Staphylococcus aureus -- aka staph food poisoning -- was determined to be the cause of a mass illness that resulted in the hospitalization of 46 employees at a wholesale seafood distributor in the US state of Maryland earlier this month.

Firefighters and paramedics responded to NAFCO Wholesale Seafood Distributors in Jessup, Maryland, on Oct. 21 after getting a call about multiple patients with food poisoning, as reported by Undercurrent News.

The Howard County Department of Health confirmed to Undercurrent at the time that preliminary indications linked the illness outbreak to a noodle dish containing chicken and pork that an employee had cooked at home. The Maryland Department of Health has since confirmed that staph food poisoning has been determined as the cause of the gastrointestinal illnesses, reports WBALTV 11.

As explained by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), staph is a bacteria that can spread from unwashed hands and contaminated food. 

"After getting in food, staph can multiply and make a toxin that causes food poisoning," the CDC explains.

Symptoms of staph food poisoning include nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea, and can start suddenly within 30 minutes to eight hours after eating the contaminated food, according to the CDC. Symptoms usually last 24 hours or less. While there are no medications to treat Staph food poisoning, those diagnosed are encouraged to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.

Stanley Pearlman Enterprises, NAFCO's parent company, released a statement to WBALTV 11 to reiterate that the illness did not have to do with any of the seafood processed at its plant.

"NAFCO operates under the highest health and safety standards in the industry," the company said. "Our headquarters and facilities are regularly inspected and monitored by the relevant health authorities to ensure compliance with all health and safety regulations."

NAFCO has been in business since 1991 and distributes fresh and frozen fish. Its brands include North Atlantic Fish Company, Baltimore Crab Company and Baltimore Clam & Oyster Company.