Nasty Food Poisoning In Bangkok

[The Professor]

I wanted to point out to people of a poisoning I suffered 4 days ago and still not normal. I fell in love with these Charro Burritos and Chimichangas, beef and pork, that you can buy at Villa, Paragon and I guess elsewhere. I use the charro sauce pack included with the burritos as well as charro green sauce and charro hot sauce to spread on them AND a new delicious deluxe sour cream called Alli that appeared around thanksgiving in foodland and villa but never seen be4.

now let me state that for weeks and weeks I've been eating these things as described above and weeks be4 that minus the sour cream. When I say eating this stuff, I mean almost everyday cause I like it so much. then the incident. I wanted the opinion of members as to what the culprit was. the sour cream I used had and expiry date less than 2 days away. I am calling that the cause but I fear that there is a chance it was something else that I may be doomed to repeat. btw I smelled the sour cream beforehand and it smelled OK

[Thaiboxer]

The sour cream is the most likely culprit although it could also be the beef or pork in those burritos. I've read some horror stories about how Villa stocks expired meats. It's hard to tell with sour cream because it will smell a bit sour anyway. Probably best to avoid that altogether.

[kmart]

I was in hospital (Rayong) last Friday with a suspected food poisoning myself. Although the wife and I ate the same things previously, and she had no problems!

I tend to get sick; flu, colds, stomach problems, etc; around this time of year anyway. Bacteria changes probably, due to change of season / temperature etc.

[Cpt_M0ney_Sh0t]

You have my sympathy. I remember my first bout with food poisoning in Thailand. I ate some street vendor chicken (I can't resist the chicken ) in Pattaya and was room bound for 5 days. Or rather I wished I could have been because I had to do a boarder run on the 4th day. Nothing like a bumpy4 hr ride in the back of a minivan to make you wanna die :s

[astral]

So you poisoned yourself??

I do not understand why you suffered so long.

Even the small clinics can do tests within 20-30 minutes and then the doctor prescribes the necessary medicine.

[JacknDanny]

I wanted to point out to people of a poisoning I suffered 4 days ago and still not normal. I fell in love with these Charro Burritos and Chimichangas, beef and pork, that you can buy at Villa, Paragon and I guess elsewhere. I use the charro sauce pack included with the burritos as well as charro green sauce and charro hot sauce to spread on them AND a new delicious deluxe sour cream called Alli that appeared around thanksgiving in foodland and villa but never seen be4.

now let me state that for weeks and weeks I've been eating these things as described above and weeks be4 that minus the sour cream. When I say eating this stuff, I mean almost everyday cause I like it so much. then the incident. I wanted the opinion of members as to what the culprit was. the sour cream I used had and expiry date less than 2 days away. I am calling that the cause but I fear that there is a chance it was something else that I may be doomed to repeat. btw I smelled the sour cream beforehand and it smelled OK

I have had several problems with Villa Market.

They DELIBERATELY alter/overstamp/remove sell by dates. I have seen it with my own eyes and have complained about it, as well as bringing to the attention of this board. I refuse to shop at Villa for this reason. So it would not surprise me if you had been eating product several weeks or even months out of date. Stick to Foodland in my opinion

[Scott]

Several things to keep in mind--sour cream probably wasn't the culprit, it's already been soured. The meat in those things is cooked and, although cooked meat can go bad you can sometimes either taste or "feel" that it isn't right (if the meat seems "slimy" it can be because of bacteria.

The culprit is probably salmonella and that is often caused by contamination with other food. If the place where stuff is cooked/prepared is contaminated and not properly cleaned, your food will be contaminated. Even the dishes, if not washed properly, can be contaminated by being washed in water contaminated by other dishes.

There isn't a lot that you can do, except you might want to switch to another store to buy your things for about a month and see if it gets cleaned out by itself. (I think some of the Tops stores--like Sala Daeng--have it).

You will probably build up some immunity to it, but may have to suffer in the meantime.

I once attended an after work get together and a restaurant/bar. Some people ate nothing and only drank water, soda etc. Some only drank beer. Some people ate, but drank nothing. Some ate and drank. EVERYONE got sick. Most just got a touch of diahrrea (sp?)--not even enough to mention. Others were too sick too work and one person ended up hospitalized. Everyone had varying degrees of immunity.

The culprit, it appears was the dishwashing water and varying degrees of suceptibility.

The overall health standards are pathetically low in the country. Even the good places adhere to almost no standards.

Good luck and hope you enjoy your food and don't have to switch.

[ronz28]

Were there any green onions in it?

I have heard of people getting Hep A from contaminated onions and now E. Coli from the green onions at Taco Bell.

Taco Bell stops serving green onions after finding E. coli

By Jerry Hirsch , Times Staff Writer, Times Staff Writer

1:28 PM PST, December 6, 2006

Taco Bell today said it would remove green onions from its 5,800 restaurants following an E. coli outbreak, renewing pressure on the produce industry and federal regulators to enact stricter controls on the handling of fresh fruit and vegetables.

The Irvine-based company said preliminary testing by an independent lab found possible contamination in three samples of green onions by a potentially deadly strain of E. coli, which has sickened at least three dozen people in three northeastern states. E. coli is found in the feces of animals and humans.

"In an abundance of caution, we've decided to pull all green onions from our restaurants until we know conclusively whether they are the cause of the E. coli outbreak," said Greg Creed, president of Taco Bell Corp., whose corporate parent, Yum Brands Inc., also owns Pizza Hut and KFC.

The episode is the latest in a series of outbreaks of illness traced to fresh vegetables and fruit in recent years. One such outbreak a few months ago led to the deaths of three people who ate California-grown spinach.

Fresh produce accounts for more illness outbreaks, and more sick people, than any other food product, said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group.

Regulators may have to enact stricter rules for produce growing and handling "because the industry is not addressing this well enough," said Mike Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia.

"The industry is going to have to reinvent itself and find new ways to treat produce so that it is nutritious and still tastes and looks good," Doyle said.

Health officials still have to make a definitive determination as to what is behind the latest outbreak. So far, no source has been identified for the outbreak of E. coli, said Lola Russell, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The strain has been identified as E. coli 0157, and "most likely it is from Taco Bell restaurants," she said. So far, 70 people in five states — New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware and Pennsylvania — have fallen ill.

Between 1998 and 2004, the CDC recorded an average of 26,500 people each year who fell ill from eating infected food in restaurants, according to a study published last month in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. During that period, half the disease outbreaks reported to the CDC were associated with restaurants or delicatessens. One in four Americans eat at least one meal in a restaurant on any given day, the study noted.

Food safety experts believe several factors have made these types of outbreaks more prominent. One factor is that people are following good nutrition advice and eating more produce. So there is more opportunity for bacteria to sneak through the system and sicken consumers.

In addition, prompted by previous outbreaks, public health officials have developed better surveillance and information systems, which leads to better and quicker identification of outbreaks. Before, when people got sick from food, it more likely than now for the cause and extent of the outbreak to never be known. Now, however, officials can link incidents of food-borne illness and quickly take action to publicize the outbreak and investigate the source.

[Scott]

Whoa, I think that unless they are suddenly (and secretly) importing onions from the US, this is not the prime suspect!

[drummer]

FYI - there is a product called GSE - Graprfruit Seed Extract - that works wonders on diahhrea.

I don't know if you can get it in LOS, though. My mom brought some out for me when she came out to visit. It sat around for a while, but one day I Moctezuma gor his Revenge by shaking up bottles of soda. I tried 2 different knids of antibiotics from Boots/Watsons, and it didn;'t help at all. I ntoiced the little bottle and tried it, and the symptoms stopped.

Within 10 minutes.

I didn't take a follow up dose and it came back, but when I took it all the next day it was gone for good.

Anyone who wanted to import/advertise this stuff could probably make a good living. Cheaper/more effective/better for you than antibiotics. Could be a big Thai market, and could probably make it locally - I don't really know anything more about it, though. (tastes like the inside peel of the grapefruit, only more so!)

[terry57]

makes being a vegetarian look like being a good prospect.

[farang prince]

makes being a vegetarian look like being a good prospect.

With your luck you would end up with E. Coli-contaminated spinach.

[davidjtayler]

makes being a vegetarian look like being a good prospect.

With your luck you would end up with E. Coli-contaminated spinach.

Words like that would make Popeye turn in his grave ...

[DP25]

I also eat those Charro burritos almost every day, haven't been sick yet. Not sure what brand of sour cream I use, but it comes in blue yogurt containers. I think some of these grocery stores aren't keeping their deli counters cold enough and the food is going bad if it isn't selling quickly enough. Last week I bought a piece of cheese from the deli in Tops, and it had gone completely rancid and was inedible. You probably just had some bad luck and got something that had been left without refrigeration too long. At least I hope it was just bad luck, cause I'm not gonna stop eating those burritos.

[dave111223]

My method for curing stomach problems is boiled eggs.

Eat as many as you can (i'm talking like 2 or 3 per meal, so around 6-8 a day)... has worked for me everytime.

I first attempted it when i had a similar situation as the OP.

I had been running to the toilet every 5 minutes for 5 days. My stomach was hurting so bad i couldnt sleep, just lay around the room all day. I'd tried all kinds of different pills, some from Thai doctor and some that i had brought with me.

But nothing worked....until the boiled eggs, 1 day of eggs you'll feel alot better, 2 days and you'll be completely better!

Its worth a try!

[toptuan]

4th day? You sorry soul. This bears copying from another thread, at least to help your probably loose bowels:

There's a western acronym to help speed up getting back to solid bowels: BRAT

B = bananas

R = rice

A = apple sauce

T = tea

Better n' Immodium or a cork. I haven't found apple sauce in Isaan, but the other three did the trick!

[MiG16]

FYI - there is a product called GSE - Graprfruit Seed Extract - that works wonders on diahhrea.

I don't know if you can get it in LOS, though.

Within 10 minutes.

Anyone who wanted to import/advertise this stuff could probably make a good living.

cannot comment on whether or not it works, but grape seed extracts in various forms are available...at many of the drug store brands...GNC store has them..and a few others

[Livinginexile]

I wanted to point out to people of a poisoning I suffered 4 days ago and still not normal. I fell in love with these Charro Burritos and Chimichangas, beef and pork, that you can buy at Villa, Paragon and I guess elsewhere. I use the charro sauce pack included with the burritos as well as charro green sauce and charro hot sauce to spread on them AND a new delicious deluxe sour cream called Alli that appeared around thanksgiving in foodland and villa but never seen be4.

now let me state that for weeks and weeks I've been eating these things as described above and weeks be4 that minus the sour cream. When I say eating this stuff, I mean almost everyday cause I like it so much. then the incident. I wanted the opinion of members as to what the culprit was. the sour cream I used had and expiry date less than 2 days away. I am calling that the cause but I fear that there is a chance it was something else that I may be doomed to repeat. btw I smelled the sour cream beforehand and it smelled OK

About a year ago I got a really bad dose of food poisoning too. Let me tell you, I have been travelling around Asia for more than 15 years and I have experienced a few from time to time but nothing like this one. I got it from eating papaya salad bought from a street vendor. I ended up in hospital on a drip for 2 days.

Anyway it sort of cleared up but 4 weeks later back home in Sydney I was still feeling the effects and went to my GP who took a stool sample for analysis. The result was I still had this (i cant remember the clinical word for it) tropical bacterial infection in my bowel and was on some serious medication for 2 weeks. To this day my bowels have not been the same.

Even Thai international hospitals will rarely do stool cultures to see what you have got and give you the correct medication.

If you don't recover 100% go and get it checked out professionally.

[Kilgore Trout]

I wanted to point out to people of a poisoning I suffered 4 days ago and still not normal. I fell in love with these Charro Burritos and Chimichangas, beef and pork, that you can buy at Villa, Paragon and I guess elsewhere. I use the charro sauce pack included with the burritos as well as charro green sauce and charro hot sauce to spread on them AND a new delicious deluxe sour cream called Alli that appeared around thanksgiving in foodland and villa but never seen be4.

now let me state that for weeks and weeks I've been eating these things as described above and weeks be4 that minus the sour cream. When I say eating this stuff, I mean almost everyday cause I like it so much. then the incident. I wanted the opinion of members as to what the culprit was. the sour cream I used had and expiry date less than 2 days away. I am calling that the cause but I fear that there is a chance it was something else that I may be doomed to repeat. btw I smelled the sour cream beforehand and it smelled OK

I had a similar problem with that brand, I like the burritos and such too; they remind me of the "Patio" microwave burritos I used to buy back home.

About a year and a half ago I had bought some and I got really sick like you had described; I think it was from a chicken burrito. Since then I ate only the bean burritos, actually recently I broke down and bought a batch of chicken ones and ate them no problem.

Interesting to hear about Villa, I do most of my shopping there nowadays, when I got sick I had bought the burritos at Foodland.

[drummer]

Taking the GSE is like sticking a cork up your .... you don't have a bowel movement for 12 hours and when it does it is solid. Again, I'd highly recommend it. Some people think its a uer-all ... I doubt that, but it does work for diahhrea...

[davidjtayler]

Taking the GSE is like sticking a cork up your .... you don't have a bowel movement for 12 hours and when it does it is solid. Again, I'd highly recommend it. Some people think its a uer-all ... I doubt that, but it does work for diahhrea...

Interesting .. Ive got a mate who went to Greece and was constipated for 8 days .. when he did eventually pass his motion he said it was like a cricket ball ...