Mozambique funeral beer poisoning
Location within Mozambique of Chitima, site of the funeral where contaminated pombe was served | |
| Date | 9 January 2015 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Funeral |
| Location | Tete Province, Mozambique |
| Coordinates | 15°44′13″S 32°46′19″E / 15.737°S 32.772°E |
| Cause | Contaminated beer, Burkholderia gladioli, bongkrekic acid, toxoflavin. |
| First reporter | Radio Mozambique |
| Deaths | 75 |
| Non-fatal injuries | More than 230 |
On 9 January 2015, 75 people died and 230 were made ill after drinking contaminated beer at a funeral in Mozambique. All of the people affected had consumed the local beer, pombe, on 9 January, which had been inadvertently contaminated by the bacterium Burkholderia gladioli which produced the toxic compound bongkrekic acid.
Early speculation on the source of the illness by Mozambique officials blamed crocodile bile. A Forbes article opposed this hypothesis and instead pointed to the toxic flowering plant foxglove as the likely source of the poison. Only in November 2015 was it determined that the deaths and illnesses were a result of bacterial contamination of the beer.