Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T15:38:36.704Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Red kidney bean poisoning in the UK: an analysis of 50 suspected incidents between 1976 and 1989

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

J. C. Rodhouse ,
C. A. Haugh ,
D. Roberts  and
R. J. Gilbert
J. C. Rodhouse
Affiliation:
PHLS Food Hygiene Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
C. A. Haugh
Affiliation:
PHLS Food Hygiene Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
D. Roberts
Affiliation:
PHLS Food Hygiene Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
R. J. Gilbert
Affiliation:
PHLS Food Hygiene Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Between July 1976 and February 1989, 50 incidents of suspected red kidney bean poisoning were reported in the UK. Nine incidents in which nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea developed within 1–7 h of ingestion, were confirmed by the detection of haemagglutinin in the beans. The diagnosis was made on a further 23 incidents on the basis of symptoms, incubation time and the description of preparation of beans prior to consumption. The haemagglutinin (lectin), which occurs naturally in the red kidney bean, is inactivated by thorough cooking of well soaked beans. In many of the outbreaks reported the implicated beans were consumed raw or following an inadequate heat process.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 105 , Issue 3 , December 1990 , pp. 485 - 491
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

References

REFERENCES

1.Bender, AE, Reaidi, GB. Toxicity of kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) with particular reference to lectins. J Plant Foods 1982; 4: 15–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Griebel, C. Erkrankungen durch Bohnenflocken (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Platterbsen (Lathyrus tingitanus L.) Z Lebensm Unters Forsch 1950; 90: 191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Noah, ND, Bender, AE, Reaidi, GB, Gilbert, RJ. Food poisoning from raw red kidney beans. Br Med J 1980; 281: 236–7.Google Scholar
4.Todd, E, Pivnick, H, Pivnick, K. Illness from kidney beans. Canada Diseases Weekly Report 1980; 6: No. 21: 101–3.Google Scholar
5.Tan, A. Non-bacterial food poisoning. Communicable Diseases Intelligence (Australia) 1982; No. 6: 7.Google Scholar
6.Pusztai, A. The role in food poisoning of toxins from plants. In: Robinson, RK, ed. Developments in food microbiology - 2. London: Elsevier Applied Science Publishers 1986: 179–94.Google Scholar
7.Liener, IE. Phytohaemagglutinins: Their nutritional significance. J Agr Food Chem 1974; 22: 17–22.Google Scholar
8.Coffey, DG, Uebersax, MA, Hosfield, GC, Brunner, JR. Evaluation of the hemagglutinating activity of low-temperature cooked beans. J Food Sci 1985; 50: 78–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Jaffe, WG. Toxic proteins and peptides. In: Toxicants occurring naturally in foods, 2nd ed.Washington DC: National Academy of Sciences 1973; 106–29.Google Scholar
10.Perkins, HA. Strategies for massive transfusion. In: Patz, LD, Swisher, SN, eds. Clinical practice of blood transfusion. New York: Churchill Livingstone 1981; 485–99.Google Scholar
11.Thompson, LU, Rea, RL, Jenkins, DJA. Effect of heat processing on haemagglutinin activity in red kidney beans. J Food Sci 1983; 48: 235–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Liener, IE. The photometric determination of the haemagglutinating activity of soyin and crude soybean extracts. Arch Biochem Biophys 1953; 54: 223–31.Google Scholar
13.Grant, G, More, LJ, McKenzie, NH, Stewart, JC, Pusztai, AA. Survey of the nutritional properties of legume seeds available in the UK. Br J Nutr 1983; 50: 207–11.Google Scholar