TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A health ministry official on Monday (April 1) said two victims of a bongkrek acid poisoning at a Taipei eatery may need liver transplants.
The total number of people who have suffered food poisoning from bongkrek acid at the Malaysian restaurant Polam Kopitiam has risen to 31, according to Wang Pi-sheng (王必勝), Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare. Wang said that of these cases, two have died, five were admitted to the intensive care unit, three are in the general ward, and 21 have returned home to recuperate.
During an interview with Taipei Pop Radio on Monday, Wang said that among the five cases undergoing intensive care, one has improved, two are likely to need liver transplants, and one is still undergoing Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) treatment. According to Wang, the patient who has improved may soon be transferred to the general ward, but the four other patients remain in a coma, with severe liver damage.
Wang said that two of the severe cases are being considered for liver transplantation. He said that there is no antidote for bongkrek acid, and its half-life in the human body is as long as four days.
In addition, Wang said there is limited experience in dealing with the toxin. During an expert meeting on March 27, Wang said hospitals discussed cases and in addition to supportive therapy, proposed using plasma exchange therapy to help patients remove toxins from their bodies.
Wang said that during the epidemiological investigation, it was found that everyone had consumed rice noodles. However, the distribution of toxins on the rice noodles may not be uniform, and individuals may not have finished consuming the entire portion.
The majority of cases, 29, dined at the Polam Kopitiam in the basement food court of Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store. Two ate at the eatery on Raohe Street in Songshan District.
The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) previously stated that the bacteria Burkholderia gladioli has just four pathogenic types, among which only one is capable of producing the toxin bongkrek acid — Burkholderia gladioli pathovar cocovenenans. After long-term observation of plants and soil, MOA has not found the existence of this pathovariety of Burkholderia gladioli in Taiwan.
Wang said it is possible that this bacterium was brought into the country. Environmental sampling has been conducted at the Polam Kopitiam restaurants to see if this bacterium can be cultivated. Bacterial cultivation takes two weeks, said Wang.
