Bacteria tests in food poisoning outbreak may be out next week: TFDA

Taipei, April 1 (CNA) Still without any indication of the source of a recent food poisoning outbreak in Taipei, health authorities said Monday that results of bacteria cultures done on samples from the outbreak's epicenter could be ready next week.

A total of 29 people have fallen ill after eating at the Xinyi branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam between March 19 and March 24, with two of them dying and five still in critical condition.

The seven people who died or are still in critical condition all tested positive for Bongkrekic acid, a lethal toxin, but all tests on ingredients taken from the restaurant on March 26 have come back negative for the acid.

Samples from the Xinyi District restaurant's environment were also collected to test for the presence of Burkholderia gladioli, a bacterium known to produce Bongkrekic acid, and those tests are still being done.

Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) Director-General Wu Shou-mei (吳秀梅) said on the sidelines of a legislative hearing that bacteria cultures on the samples have been cultivated since last week, and will take approximately two weeks.

After the cultivation process, each bacteria will be identified, with premilinary results available as early as next week, Wu said.

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In terms of the "environmental" samples being tested, Deputy Health Minister Victor Wang (王必勝) told CNA that they were collected in the restaurant's kitchen from the surfaces of tableware, kitchenware and cooking counters.

Asked if the time gap between March 24, the latest dine-in date of the 29 affected individuals, and March 26, when the samples were collected, could affect the results of the bacteria tests, Wang admitted that such a possibility existed.

He said Burkholderia gladioli was a relatively weak bacterium that can be easily killed, but health authorities still wanted to give these tests a try to see if there was any trace of Burkholderia gladioli in the restaurant's kitchen.

Separately, Health Minister Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) confirmed on Monday that no Bongkrekic acid was found in any of the food samples taken from the restaurant, including basic ingredients and seasonings.

He speculated that it was because potentially contaminated food items had already been used and that the samples collecting for testing were from new batches.

Wang said, meanwhile, that one of the five patients in critical condition has shown some improvement and is expected to be transferred to a general ward, while the other four remained in comas, with severe liver damage.

Regarding Bongkrekic acid, which lacks an antidote, Wang said its half-life in the body can be as long as four days.

He said the hospitals treating the five critically ill patients have proposed using plasmapheresis, which involves the removal, treatment and return of blood plasma, to help those patients eliminate toxins from their bodies.

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April 2: Bongkrekic acid found in restaurant hit by food poisoning outbreak (update)

April 1: No toxin found in samples from restaurant in food poisoning incident

April 1: Bacteria tests in food poisoning outbreak may be out next week: TFDA

March 31: Four more in food poisoning outbreak test positive for toxic acid

March 29: Owner of restaurant chain at center of food poisoning outbreak apologizes

March 29: Bongkrekic acid found in 8 food poisoning cases; none in food samples

March 27: Suspected food poisoning outbreak in Taipei restaurant leaves one dead  

Focus Taiwan's coverage of food poinsoning incident in Taipei