Fungal food poisoning

作者：admin  点击次数：8  发布时间：2025-05-06

(-) Etiology
Moldy sugarcane is caused by fungal contamination. The poisoning pathogen is Arhrinium, which produces a heat-resistant 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA). Arhrinium accounts for about 26% of the total number of molds detected. Long-term storage of spoiled sugarcane is a good culture medium for the development, reproduction and toxin production of Arhrinium. The most suitable toxin production conditions for Arhrinium are 15~18℃, pH 5.5, and 2%~10% sugar content in the culture medium. Arhrinium produces 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA), and its toxin-producing strains account for about 50% (48.8%). 3-NPA is the main substance that causes spoiled sugarcane poisoning. 3-NPA is excreted slowly and has a strong neurogenic effect. It mainly damages the central nervous system and also affects the digestive system. The disease may occur within a short period of time after eating. The toxicity is strong and stable. The toxicity is not reduced after heating and disinfectant treatment, and there is no immunity. Once the nervous system is damaged, the degree of recovery is related to the severity of the poisoning, the amount of toxins, individual differences, whether it can be diagnosed early, and whether gastric lavage can be performed to reduce toxin absorption. It is generally difficult to recover completely.
Moldy sugarcane poisoning has been prevalent in my country for 38 years. The first report was a case of poisoning caused by eating spoiled sugarcane in Zhengzhou, Henan in March 1972. A total of 36 people were poisoned, 27 were seriously ill, and 3 died, with a mortality rate of 8.33%. Moldy sugarcane poisoning mostly occurs in northern regions, such as Hebei and Henan Provinces, followed by Shandong, Liaoning, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi and other places. The season of onset is mostly from February to April. Because sugarcane is mainly harvested in autumn and transported from the south to the north, it needs to be stored and transported for a long time. In this process, it is very easy to be contaminated by mold. If it is not fully mature sugarcane, because of its sugar content (about 7.76%) and low osmotic pressure, it is more conducive to the growth of mold. After being transported to the north, it is frozen by cold weather. When the temperature warms up in early spring, it is also the ideal period for the growth and reproduction of bacteria, mold and other microorganisms. The mold in sugarcane will produce a large amount of toxins. Generally, after the contamination of sugarcane by Arthritis spores, toxins can be produced within 2 to 3 weeks. The age of onset is mostly children aged 3 to 10 years old, and most of the severe patients and deaths are children. However, there are also cases and deaths in older age groups. The characteristics of the disease are mostly sporadic.
Moldy sugarcane has a soft texture, and the color of the flesh is darker than that of normal sugarcane, generally light brown, and smells bad or wine lees, pungent, and has white flocculent or fluffy mold mycelium on the cross section and tip. The tissue structure is rotten. If it is cut into thin slices and observed under a microscope, a large number of fungal mycelium can be seen. (II) Poisoning symptoms The incubation period of moldy sugarcane poisoning is relatively short, mostly between 10 minutes and 17 hours, generally 2 to 8 hours, and the shortest is only a dozen minutes. The earlier the symptoms appear, the more serious the condition and the worse the prognosis. The initial symptoms of poisoning are temporary digestive tract dysfunction, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc., followed by neurological symptoms such as dizziness, headache, diplopia or hallucinations, and dizziness to the point of being unable to open eyes or stand. After 24 hours, the patient recovers without sequelae. In severe cases, vomiting is frequent (-) Etiology
Moldy sugarcane is caused by fungal contamination. The poisoning pathogen is Arhrinium, which produces heat-resistant 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA). Arhrinium accounts for about 26% of the total number of molds detected. Long-term storage of spoiled sugarcane is a good culture medium for the development, reproduction, and toxin production of Arhrinium. The most suitable conditions for the toxin production of Arhrinium are 15~18℃, pH 5.5, and 2%~10% sugar content in the culture medium. Arthrospora produces 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA), and its toxin-producing strains account for about 50% (48.8%). 3-NPA is the main substance that causes spoiled sugarcane poisoning. 3-NPA is excreted slowly and has strong neurological properties, mainly damaging the central nervous system and also affecting the digestive system. The disease can occur within a short period of time after eating. The toxicity is strong and stable. The toxicity is not reduced after heating and disinfectant treatment, and there is no immunity. Once the nervous system is damaged, the degree of recovery is related to the severity of the poisoning, the amount of toxins, individual differences, whether it can be diagnosed early, and whether gastric lavage can be performed to reduce toxin absorption. It is generally difficult to recover completely. Moldy sugarcane poisoning has been prevalent in my country for 38 years. The first report was a case of poisoning caused by eating spoiled sugarcane in Zhengzhou, Henan in March 1972. A total of 36 people were poisoned, 27 were seriously ill, and 3 died, with a mortality rate of 8.33%. Moldy sugarcane poisoning mostly occurs in northern regions, such as Hebei and Henan provinces, followed by Shandong, Liaoning, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi and other places. The season of onset is mostly from February to April. Because sugarcane is mainly harvested in autumn and transported from the south to the north, it needs to be stored and transported for a long time. In this process, it is very easy to be contaminated by mold. If it is not fully mature, the sugar content (about 7.76%) and low osmotic pressure are more conducive to the growth of mold. After being transported to the north, it encounters cold weather and freezes. When the temperature warms up in early spring, it is also the ideal period for the growth and reproduction of microorganisms such as bacteria and molds. The mold in the sugarcane will produce a large amount of toxins. Generally, after the contamination of sugarcane by Arthritis spores, toxins can be produced within 2 to 3 weeks. The age of onset is mostly children aged 3 to 10 years old, and most of the critically ill patients and deaths are children. But there are also cases and deaths in older age groups. The characteristics of the disease are mostly sporadic.
Moldy sugarcane is soft in texture, and the color of the flesh is darker than that of normal sugarcane, generally light brown, and smells bad or lees, or pungent. There are white flocculent or fuzzy mold mycelium on the cross section and tip, and the tissue structure is rotten. If it is cut into thin slices and observed under a microscope, a large number of fungal mycelium can be seen to be infected. (II) Symptoms of poisoning The incubation period of moldy sugarcane poisoning is relatively short, mostly between 10 minutes and 17 hours, generally 2 to 8 hours, and the shortest is only a dozen minutes. The earlier the symptoms appear, the more serious the condition and the worse the prognosis. The initial symptoms of poisoning are temporary digestive tract dysfunction, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc., followed by neurological symptoms such as dizziness, headache, double vision or hallucinations, and dizziness to the point of being unable to open the eyes or unable to stand. After 24 hours, the patient recovers without sequelae. In more serious cases, frequent vomiting