A GENE inserted into a strain of bacteria could have been to blame for
27 deaths and 1500 cases of illness in the US among people who ate contaminated
supplies of L-tryptophan, a food supplement. The contaminated supplies were
traced to a Japanese company (This Week, 7 July).
Showa Denko used a genetically engineered strain of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens,
Strain V, to produce L-tryptophan. This strain alone produced an unidentified
substance, labelled ‘peak E’, which may be linked to the illness. 51¶¯Âþs
in the US are now investigating the gene, which boosted Strain V’s production
of L-tryptophan.
In Britain, where there have been no deaths but several cases of illness
linked to the supplement, a ban on sales takes effect this month.
