A FOODBORNE DISEASE OUTBREAK DUE TO THE CONSUMPTION OF MOLDY SORGHUM AND MAIZE CONTAINING FUMONISIN MYCOTOXINS

Background: Unseasonal rains beginning in 1995 damaged the maize and s orghum crops harvested in a few villages of the Deccan plateau in Indi a. Human consumption of those grains resulted in a foodborne disease o utbreak characterized by abdominal pain, borborygmi and diarrhea. Meth ods: A rapid epidemiological survey was conducted in the affected vill ages and a detailed house to house survey in selected villages. Result s: People in 27 out of 50 villages surveyed were affected and disease was seen only in households and subjects consuming the rain damaged mo ldy sorghum or maize. The disease was self limiting. Diarrhea was repr oduced in day old cockerels fed contaminated grains from affected hous eholds. All 20 sorghum and 12 maize samples collected from affected ho useholds had Fusarium sp. as the dominant mycoflora and contained fumo nisin B-1 in the range of 0.14-7.8 mg/kg and 0.25-64.7 mg/kg, respecti vely. In contrast, samples collected from unaffected households had fu monisin B-1 in low levels ranging from 0.07-0.36 mg/kg and 0.05-0.24 m g/kg, respectively. Conclusion: The higher water activity in the grain s left in the field following harvest led to the production of high le vels of fumonisin B-1 and consumption of such grains by humans resulte d in the disease.