Two foodborne illnesses often associated with eating contaminated chicken have surfaced in a university campus outbreak in Tennessee. The investigation on the University of Tennessee’s Chattanooga campus has turned up both Salmonella and Campylobacter in a foodborne illness outbreak involving at least 25 people. Chicken is suspected as the source, but it has not been nailed down. That left the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department on Monday investigating the six food-service outlets and catering service on the UTC campus. People who have dined in those facilities since Aug. 20 have complained about illnesses involving fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
The six UTC food-service outlets targeted in the investigation include: Scrappy’s Mug, Scrappy’s Place, South Campus Market, Crossroads Dining Hall and the Subway, Boling POD Market and Java City inside Fletcher hall. UTC dining facilities all have scored high in the county health department’s periodic and unannounced inspections, with marks of 95 to 99 out of 100 possible points. Additional inspections of the university’s food establishments and a review of their food-handling practices and cooking procedures are now under way. Those with illnesses are undergoing interviews and testing. Cases of both Salmonella and Campylobacter have been confirmed by laboratory analysis. Both illnesses can cause diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever. Campylobacter can cause bloody stools, along with nausea and vomiting.
