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Foodborne Illnesses Listed by Category Below

 

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  Summary
Background
Clinical Features (symptoms)
Diagnosis and Control
Route of transmission
Foods to avoid
Risk Groups
Treatment & Prevention
  
     
  Summary:  
  A disease caused by a compound produced on a fungus associated with the reproductive structures of rye grasses.  
 
 
  Background:  
 

The drug known as ergot is a pharmacologically active agent derived from the reproductive sclerotium of the fungus, Claviceps purpurea, which typically grows on the heads of rye plants.   The disease, known as ergotism, results from the ingestion of sclerotia mixed into rye bread.    Historically, ergot poisoning is an ancient disease having been the scourge of men and women for thousands of years.   In fact they have been causing suffering in those unfortunate enough to consume it ever since man first began cultivating grasses for food.  Rye grasses were likely grown in Thrace and Macedonia and were not introduced into Europe until the Christian Era.   In 430 B.C. this disease struck the Spartans during a war with Athens.   Epidemics occurred throughout Europe during the middle ages leaving haunting stories describing screams of death, the stench of rotting flesh, and even limbs falling off of the body completely.   To give illustrate just how prevalent a problem this was there were a total of 65 epidemics recorded between 1581 and 1889 with a mortality of 11-60%.

Ergot Alkaloids and St. Anthony's fire

In Europe, the outbreaks of illness spread quickly, "like fire", and the instance of disease was rarely isolated to just a few victims.  Horrifying stories of death naturally brought people to the church to seek mercy from God and supplications were made to the saints.   It wasn't long before people began to notice that sufferers who made pilgrimages to his shrine often gained relief.    Perhaps it was the refined methods that the monks used to cultivate non-ergot containing rye.    Survivors attributed their success to St. Anthony and in 1039 AD built a hospital in the Rhone Valley.   Monks in this hospital acquired relics of St. Anthony to adorn its halls and soon formed the order of St. Anthony who dedicated themselves to nursing the survivors of ergotism.  The Book of Hours, Saint Anthony is asked for protection against the disease to this day the condition is referred to as St. Anthony's Fire.

  
 
 
  Clinical features (Symptoms)  
  There are two very different manifestations of this disease.  The gangrenous form typically begins with fatigue, and cold prickly sensations (much like a foot falling asleep).   Pain would begin in the muscles, limbs would become swollen, and burning sensations of pain would alternate with cold.   The affected body parts would become numb, blackened, and as dry gangrene would spread the victims skin would literally slough right of the body.   The other form is called convulsive ergotism and as the name implies it affects the central nervous system.   Initial symptoms range from formication (feels like ants crawling on your skin) , itching, numbness and twitching of extremeties.   These soon escalate to convulsions.   These convulsions often give the appearance of tetanus since fists become clenched, and the body can become rolled up into a ball or bent rigidly backward.   Some of those affected died within hours, while others languished for several weeks.  Some severe, non-fatal cases can last several months commonly accompanied by brain damage.   Incidentally, there is no cure for ergot poisoning.  
 
 
  Diagnosis and control  
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  Routes of transmission?  
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  Foods to avoid  
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  Risk groups  
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  Treatment and prevention  
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