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Food poisoning at IIT-B linked to new scare – bacteria called Klebsiella
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Tuesday, 04 October, 2011, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Irum Khan, Mumbai
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The recent food poisoning incident at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, is being linked to bacteria called Klebsiella.
The caterers who were serving in the IIT canteen, were completely clueless about which food content could have possibly triggered food poisoning and so were the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra) officials.
Mahesh Zagade, food safety commissioner, FDA, Maharashtra, said that the incident was being investigated thoroughly and it was likely to impact the economy adversely.
It was learnt that four samples of the stools and water were taken, out of which three indicated of Klebsiella and the last one of E-coli. However, the same could not be confirmed, as the FDA was still investigating its origin, informed Zagade.
A source informed Food and Beverage News that Klebsiella was linked to pneumonia and known to reside in the colon. “Something in the food must have triggered its multiplicity. The samples needed to be cultured for validation of the claim,” the source said.
One version of Klebsiella is also linked to the lung ailment. The food items which are likely to be linked to these bacteria are salads, raw fruits and vegetables, cold meat, marine shrimp, milk and milk products. Initially the IIT was presuming raw vegetables in Chinese food which were served to the students as the cause of the disease, but the caterers confirmed that no raw vegetable were used and that all were boiled. “Thus, now it even becomes difficult to trace the origin,” said the source.
“The predominant symptoms of Klebsiella are watery diarrhoea and cramps. However, vomiting does not occur. Organisms other than commonly identified pathogens should not be ignored if present in high concentrations in both food and faeces of infected persons,” states Dr Sardesai, technical director, Equinox Labs.
The other symptoms of Klebsiella also include symptoms of pnuemonia caused by K Pneumoniae. “Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung especially affecting the microscopic air sacs (alveoli). Infected persons generally get high fever, chills, flu-like symptoms and a cough productive of a lot of mucous. The mucous (or sputum) that is coughed up is often thick and blood- tinged and has been referred to as "currant jelly" sputum due to its appearance,” said Dr Sardesai.
A number of researches on this bacterium are being carried out in India. Extended-spectrum ß-lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae from blood cultures, in Puducherry. Another research involving comparison of beta-lactamase genes in clinical and food bacterial isolates and the new SuperBug: NDM1 (New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamas1) are ongoing in India, informed Dr Sardesai.
Meanwhile the IIT said that the caterers who were given the contract of the canteen were associated with the institute for the last four years and that this was the first incident-of-its-kind.
“We are equally concerned and have given strict instructions to the cooks to wear caps, wash their hands thorough and follow precaution,” said a source.
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