Horse blood pudding linked to food poisoning outbreak in Vietnam
Nearly two dozen participating in a party in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai were sickened food poisoning after consuming horse blood pudding, according to a Saigon Giai Phong report Tuesday.
Samples of the dish were taken by health officials in Lao Cai Province and test results revealed the presence of both Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli. With the relatively short incubation between consumption and illness, the food poisoning was likely due to staphylococcal food poisoning.Horse blood pudding is reported to be popular with Hmong and other ethnic farming people in the mountains.
This is not the first time food borne illness resulted from the consumption of horse blood pudding. Last June 2013, in the same province, 50 people showed symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea three hours after eating the pudding.
Staphylococcal food intoxication is caused by several of the enterotoxins of Staphylococcus aureus. These toxins are heat-stable and cannot be killed by cooking. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page.
People typically get this usually abrupt food poisoning through eating a food stuff that contains the staphylococcal enterotoxin, especially foods that come in contact with food handler’s hands, either without subsequent cooking or inadequate heating or refrigeration.
Foods most commonly implicated are pastries, custards, salad dressings, sandwiches and meat products. When these foods remain at room temperature for a period (usually a several hours) prior to consumption, the staph bacteria are allowed to multiply and produce the toxin.
The time between eating the offending food product and the onset of symptoms is short, from 30 minutes to 8 hours.
This intoxication presents itself quickly with sometimes violent onset; severe cramps, nausea, vomiting and often accompanied by diarrhea. The illness typically lasts a day or two. Serious complications and deaths are rare.
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