An outbreak of Salmonella typhimurium phage type 135 at a family Christmas Day gathering

On 8 January 2008, the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Unit (CDPCU) of the Victorian Government Department of Human Services (DHS) received faxed notifications from both a general practitioner (GP) and a regional pathology laboratory of a case of salmonellosis. The notification pertained to a 63 year old female who had gastroenteritis. She, with other family members, had become ill after attending a family gathering on Christmas day. A telephone interview with the woman revealed that her 14 year old granddaughter, who also attended the Christmas function, had been diagnosed with salmonellosis. The mother of the 14 year old was interviewed and reported that three other family members had gastrointestinal symptoms and had provided faecal specimens to a private pathology laboratory