Man killed eating broccoli: Two now dead as woman, 52, also passes away after eating contaminated broccoli and sausage sandwich
Two people have died and more than a dozen others have been left in hospital after eating a contaminated broccoli and sausage sandwich.
The incident occurred close to Diamante in Calabria, Italy, where customers purchased paninis containing grilled sausages and broccoli from a food truck. The deceased have been identified as Luigi di Sarno, a 52-year-old artist, and 45-year-old Tamara D'Acunto.
Post-mortem examinations are scheduled for this week. All those affected developed symptoms within one to two days of consuming the sandwiches.
Those in hospital include two teenagers. The victims had visited the food truck and ordered panini containing grilled sausages and "cime di rapa", a summer vegetable also known as friarielli which is widely enjoyed in Italy.
Di Sarno's sister revealed that her brother had been discharged from hospital whilst still experiencing symptoms, before subsequently passing away. A probe into an outbreak of botulism has now been launched following the deaths.
The turnip greens were said to have been stored in olive oil inside glass jars or containers, which may have contributed to the contamination. Nine individuals face investigation by authorities: the food truck proprietor, three staff members from the firm that allegedly produced the sandwiches, and five medical professionals who treated patients at two hospitals near Cosenza. The doctors face accusations of failing to diagnose the condition quickly enough.
According to the NHS botulism is a rare but life-threatening condition caused by toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. These toxins attack the nervous system (nerves, brain and spinal cord) and cause paralysis (muscle weakness).
There are three main types of botulism:
- food-borne botulism – when someone eats food containing the toxins because it has not been properly canned, preserved or cooked
- wound botulism – when a wound becomes infected with the bacteria, usually as a result of injecting illegal drugs like heroin contaminated with the bacteria into muscle rather than a vein
- infant botulism – when a baby swallows a resistant form of the bacteria, called a spore, in contaminated soil or food, such as honey (these spores are harmless to older children and adults because the body develops defences against them from about the age of 1)