Red egg white - help please!

mrswive

Can any of you chicken keepers out there give me some advice please?
DD has just called to say that she was making a cake using some free range eggs from a neighbour and one of the eggs whites was completely red. She scooped it out and carried on. Unthinkingly, she licked the bowl clean, remembered the red 'white' and is now worried that she might have poisoned herself! She's thrown the whole cake away now as she has 2 small boys and wasn't sure if the cooked cake would be OK.
I've never come across this before; a few blood spots maybe, but not an entirely red 'white'.
I'd be grateful for any advice.
Thanks

Misstress

http://life-is-like-a-long-journey.blogspot.com/2011/01/red-egg-white.html

Found this through google.

Doesnt give an answer but there is a good picture.

Misstress

Pink or Iridescent Egg White (Albumum)
Indicates spoilage due to Pseudomonas bacteria. Some of these micro organisms which produce a greenish fluorescent, water-soluble pigment are harmful to humans.

http://www.kiepersolpoultry.co.za/wfaq.php


So DONT eat it.

Edit just read the op again and your dd licked the bowl, um maybe phone NHSdirect for advice.

narabanekeater

If it is Pseudomonas your daughter did the right thing in throwing it away. I contracted Pseudomonas at 8 months pregnant, was hospitalized and on a drip. It is very dangerous. DD had to be induced and tested afterwards to see if I had given it her, luckily I hadn't. Being hooked up to a drip with a newborn was no fun. It truthfully took weeks to get over. We never did find out how I became infected.

meritaten

I do hope your DD is ok!
Perhaps you can tell her that when making cakes in future, ALWAYS crack the eggs, one at a time, in an empty bowl and NOT directly into the cake mix. I was taught this at school and it has saved me from throwing away good ingredients because the egg is bad! I always discard eggs which have a funny colour to them or any sort of smell. better to be safe than sorry!
I too would advise your DD to phone NHS direct for advice or pop along to A&E as early measures are much better than waiting until symptoms show up, by which time it may be too late to treat easily.

MaggieBaking

Researching this I've just put myself off eggs for a long time I think! _pale_

I think the more you look into it the more you can terrify yourself. To be absolutely safe and to stop imagining the worst I also recommend your friend calls NHS Direct and let them tell her what to do and what to worry about. My Google tells me it could be a symptom of the serratia marcescens bacteria (from this reference book -

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2LyckiERaYMC&pg=PA119&lpg=PA119&dq=red+albumen&source=bl&ots=yhwGKz6EOd&sig=jV9ODrffsTOvLMKMGg3o8tSJSvc&hl=en&ei=OrpjTqerLYO6hAffm-iNBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFkQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=red%20albumen&f=false )

Get her to phone up and see what they say, and obviously to be extra cautious about any symptoms that she might get.

mrswive

Dd has phoned NHS Direct, who were very helpful.

I'd like to thank all of you who have taken the time and trouble to reply - this forum is full of information and people kind enough to pass it on and I think you're all fab!!!:T:T:T

PIGSMAYFLY

I can't add much to this but I hope your DD is ok mrswive, I'm sure she is fine. I also want to second your above post I truely feel I am amongst friends when on this forum and post for a little advice. How lucky we are to have discovered this thread.

Misstress

mrswive wrote: »

Dd has phoned NHS Direct, who were very helpful.

I'd like to thank all of you who have taken the time and trouble to reply - this forum is full of information and people kind enough to pass it on and I think you're all fab!!!:T:T:T

Just out of interest, what advice did NHS direct give?

MoradoJess

Hope you daughter is ok now
I would let the neighbour know about the egg so she is on the lookout just in case another egg is laid like this.

mrswive

Misstress: DD was told that, as she had ingested such a small amount, if any, that she would probably be fine, but to go to her GP straight away if she had any kind of symptoms.
She was given a lot more information than that, but that was the general gist. What impressed her most was that the person she spoke to knew what she was talking about when she had trouble pronouncing 'pseudonomas'.
Thanks again for your input.