Two people have died, and fourteen others are in the hospital after eating sandwiches during a botulism outbreak in Italy, according to local news reports.
Tamara D’Acunto, 45, died after buying a sausage and turnip-top sandwich from a food truck in Diamante, a coastal town in Calabria. Italian news agency ANSA reported the sandwich contained a vegetable similar to broccoli. Officials later ordered the seizure of a commercial product believed to be broccoli in oil. D’Acunto passed away on Wednesday, August 6, and her funeral was held the next day.
Luigi Di Santo, a 52-year-old artist and musician from Cercola near Naples, also died after eating a sandwich from the same truck.
Local authorities say the botulism outbreak has caused the deaths. Fourteen people have been hospitalized, including five in intensive care, after eating food from the truck. The Paola Public Prosecutor’s Office is now investigating the case.
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Tests found several foods from the truck were contaminated with botulism. A prosecutor said the truck owner may have used only one kitchen tool to handle the food, which could explain the contamination.
Ten people are under investigation, including the street vendor, some doctors who treated the victims, and managers of companies that produced the possibly contaminated products.
The vendor’s lawyer, Francesco Liserre, said the food was stored in a refrigerator and only opened when needed. He added that his client is “devastated” and believes the contamination was already in the products.
Autopsy results for the victims have not been released. Botulism was detected in the first samples taken from patients at Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza. Prosecutors have ordered a nationwide seizure of the suspected products.
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Botulism is caused by a toxin called Clostridium botulinum. It can attack the nerves and cause breathing problems, muscle paralysis, and sometimes death. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it can occur from contaminated foods, often homemade or improperly preserved, though store-bought foods can also be affected.
This outbreak comes about two weeks after a 38-year-old woman died from eating a taco with guacamole at a festival in Cagliari, Sardinia. An 11-year-old boy who ate the same guacamole was hospitalized in Rome.
