Illness in Pork Plant Workers ? Update

April 30, 2008 — 

There are now 24 confirmed cases of Progressive Inflammatory Neuropathy (PIN) involving employees at 3 pork processing facilities according to researchers presenting data at a neurology conference in Chicago on April 16.

Thirteen cases have been identified among workers at the Quality Pork Processors plant in Austin, MN, five cases at a plant in Indiana and one in a Nebraska plant. The Indiana and Nebraska plants have not been identified. All affected employees worked in an area of the plant where brains were removed using compressed air leading researchers to theorize that the illness may be related to exposure to aerosolized brain tissue resulting in the development of an autoimmune response that caused nerve damage.

Common symptoms include pain, weakness, fatigue, and numbness. A unique pattern of antibodies has been found in all the patients. Researchers do not consider the illness to be foodborne or transmissible from person to person. Reportedly, none of the patients have recovered completely, though all have improved or stabilized to a degree. Some relapses have been observed. Some of the patients have required only pain medication, while the most seriously ill have undergone drug treatments to suppress their immune systems.

Investigators report that these processing facilities were the only ones in the U.S. using compressed air to remove brain tissue and the practice has been discontinued at all 3 plants.

Source:
ProMED-mail, April 16, 2008