Botulism suggested as possible poisoning agent

HAMILTON: The source of the suspected food poisoning that has put three members of the same family on lifesupport in the Waikato is still a mystery, but poison experts say it could be botulism.

Shibu Kochummen, his wife, Subi Babu, and his mother, Alekutty Daniel, were found unconscious in their home on Friday night.

They had started vomiting and fainting shortly after eating dinner, including a dish of wild boar.

All three are largely unresponsive and are on lifesupport machines in Waikato Hospital. The couple’s two young children are in the care of church members.

It is widely suspected the boar — which Mr Kochummen had killed on a hunting trip — could be the source of the poison. The meat has been taken for testing.

Waikato District Health Board medical officer of health Richard Vipond said experts were investigating potential

sources of the illness, including wild pork.

‘‘We do not have any evidence to determine any broader contaminated game meat, or that there is a risk to public health, however, I would encourage anyone who is hunting or handling game meat to follow guidelines [see above] as set out by the Ministry for Primary Industries,’’ Dr Vipond said.

National Poisons Centre director and medical toxicologist Adam Pomerleau said the sudden onset of the illness in all three adults suggested a

toxin rather than an infection, although he had not seen the patients’ clinical details.

Botulism poisoning was a possible cause of the reported symptoms.

The rare and potentially fatal illness is caused by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum.

Symptoms can include vomiting, muscle weakness and paralysis.

However, there is usually a lag of several hours or days between ingesting the bacteria and symptoms appearing, not 30 minutes after eating, Dr Pomerleau said.

‘‘But it’s all about dose. If the dose is very high, the symptoms could be seen more rapidly. The incubation period could be the day of consumption.’’

An antitoxin for botulism does exist but it can be hard to find and must be used quickly, Dr Pomerleau said.

‘‘If it does turn out to be botulism, the faster the antitoxin is given, the better their improvement.’’

Recovery would take weeks or months, he said, and there could be residual symptoms.

Paralytic shellfish poisoning, or a range of anticholinergic poisons — some of which are found in plants — could also cause similar symptoms, he said.

There has been speculation online that the pig might have eaten 1080. Dr Pomerleau said he had never heard of a case of 1080 poisoning where the person had not directly ingested the bait.

New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association president Bill O’Leary said it was not uncommon for wild animals to be dropped off at a game butcher and be deemed unfit for human consumption.

‘‘From a hunter’s point of view, this is the first incident I’ve heard of [with] a number of people going down,’’ he said.

He questioned how the meat was treated, whether it was gutted quickly and safely and how long it was left out, before or after cooking.

He also said it was important for hunters to get their kill somewhere cool quickly, especially as temperatures rose. — NZME