Party Guests Recovering From Food Poisoning

More than half of nearly 90 guests who attended a large family Thanksgiving gathering near Pasadena were recovering Monday from what health authorities believe was salmonella poisoning, officials said.

Thirteen people had been hospitalized since early Friday morning after a dinner at a home where authorities believe the bacteria lurked inside turkey or other meat products that were not adequately refrigerated or cooked, said Dr. Shirley Fannin, director of disease control programs for the county Department of Health Services.

“It sounds like a particularly bad dose,” said Fannin, adding that children and elderly guests were most affected.

She said the department is not concerned about a community outbreak because it appears the infection resulted from food being left out because of insufficient refrigerator or stove-top space.

“We suspect they were feeding 80 to 90 people in a house that usually feeds five or six,” she said. “These are the things we . . . warn people about at holiday time.”