Flu or bad food? U. hopes today's lab results will tell

The results should help determine what made at least 65 students sick. As a mysterious illness that forced at least 65 Penn students to seek medical treatment over a 48-hour period this week began to subside yesterday, laboratory tests scheduled to come back today could shed light on the nature of the malady, according to Director of Student Health MarJeanne Collins. University officials continued to maintain that the flu-like symptoms were likely not the result of food poisoning from Penn's dining halls, as many students and doctors had initially believed. Symptoms of the illness include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and fevers. At least a dozen more students sought medical treatment at Student Health Services yesterday, bringing the total number of ill students to at least 65 since Tuesday night at about 8 p.m., according to Collins. That estimate does not include students who called seeking medical advice but did not actually go to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania or Student Health, nor those students who felt sick but did not seek any medical advice. While Collins said that doctors initially believed the malady was a bacterial infection -- which would point to food poisoning -- that scenario is becoming "increasingly unlikely." Instead, she said, the illness is likely the result of a "viral outbreak." Hospital officials have obtained stool samples to test for a bacterial infection, Collins said. The results of the test are expected to be back today. The test cannot, however, prove conclusively that the outbreak is the result of a virus. Doctors would have to perform more complex tests to make that determination, and Collins said that if the outbreak dies down, they will probably decide not to pursue the costly additional tests. The sickness is being investigated by Philadelphia health officials, according to city Health Department spokesperson Jeff Moran, who along with Penn officials is considering the possibility of food poisoning. "Food-borne illnesses is one of the possibilities, but it's far too early to speculate about the cause," Moran said, adding that the investigation could take weeks or even months. Penn Dining Services officials declined to comment, referring questions to University spokesperson Ken Wildes for the second straight day. "No one is prepared to identify a cause," Wildes said. "I don't think they are going to even come close to that until the laboratory tests come back." The number of students presenting symptoms decreased from a flood on Wednesday to a steady trickle yesterday, Collins said. Also, Collins said, several West Philadelphia residents not affiliated with Penn have presented similar symptoms, which "makes it less likely" that the illness is related to food in one of the major University dining halls. Health officials have not been able to find a common link between the affected students. Some of them ate dinner Tuesday night at all three main dining halls, while others ate at non-University locations. Exact figures for any decrease in students at the dining halls yesterday were not immediately available, but Adam Sherr, Dining's meal contracts manager, said he did not see any "appreciable drop-off" at dinner last night. To help determine the cause and any possible common thread, Collins said doctors have distributed questionnaires to students. Moran said the city would also be interviewing students who fell victim to the illness. The incident is, in all likelihood, unrelated to the recall on Wednesday of more than half a million pounds of ground beef that were distributed to 33 states -- including Pennsylvania -- by IBP Inc., a Nebraska-based meatpacking company. Dining officials said they do not purchase meat from the company.