A mother-of-one died after she contracted a rare form of salmonella from eating cooked cold turkey, an inquest has heard.
Sandra O’Brien, 55, who ran up to 150km a week and had completed 10 marathons, passed away six days after she became unwell, Dublin’s Coroners Court heard yesterday.
She had attended a First Communion party in Ballyboughal on May 13, 2017, Dublin Live reports.
Mrs O’Brien’s niece Nicola Judge, who hosted the party, said her own daughter was hospitalised and 17 of the 30 guests became ill as a result of food poisoning.
Food at the party was prepared and delivered by Franreil Food Services, operating out of O’Dwyers Pub in Portmarnock.
The company and its directors Rory Reilly, 57, and Ciaran Flanagan, 53, had a lease agreement with the pub.
However, the owners of the pub are in no way connected to the case.
Mrs O’Brien’s husband Michael said Mrs O’Brien, from Rivervalley in Swords – fell ill on May 15 with stomach pains and vomiting.
He added: “She got worse so I took her to Beaumont Hospital where she was placed on a drip for a gastrointestinal infection.”
Mrs O’Brien was discharged the next day and diagnosed with the rare form of food poisoning salmonella Brandenburg, which has a 0.5% mortality rate.
Mr O’Brien said his wife continued to feel unwell the following days but by May 20 said she was feeling a bit better after taking antibiotics.
He added: “She had soup and went back to bed. She was in good form.”
Mr O’Brien said when he went to work at Mountjoy Garda station on May 21, his wife was still asleep.
After she failed to answer his calls he presumed she was too tired to answer.
He arrived home at 3.15pm and went to their bedroom where he saw his wife was still in bed, appearing to be asleep.
Mr O’Brien said: “Her face was grey and her body was cold. I knew she was dead.”
A postmortem by pathologist Avril Cullen found the cause of death was acute myocarditis from salmonella infection with previous myocarditis a possible contributory factor.
Helena Murray, a medical practitioner and chairperson of the HSE Outbreak Control Team, told the inquest there were 72 cases of salmonella Brandenburg poisoning following parties the company catered for over the weekend of May 13 and 14 in North Co Dublin.
The food operator was issued with a closure order while an inspection took place as there was a “grave and imminent danger to public health”.
After requirements were adhered to, the premises was allowed to re-open.
Ms Murray told the inquest: “Cooked cold turkey was the main and only contaminant.”
Following the investigations, the Outbreak Control Team recommended a number of guidelines be put in place including notifying people through social media, as well as in the media, to warn of a disease outbreak.
It also recommended excluding ill food handlers from work for 48 hours.
Ryan, Flanagan and their company were fined €18,400 in 2019 after they admitted to a number of offences under the Hygiene of Foodstuff Regulations.
The jury returned a Narrative verdict which is a factual summary of the case and endorsed recommendations from the report.
Coroner Claire Keane extended her sympathies to Mr O’Brien and his family on the “devastating and untimely loss of a vibrant healthy woman who was in excellent physical condition”.
