Three to 5 days after eating Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant,112 people developed fever and gastroenteritis. All the foodhad been consumed except for five “doggie” bags. Bacterial analysis of the mixed contents of the bags (containingroast turkey, giblet gravy, and mashed potatoes) showed the samebacterium that was isolated from the patients. The gravy hadbeen prepared from giblets of 43 turkey that had been refrigeratedfor three days prior to preparation. The uncooked gibletswere ground in a blender and aIDed to a thickened hot stockmixture. The gravy was not reboiled and was stored at roomtemperature throughout Thanksgiving Day. What was the sourceof illness? What was the most likely etiologic agent? Was this an infection or an intoxication?
