A couple of weeks ago I was watching the local 11pm news and a story about a pretty nasty event  linked to Raleigh restaurant popped on. WRAL reported that one paramedic unit was dispatched and called for backup when 10 patrons of EVOO (which I drive by on my way to campus)  suddenly became ill on April 17th, 2009. At least three patrons were taken to hospital with stomach cramps, vomiting and dizziness.

When I first heard about how violent and sudden the outbreak was I was reminded of an a couple of scombrotoxin outbreaks that occurred in Washington State in 2004.  My favorite part about that outbreak report was what diarrhea associated with escolar looks like:

Diarrhea associated with consumption of escolar is caused by an indigestible waxy ester (gempylotoxin) that is naturally present in the fish; the diarrhea is often described as oily and/or unusually colored, and may be accompanied by abdominal discomfort and fecal incontinence.

Mmmm.

Although the true cause may never be known the epidemiology reports point to salad consumption as a common food. One of the working theories for this outbreak is cross-contamination of scombrotoxin poison from fish on the menu or high-histamine containing anchovies used in Caesar salad dressing.

Here’s this week’s food safety infosheet on EVOO and scombrotoxin.