The New Straits Times, August 12, 1996
Q: The recent food poisoning outbreak in Japanese schools involves a common coliform bacteria called E.coli. What is this and how can it cause such harm?
A: The bacteria E.coli is usually harmless and is found as animals. The bacteria is most often passed out through the faeces but can cause contamination.
A few years ago nasi kandar was reported to contain the bacteria. However, in this case the bacteria is said to have acquired a toxin from another bacteria that normally causes dysentery. The strain implicated in this case is 0157H7. This strain turned virulent when it allegedly borrowed a new gene to make a shiga-like toxin producing E.coli. It is capable of triggering symptoms like abdominal cramps and diarrhoea which can be bloody. This can lead to further bleeding and damage to the kidneys, and may result in death. According to the US CDC, the illness can be com;licated by haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Asymptomatic intections may also occur.
The reason for the outbreak is not exactly known. In one case it points to a boy who ate raw cow's liver, a popular Japanese delicacy. As such, people are generally warned not to eat raw meat. In other cases, school lunches serving eel suchi, roast pork, chicken and cold noodles have been implicated. Similar incidents that occurred in the United States in 1993 are said to have been caused by under cooked hamburgers at restaurants.
Because of the uncertain nature of the problem, spotting the symptoms early is important, since at later stage the treatment is only symptomatic. The public are always advised to observe strict hygiene practices in dealing with food stuff, especially when involving meats. It is preferred that all food is cooked well.
