Chinese scientists build bongkrekic acid knowledge
Chinese scientists have studied the presence of a rare but dangerous bacteria in mushroom products.
Burkholderia Gladiolit Pathovar Cocovenènans can cause fatal poisoning. Most cases have been reported in China, mainly fermented cereal products.
Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, weakness and palpitations. From 2005 to 2020, 30 epidemics of food origin were reported, resulting in 85 deaths.
Burkholderia Gladiolit Pathovar Cocovenènans causes poisoning by producing bongkrekic acid, which cannot be destroyed by cooking.
The study, published in China CDC Weekly, details the contamination of commercial fungi and analyzed the environmental conditions for bongkrekic acid production.
Detection rate in samples
The dried black fungus and dried fuciformis fuciformis, a edible fungus, were soaked in sterile water during a range of periods and temperatures. Scientists have said people should avoid eating tempered mushroom products 24 hours or more, regardless of temperature.
In total, 85 food samples were taken from the Shanghai markets in 2023. Sixty were bought in Xuhui, Changning and Minhang markets, while 25 came from online stores in Shanghai.
Overall, in 38 of the 85 samples, ice cubes from Burkholderia were detected. The highest detection rate was in dried black fungi with 34 of the 36 positive, followed by Fresh Tremella Fuciformis with two of the 12 positives, and fresh black mushrooms and dried fuciformis fuciformis with a positive each.
Burkholderia Gladiolit Pathovar Cocovenénans was found in 14 of the 36 samples of dried black mushrooms. A range of bongkrekic acid concentrations has been found.
Previous research has revealed that the optimal temperature and the pH for the growth of Burkholderia Gladiolit Pathovar Cocovenénans are 37 degrees C (98.6 degrees F) and PH of 6, while for bongkreque acid, these figures are 30 degrees C (86 degrees F) and a pH of 7.
The results indicate that the isolates of Burkholderia Gladiolit Pathovar Cocovenénans have variable capacities for the production of bongkrekic acid.
“Control of contamination in raw materials is crucial to prevent the contamination of the ice cubes of Burkholderia in dried black mushrooms and the Tremella Fuciformis,” said scientists.
Risk of Citrobacter
Meanwhile, another study linked Citrobacter to two incidents in eastern China in August 2022 and October 2023.
Scientists have studied the role of Citrobacter Portucalensis and Citrobacter Freundii as opportunistic pathogens in diarrhea epidemics. The results were published in the journal Food Microbiology.
Two food poisoning incidents were reported by the Centers for Disease Control and local prevention in eastern China. An epidemic caused diarrhea and vomiting in 23 employees of two companies, and the others affected secondary school students, without common pathogens isolated in the initial test.
“This study highlights the importance of monitoring Citrobacter species in the context of food security and emphasizes neglected emerging pathogens involved in these epidemics in the region,” said researchers.
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