Porcine pancreatin as a source of salmonella infection in children with cystic fibrosis

Contamination of a powdered preparation of pancreatin with Salmonella schwarzengrund and S. eimsbuettel resulted in the infection of at least 31% of one group of paediatric patients with cystic fibrosis. The pancreatin contained very small numbers of Salmonellae, the infecting dose in at least one child being less than 44 organisms. More stringent bacteriological standards are needed for pharmaceuticals and foods used by paediatric patients.