Argyll Smokery recalls a single batch of smoked prawns due to a processing error resulting in inadequate controlling factors to prevent growth of Clostridium botulinum.
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Monthly Archives: December 2012
Canada Salmonella –
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ) has warned the public not to consume ardelenesc sausage ready to eat, as it may contain Salmonella.
This notice is issued in conjunction with the Charcuterie Transilvania, located boulevard Curé-Labelle, Laval, which makes this product. The affected lots are for all ardelenesc sausages sold from December 12 at the hotel. The product was sold only Charcuterie Transilvania, and the company is voluntarily recalling its sausages.
No illnesses associated with the consumption of this food has not been reported so far MAPAQ.
All I Want for Christmas is Norovirus !
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit confirmed Friday that it was the Norovirus that caused an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness that affected dozens of people.
Maltese Grocery had shut down its catering operations temporarily after 85 people became sick after eating food at three events the company had catered the previous week. They’ve since resumed, but with additional precautions.
Senior Public Health Inspector Abby Mackie said clinical specimens submitted to a lab confirmed the Norovirus to be the source of the outbreak.
DENVER— The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is reporting widespread gastrointestinal illness (norovirus) throughout Colorado, including in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, schools and child care centers. Everyone is encouraged to increase simple prevention measures to stop further spread of illness in the community. Symptoms of the illness include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping.
Alicia Cronquist, epidemiologist at the department, said, “We believe the illness is being caused by a virus germ called norovirus. This infection is very common this time of year.
MIYAZAKI — Six patients have died of gastroenteritis caused by a norovirus outbreak at Shunkokaihigashi Hospital in Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture, hospital officials said Sunday.
The victims — all men aged between 78 and 88 — were among 44 patients and staff who came down with symptoms of the illness, including vomiting and diarrhea, the officials said. All six were bedridden.
The health ministry has issued a nationwide warning about the norovirus because infections are approaching the record high set in 2006.
TAIPEI–Health experts said Tuesday that an unusually high number of diarrhea cases have been reported this winter due to norovirus outbreaks and it warned that the peak season is yet to come.//
About 10,108 patients sought treatment for watery diarrhea at emergency departments across the country last week, which was a five-year high, said Chuang Jen-hsiang, director of the Epidemic Intelligence Center at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Research Articles – Pulsed Electronic Field Milk – PCR Method Vibrio – Listeria Detection Culture Methods
Abstract
Lethal and sublethal injury of two Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes) and one Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria in milk by pulsed electric fields (PEF) were determined using non-selective and selective media. PEF inactivation kinetics including lethal and sublethal injury fractions was also studied. The proportion of the sublethally injured microbial cells depended on the microorganisms, electric field strength and treatment time. The proportion of sublethally injured microbial cells reached maximum after a specific PEF treatment, and it kept constant or progressively decreased at greater electric field strengths and with longer PEF treatments. For the strain of L. monocytogenes, the proportion of sublethally injured cells increased from 18.98% to 43.64% with the increasing electric field strength from15 to 30 kV/cm. While for the strains of E. coli and S. aureus, the proportion of sublethally injured cells achieved the maximum (40.74% and 36.51%, respectively) at 25 kV/cm and then decreased. The proportion of the sublethally injured microbial cells reached maximum at 400 μs (S. aureus and L. monocytogenes) or 500 μs (E. coli), and decreased at longer treatments at 30 kV/cm. The PEF inactivation kinetics including lethal and sublethally injured fractions was analyzed by the Hülsheger model, and the model parameters (EC, tC, kE, bt) for lethal and sublethal injury were also calculated.
Abstract
A previously developed multiplex PCR targeting gyrB of Vibrios at genus level and pntA genes for specific detection of Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus was evaluated. The sensitivity of the multiplex PCR on spiked seafood was 1.5 × 103 CFU g−1. One hundred and fifty seafood samples were collected from retail stores and hypermarkets in different locations in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Seri Kembangan. The prevalence of V. parahaemolyticus was 29% (43/150). The pntA primers for V. parahaemolyticus detection were 100% specific and comparable to the toxR gene-based PCR. Six (12%) and 2 (4%) isolates contained trh and tdh genes, respectively. Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic PCR (REP-PCR) was used to genetically characterize the V. parahaemolyticus isolates in which 41 REP profiles were observed and all the isolates were categorized into 11 distinct clusters at the similarity of 80%. tdh-positive isolates shared a low level of similarity with trh-positive isolates. The prevalence of V. parahaemolyticus and particularly the presence of virulent gene such as trh and tdh among the isolates reiterate a high risk of contamination for seafood consumers in Malaysia. DNA fingerprinting of V. parahaemolyticus in this study indicates a high genetic diversity among the isolates and REP-PCR was able to distinguish the isolates with different virulotypes.
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of Listeria spp., specifically Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods and ascertain the efficiency of detecting L. monocytogenes with different selective culture media. A total of 396 RTE food samples were purchased from hypermarkets and streetside hawker stalls to examine the presence of Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes. The presumptive isolates were characterized biochemically and were further confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Out of 396 samples, Listeria spp. was detected in 71 (17.9%) samples in which 45 (11.4%) were positive for L. monocytogenes. Among the studied RTE foods, salads and vegetables had the highest prevalence (14.7%) of L. monocytogenes, followed by chicken and chicken products (13.2%), beverages (10%), eggs and egg products (9.5%), beef and beef products (6.7%), lunch boxes (6.7%) and seafood and seafood products (6.7%). Both Listeria selective agar and PALCAM agar displayed a low sensitivity and specificity in L. monocytogenes detection compared to CHROMagar™ Listeria which demonstrated 96.9% of sensitivity and 99.1% of specificity in L. monocytogenes detection in naturally-contaminated foods. In conclusion, this work revealed consumption of RTE foods as a potential risk of listeriosis in this region. The high contamination rate of L. monocytogenes in salads and vegetables from hypermarkets and streetside hawker stalls was of great concern due to emerging fresh produce-borne L.monocytogenes globally. The scenario warrants further surveillance and action by the local authority to control the incidence of L. monocytogenes contamination in RTE foods.
Canada – Salmonella Outbreak
EDMONTON – Health officials in southwestern Alberta are dealing with an acute outbreak of salmonella. Officials in Lethbridge say there are more than 30 cases, mostly in rural areas. Many of the infections are secondary ones, meaning it is being spread by household contact. Symptoms include nausea and vomiting and residents are warned that the most serious complication is dehydration.
Research into Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that commonly infects cats but is also carried by other warm-blooded animals, including humans. Up to a third of the UK population are chronically infected with the parasite. In most cases the acute infection causes only flu-like symptoms. However, women who become infected during pregnancy can pass the parasite to their unborn child which can result in serious health problems for the baby such as blindness and brain damage. People who have compromised immunity, such as individuals infected with HIV, are also at risk of serious complication due to reactivation of dormant cysts found in the brain.
Studies in the USA and UK state that up to 50% of infections can come from food.
Current thinking on how the Toxoplasma gondii parasite invades its host is incorrect, according to a study published today in Nature Methods describing a new technique to knock out genes. The findings could have implications for other parasites from the same family, including malaria, and suggest that drugs that are currently being developed to block this invasion pathway may be unsuccessful.
Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, Parasite, Research, Toxoplasmosis
RASFF Alert – Listeria monocytogenes in Smoked Salmon
Listeria monocytogenes (15000 CFU/g) in smoked salmon in Germany sourced from Poland
USA – Foodborne Illness Outbreaks Database 1984 – 2012
Welcome to outbreakdatabase.com, a searchable database of illness outbreaks caused by one or more of the following
- consumption of contaminated foods or beverages,
- exposure to animals,
- exposure to contaminated recreational water,
- person-to-person contact with someone whose illness initiated from animal exposure or consumption of contaminated foods and beverages.
The database describes outbreaks occurring since 1984.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines an outbreak as “two or more ill persons linked to a common source” and this serves as the basis of outbreakdatabase.com. To be included in outbreakdatabase.com, the outbreak must have supporting documentation from public health agencies, journal articles, media reports, etc. Names of stores, brands, restaurants, or other sources are listed if they have been publicly identified previously.
The database is a work in progress. It will continually be updated and revised. Significant effort has been made to ensure the data are accurate. We welcome contributions, corrections, comments, etc. Please use the contact form for comments.
Canada Research – Peracetic Acid for Fresh Produce
Up to 10,000 pounds of spinach are washed and packaged every day in iVeg Pak’s Toronto, Ontario plant. No matter where the spinach originates – Mexico, Texas, New Jersey or Ontario – the end product goes into a Pop-i package. That brand must be protected, not only for the Carnevale family owners but for the entire food chain.
To meet those standards, Taylor McCarthy’s full-time job is quality assurance, taking water samples every hour and making sure that the spinach is in the peracetic acid bath for a minimum of 45 seconds before proceeding to a drum dryer.
“This sanitizer has proven to be very effective,” says McCarthy. “We are an industry leader in using this product instead of chlorine. It’s not as corrosive on the stainless steel equipment.”
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Methods, Microbiology, Research
Tagged restaurants, water
USA – Recall Duck Eggs – Clostridium botulinum
S&M International Inc, Bayonne, NJ is recalling Yang Sheng cooked salted duck eggs, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which can cause serious life-threating illness or death. Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look smelled or spoiled.
The recall was initiated after it was discovered through NYSDAM Sampling which revealed the product was not processed in a manner to prevent growth of Clostridium botulinum. S&M International Inc reached the decision to recall this product after a thorough investigation. The company has taken a number of corrective steps to address the issue.
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