Nevada/California Regional Honors Institute

Phi Theta Kappa
Nevada-California Region
The Dimensions and Directions of Health:
Choices in the Maze

Medical Detective

In today's crowded, overpopulated world, in which frequent travel and the mass production and distribution of food and other goods are a way of life, diseases can spread rapidly. A contaminated food or water supply, for example, can affect many thousands of people very quickly. Identifying the causative agent of a disease is desirable so that a disease can be effectively controlled and treated. It is also desirable to understand the mode of transmission and geographical distribution of the disease. The science that studies when and where diseases occur and how they are transmitted in populations is called epidemiology. Epidemiologists are sometimes called medical detectives.

The problem: On May 23, a woman was admitted to a hospital with diarrhea and vomiting. An investigation was started to trace her contacts. During the investigation, it became apparent that the symptoms were due to a brunch shared by 32 persons on May 22 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m). Symptoms experienced by people at the brunch included:

Use the data table to answer the following questions:

Which food transmitted the illness?
How could this disease be prevented?
Extra credit: What is the disease?

	D = Diarrhea	V = Vomiting
	N = Nausea	C = Abdominal cramps

All fresh food items were delivered to the cooking area the morning of May 22. The menu consisted of

O = Omelets. Grade A eggs from a local farm were beaten, mixed with pasteurized milk, salt, pepper, and diced onions. The egg batter was sautéed in small batches and served from warming trays heated by alcohol burners.

B = Bacon. Bacon was purchased from a meat whole seller. The bacon was fried on a large griddle and served from warming trays.

F = Fruit salad. Fresh apples, banana, and oranges were cut-up and mixed with commercially canned peaches and pears.

P = Pastries. Muffins and other breads were purchased from a bakery and served with butter.

Person	Foods eaten	Beverage	Time ate, Sun	Symptoms	Onset of symptoms
1	OBFP	CJ	1100	DVNC	2400 Sun
2	BFP	MJ	1200
3	OBFP	C	1200	NC	0200 Mon
4	OBFP	C	1100	DNC
5	P	T	1100
6	B	CJ	1200
7	FP	CJ	1300
8	P	CH	1300
9	OBFP	C	1100	DVNC	1100 Mon
10	P	T	1200
11	P	M	1300
12	OBFP	M	1300	DNC	1400 Mon
13	P	C	1200
14	BFP	CJ	1500
15	OBP	T	1500	DNC	2400 Mon
16	P	MJ	1100
17	BFP	C	1100
18	P	C	1200	N	1300 Sun
19	PB	T	1200	DVNC	1700 Mon
20	FP	CJ	1200
21	OB	M	1300	DNC	0200 Mon
22	P	M	1400	C	0800 Tue
23	P	MJ	1400
24	OBFP	C	1100	DC	1500 Mon
25	OBP	C	1100	VNC	0100 Mon
26	FP	T	1200
27	P	T	1200
28	OBFP	C	1200	DC	0200 Mon
29	BP	M	1300
30	P	CJ	1400
31	BFP	C	1100
32	OBFP		1200	DC	1200 Mon