TAIPEI - A toxin suspected as the culprit of a lethal food poisoning outbreak in a Taipei restaurant has been detected in the feces of a chef from the Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam's branch in Taipei's Xinyi District, Deputy Health Minister Victor Wang said Saturday.
The toxin -- Bongkrekic acid -- was found in samples collected from the chef's feces on March 27, Central news agency (CNA) reported a Facebook post made by Wang said on Saturday evening.
Earlier, samples collected from that chef's hands on March 24 also tested positive for Bongkrekic acid, which can be fatal to humans even in minute quantities, with consumption of as little as one milligram.
The toxin was found in most of the patients in this food poisoning outbreak.
As of 5.30pm Saturday, out of the 34 people who ate at the Xinyi restaurant between March 18 and 24 and reported falling ill, two have died and seven individuals remain hospitalised, with four of them in critical condition in intensive care units, CNA reported.
The remaining 25 are recuperating at home, according to the Health and Welfare Ministry (MOHW).
Wang said that the chef, whose health condition is normal, underwent blood and urine tests for Bongkrekic acid on Friday and the results returned negative.
He speculated that the chef might not have directly eaten the food contaminated with the toxin but ingested a trace amount of it, which might have already been metabolised in his body. Wang explained that the toxin could have originated from contamination on the chef's hands, likely acquired through contact with contaminated food during the cooking process.
Wang reiterated that the food poisoning outbreak was confined to the Xinyi branch and occurred between March 19 and 24, with flat rice noodles remaining the primary suspect for contamination with the toxin. - BERNAMA-CNA