Purabi Deka5
  • Madhuchhanda Das6
  • Samaresh Das7
  • Thandavarayan Ramamurthy8
8 affiliations
  1. 1Microbiology, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, IND
  2. 2Community Medicine, Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, IND
  3. 3Allied Health Sciences, Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences, Guwahati, IND
  4. 4Ophthalmology, Nalbari Medical College and Hospital, Nalbari, IND
  5. 5Microbiology, Lakhimpur Medical College and Hospital, Lakhimpur, IND
  6. 6Development Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, IND
  7. 7Health Informatics and Allied Technologies, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Kolkata, IND
  8. 8Bacteriology, National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, IND
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Abstract

Introduction

Foodborne infection is a neglected health problem. Although large numbers of focal outbreaks are reported every year, implementation of strong food safety policies and guidelines is still awaited due to the paucity of data. Here, we report an outbreak of food poisoning from a district of Lower Assam where 65 people (attack rate 65%) reported sick in a span of a few hours in a particular locality.

Materials and methods

An outbreak investigation was conducted as part of a task force project of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on foodborne pathogen surveillance in North-East India, in collaboration with the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) team. A combined retrospective-prospective study was conducted. Data on patient demographics, time of onset of symptoms, presenting clinical features, and history of food items consumed were collected. Stool samples from cases were also collected for examination as per standard operating procedures (SOP).

Results

Most cases complained of abdominal cramps (n = 60, 92%), fever (n = 59, 90%), and diarrhoea (n = 55, 84%) about 48-72 hours after consumption of the food. 'Prasad' (an offering comprising chickpea or bengal gram, moong or green gram, fruits, etc., and served raw) was thought to be the implicating food since it was consumed by 100% of cases. Salmonella Typhimurium was isolated from three of the seven stool samples collected, which showed resistance to cotrimoxazole, ampicillin, and ciprofloxacin.

Conclusion

The outbreak was most probably associated with the consumption of raw 'Prasad' contaminated with S. Typhimurium identified in stool samples and showing multidrug resistance. Strengthening food hygiene practices and timely foodborne disease surveillance are essential to prevent similar outbreaks in the future. Recommendations were made for proper hygiene during preparation, handling, and storage of food.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{hazarika2026outbreak,
  title = {{An Outbreak of Food Poisoning by Salmonella Typhimurium in a District of Lower Assam in North-East India}},
  author = {Suranjana C Hazarika and Mehzabin H Hazarika and Cornelioush Basumatary and Lakshyasri Baishya and Himanto Hazarika and Ajanta Sharma and Purabi Deka and Madhuchhanda Das and Samaresh Das and Thandavarayan Ramamurthy},
  journal = {Cureus},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.7759/cureus.117702},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.117702},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - An Outbreak of Food Poisoning by Salmonella Typhimurium in a District of Lower Assam in North-East India
AU  - Suranjana C Hazarika
AU  - Mehzabin H Hazarika
AU  - Cornelioush Basumatary
AU  - Lakshyasri Baishya
AU  - Himanto Hazarika
AU  - Ajanta Sharma
AU  - Purabi Deka
AU  - Madhuchhanda Das
AU  - Samaresh Das
AU  - Thandavarayan Ramamurthy
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/09
JO  - Cureus
DO  - 10.7759/cureus.117702
UR  - https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.117702
AB  - Introduction  Foodborne infection is a neglected health problem. Although large numbers of focal outbreaks are reported every year, implementation of strong food safety policies and guidelines is still awaited due to the paucity of data. Here, we report an outbreak of food poisoning from a district of Lower Assam where 65 people (attack rate 65%) reported sick in a span of a few hours in a particular locality.  Materials and methods  An outbreak investigation was conducted as part of a task force project of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on foodborne pathogen surveillance in North-East India, in collaboration with the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) team. A combined retrospective-prospective study was conducted. Data on patient demographics, time of onset of symptoms, presenting clinical features, and history of food items consumed were collected. Stool samples from cases were also collected for examination as per standard operating procedures (SOP).  Results  Most cases complained of abdominal cramps (n = 60, 92%), fever (n = 59, 90%), and diarrhoea (n = 55, 84%) about 48-72 hours after consumption of the food. 'Prasad' (an offering comprising chickpea or bengal gram, moong or green gram, fruits, etc., and served raw) was thought to be the implicating food since it was consumed by 100% of cases. Salmonella Typhimurium was isolated from three of the seven stool samples collected, which showed resistance to cotrimoxazole, ampicillin, and ciprofloxacin.  Conclusion  The outbreak was most probably associated with the consumption of raw 'Prasad' contaminated with S. Typhimurium identified in stool samples and showing multidrug resistance. Strengthening food hygiene practices and timely foodborne disease surveillance are essential to prevent similar outbreaks in the future. Recommendations were made for proper hygiene during preparation, handling, and storage of food.
SN  - 2168-8184
ER  -