High-toxicity bacteria in food pose serious dangers to many patients, especially pregnant women.
Questions
Question 1: In 2011, how many people died from a food poisoning outbreak in Northern Germany?
A – 43
B – 53
C – 78
Question 2: The barley grain poisoning incident in France on August 16, 1951, resulted in how many fatalities?
A – 7 people
B – 67 people
C – 77 people
Question 3: In 1858, over 200 people in Bradford, England, suddenly suffered from arsenic poisoning related to which food?
A – Candy
B – Bread
C – Beef
Question 4: In 1971, how many people died in Iraq from mistakenly consuming mercury-contaminated seeds?
A – 550 people
B – 650 people
C – 1550 people
Question 5: In which U.S. state does sturgeon poisoning occur most frequently?
A – Texas
B – Florida
C – Alaska
Question 6: During 1998-1999, how many people died in the U.S. due to Listeria-infected sausages?
A – 14 people
B – 24 people
C – 34 people
Question 7: In 2017, a man in Ravensburg, Germany, was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for mixing what kind of poison into five boxes of children’s food?
A – Ethylene glycol
B – Methyl mercury
C – Cyanide
Answers
Question 1: The correct answer is B: In 2011, a new strain of Escherichia coli caused a food poisoning outbreak primarily affecting Northern Germany. Approximately 4,000 people were infected, resulting in 53 deaths.
Question 2: The correct answer is A: On August 16, 1951, in Pont Saint-Esprit, France, over 250 residents of this small village experienced severe hallucinations, leading to 7 deaths and 50 individuals being hospitalized. Authorities declared it a mass poisoning event caused by a foodborne illness, likely due to ergot of rye that had been contaminated. Ergot is a fungus (Claviceps purpurea) that grows on rye and can induce hallucinations. When ingested, the alkaloids produced by the fungus cause hallucinatory effects. Victims reported sensations of thousands of snakes crawling in their arms or the feeling of being seated on a pile of fire… Some victims jumped out of windows, while others harmed themselves by scratching their skin, believing insects were crawling inside them.
Question 3: The correct answer is A: In 1858, England experienced a shocking food poisoning incident that resulted in over 200 people being hospitalized, with 21 fatalities. The cause was linked to candy sold at the Green Market in Bradford, which was accidentally contaminated with arsenic. The candy manufacturer used a cheaper sweetener instead of sugar. However, a pharmacist accidentally sold arsenic to them, leading to this poisoning incident. This shocking event contributed to the establishment of the Pharmacy Act of 1868 in England and legislation against food fraud.
Question 4: The correct answer is B: One of the major public health crises and one of the most notorious mass poisoning incidents occurred in 1971, involving seeds treated with highly toxic methyl mercury fungicide. After treatment, the seeds were transported by ship to Iraq. The sacks containing the seeds were labeled in Spanish and English with warnings, but the rural Iraqi population was not literate in either language. They even ignored the skull and crossbones symbols printed on the seed bags, mistakenly thinking they were food bags and consuming them. Those who ingested the contaminated seeds suffered from muscle paralysis, loss of vision, and typical mercury poisoning symptoms. Up to 650 people died from consuming or coming into contact with the mercury-contaminated seeds, but many believe the actual death toll could be ten times higher. Approximately 10,000 individuals suffered permanent brain damage from mercury exposure.
Question 5: The correct answer is C: Although this type of fish accounts for only 0.2% of the fish population in the U.S., Alaska alone accounts for 50% of botulinum poisoning cases. Most poisoning incidents are related to the consumption of indigenous foods. Arctic explorers once encountered a tragic scene where an entire village died from botulinum poisoning after eating contaminated fish. Botulinum toxin is an ancient food poison with a very high fatality rate, caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium produces toxins in the body, which can lead to muscle paralysis, breathing difficulties, loss of sensation in the skin, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, paralysis, and death.
Question 6: The correct answer is B: During 1998-1999, sausages contaminated with Listeria caused food poisoning in 100 people across 24 states in the U.S. 14 of them died, and 4 pregnant women miscarried.
Question 7: The correct answer is A: In 2017, Peter Vobiller in Ravensburg, Germany, was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for murder and extortion. The man admitted to mixing 5 boxes of children’s food containing ethylene glycol on the shelves of supermarkets in the city of Friedrichshafen. According to DW, the amount of poison in each food box was sufficient to kill a child. The poison used was ethylene glycol, commonly found in antifreeze mixtures. Fortunately, there were no victims in this incident.
