Letter: Infecting dose of Salmonella.

An outbreak of salmonellosis in patients consuming pancreatin in the U.K. prompted 
a study at this hospital which included determination of the infecting 
dose in children with cystic fibrosis known to have contracted a 
S. schwarzengrund enteritis from contaminated porcine powdered pancreatin. We found that 
infection was especially prevalent in very young cystic-fibrosis patients who were 
receiving broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment for chest infection. All had their pancreatin 
added to meals immediately before consumption. Susceptibility to most infections depends 
on many factors and variables. It is necessary to take into 
account such things as age and condition of the patient when 
discussing the actual number of organisms causing an infection. 