Six hours after a beach picnic on a hot afternoon, a young man enters the emergency department with nausea and vomiting, headache, and diarrhea.On interview, the patient says that he ate potato salad and tuna fish sandwiches.What should the nurse suspect is the causative organism for these symptoms?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Staphylococcus aureus is known for producing enterotoxins that can cause rapid onset food poisoning, characterized by nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. These symptoms can develop quickly, often within hours of consuming contaminated food, such as improperly stored potato salad and tuna fish sandwiches at a picnic.

Six Hours After a Beach Picnic on a Hot Afternoon