An international outbreak of type E botulism due to uneviscerated fish

Article Abstract:

Botulism is a type of food poisoning in which a bacterial toxin causes neurologic disorders that can be fatal. Eight cases of botulism occurred in New York and Israel in October and November 1987. The common causative factor was ingestion of kapchunka, a raw, uneviscerated, salted whitefish typically caught in the Great Lakes and processed in New York City. Inspection of the processing plant showed that appropriate levels of salt were used to preserve the fish, and the botulinum organism was not capable of growing in the salt solutions. However, portions of the fish eaten in Israel (which had been purchased in New York) were found to have high levels of botulin toxin. It is postulated that the viscera may have provided a relatively low-salt environment in which botulinum could multiply, and then diffuse into the fish flesh. This could not be directly tested, as salt levels in the viscera were not measured and kapchunka is no longer produced. Production of raw uneviscerated salted fish has since been prohibited, and no further cases of botulism have been reported. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Case studies, Causes of, Demographic aspects, Fishes, Food poisoning, Animal carriers of disease, Botulism, Fish as carriers of disease

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Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in patients without HIV infection

Article Abstract:

People with tuberculosis that is resistant to conventional therapy who are also negative for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may respond well to appropriate alternative therapy. Researchers analyzed the treatments and outcomes of 25 HIV-negative people with tuberculosis resistant to conventional chemotherapy. Twenty-three responded well to treatment with at least three alternative drugs in addition to a quinolone antibiotic. Only 8 patients had a history of tuberculosis. The median time from the beginning of treatment to a negative tuberculosis test was 69 days. The median length of quinolone treatment was 568 days. After a median of 91 weeks of follow-up, 16 patients had no evidence of relapse, 7 patients were in remission and continued to receive treatment, and one patient was in remission without ever receiving treatment.

Drug therapy, Tuberculosis

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