DUCK EGGS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 25 January 1944, Page 2

DUCK EGGS

FOOD POISONING DANGER RESEARCH IN AUCKLAND Auckland, Jan. 24. A considerable amount of evidence which points to the danger of eating duck eggs which have not been thoroughly cooked, or foods prepared with raw duck eggs, has been collected in the Auckland district by an officer of the Health Department. The results of his investigations into the causes of food poisoning give emphasis to the recent warning given by an officer of the department in Wellington.

In the past 18 months 77 cases of food poisoning in and around Auckland have been notified to the department. These cases were grouped in 11 separate outbreaks and all groups, except two, have been connected with the consumption of duck eggs in partially cooked food, generally Spanish cream. Recently 22 persons employed at a radio station weie affected by food poisoning, three of them being admitted to hospital. They had been eating custard made with duck eggs, and - when the remainder of the custard was examined one of the members of the Salmonella group of organisms was isolated from it. It was known that this group of organisms was responsible for the infection found in some duck eggs.

Endeavours to locate the sources of food poisoning do not, however, always meet with the same success. Twelve guests and eight members of the staff of en accommodation house near Auckland suffered an attack last year. In this case, also, three people were taken to hospital. It was found that all the victims had been eating Spanish cream made with duck eggs, but it was not possible t 6 make satisfactory tests to •stablish that the eggs were irffected.

In many cases where there have been no remnants of food available for testing it has not been possible to trace the locality from which duck eggs suspected of infection have been obtained. Had that been possible, tests could have been made on eggs taken from the same pest. However, sufficient have been made in other cases to support the evidence of the presence of Salmonella organisms in some duck eggs.

It was pointed out by the Health Department officer that duck eggs were a good source of food and should not be condemned. Provided they were used in cakes or other foods that had to be thoroughly cooked, there was no harm in them. But they should not be used in such dishes as Spanish cream, meringue puddings or lightly cooked custards. These dishes were prepared in such a way that if there was an infection in them they provided ideal culture media for dangerous bacteria. The officer further - pointed out that the amount of infection among ducks was at present unknown, but it was probably fairly low. Though a duck might be infected, it did not necessarily mean that every egg the bird laid was contaminated.