More than 300 Sickened at Missouri Wedding

More than 300 people were sickened with Clostridium perfringens from a April 5 wedding in Sullivan, MO, according to the Franklin County Health Department.

 

 

 

 

Health officials told The Missourian that the cause was gravy that took too long to cool down, allowing the bacteria to grow and emit toxins.

 

Hours after the wedding, guests were stricken with abdominal cramps and diarrhea.

 

After food and stool samples tested negative for Norovirus, the state lab sent the samples to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which confirmed the presence of Clostridium perfringens.

 

The health department inspected the caterer’s facility but found it clean, and no food poisoning resulted from the caterer’s other event the same day. Ultimately, the caterer was not penalized but educated about proper cooking processes.

 

About 750 people attended the event.