Monthly Archives: November 2020

France – Product recall: Duo of roasted fillet and brisket from Le Porc de nos villages – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on November 9, 2020 by | Leave a comment
Oulah

Product recall: Duo of roasted fillet and brisket from Le Porc de nos villages

ENCOUNTERED PROBLEM

Presence of Listeria monocytogenes

PROPOSED SOLUTION

Those in possession of this product are asked not to consume it and to return it to the point of sale where it was purchased.

People who have consumed this product and who have a fever, isolated or accompanied by headaches, are invited to consult their doctor, notifying him of this consumption.
Pregnant women should pay special attention to these symptoms, as well as immunocompromised people and the elderly. These symptoms may suggest listeriosis, a disease that can be serious and can take up to eight weeks to incubate.

FURTHER INFORMATION

▸ Type of product
Duo of roasted fillet and brisket made from label rouge pork sold in trays of 4 slices in the pre-packed shelf.

▸ Health
stamp FR 29.004.023 CE

▸ Barcode
3268680037700

▸ Lot and DLC
• lot 02028007 for DLC on 03/11/2020
• lot 02028106 for DLC on 04/11/2020 EAN

▸ Lot and DLC
The company “TALLEC” is at the disposal of consumers to answer their questions on the telephone number: “07-63-20-05-03” from Monday to Sunday from 8 am to 8 pm.

▸ Source
https://www.auchan.fr/

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Posted in Bacteria, bacterial contamination, food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes

USA – Florida Vibrio vulnificus tally this year tops 2019

Posted on November 9, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

KSWFOODWORLD

Florida state health officials have reported more Vibrio vulnificus cases and deaths than this year than was reported in 2019, according to the latest data.

Vibrio vulnificus can cause disease in those who eat contaminated seafood or have an open wound that is exposed to warm seawater containing the bacteria. Ingestion of Vibrio vulnificus can cause vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Vibrio vulnificus can also cause an infection of the skin when open wounds are exposed to warm seawater; these infections may lead to skin breakdown and ulcers.

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Posted in Contaminated water, food death, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning Death, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Vibrio, Vibrio vulnificans, Vibrio vulnificus, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

Russia – Suspected Salmonella outbreak linked to Makhachkala café sickens 39

Posted on November 9, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

The Ministry of Health of Dagestan, Russia (computer translated) are reporting that 39 people have been hospitalized with acute intestinal infection.

Officials note that 39 people were hospitalized, including 12 children. The patient’s condition is assessed as moderate. The main clinical symptoms include fever up to 38–39 degrees, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and frequent loose stools.

According to the results of the survey of the sick, a single factor of transmission of infection was established, they all bought food in the Kazan-Kebab café in Makhachkala.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Poisoning, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Spain – Alert for Salmonella spp in sweet paprika from Spain

Posted on November 9, 2020 by | Leave a comment

ACSA

Packaged paprika

The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has been informed by the competent authorities of Aragon, through the Coordinated System of Rapid Information Exchange (SCIRI), of the presence of Salmonella spp in red pepper of the Vera dulce, after obtaining the results of an analysis of the product in which the presence of Salmonella spp.

The affected product is:

  • Product name: Pimentón de la Vera dulce
  • Brand: HACENDADO
  • Lot: L150719 272020
  • Bar code: 8480000341020
  • Preferred consumption: October 2021
  • Presentation: Small metal containers with plastic lid with a net weight of 75g

The company Mercadona has proceeded to remove the affected product and has informed its consumers requesting the return of the product.

This information has been transferred by AESAN to all the Autonomous Communities through the SCIRI, in order to verify the withdrawal of the affected products from the marketing channels.

With the information available, no case associated with this alert has been confirmed in Spain.

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Posted in ACSA, Bacteria, bacterial contamination, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing

Research – Consecutive Treatments with a Multicomponent Sanitizer Inactivates Biofilms by Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica and Removes Biofilm Matrix

Posted on November 8, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

Many foodborne pathogens including E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica can develop biofilms on contact surfaces at meat processing plants. Due to the high tolerance of the biofilm cells associated with the 3-dimensional biofilm structure and the well-expressed bacterial polymeric extracellular substances (EPS), it is a real challenge to completely inactivate and remove mature biofilms as well as further prevent biofilm reoccurrence and pathogen survival. We evaluated the effectiveness of consecutive treatments by repeatedly applying a multicomponent sanitizer, based on the functional mechanism by synergistic combination of hydrogen peroxide and quaternary ammonia compounds, against biofilms by E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella strains. Biofilms were treated with 2.5%, 5%, or 10% of the sanitizer applied as foam or liquid solution. The sanitizer at all concentrations significantly reduced the amount of viable biofilm cells as enumerable bacteria were only detected after low concentration treatments (2.5% or 5%) with short exposure periods. Treatments with high concentrations (5% or 10%) of the sanitizer, multiple consecutive treatments and sufficient exposure time effectively controlled pathogen post-sanitization survival. Examination with a scanning electron microscope showed that treatment with the sanitizer at 5% strength significantly dissolved the connecting EPS matrix and removed most of the biofilm matrix. No intact biofilm structure was detected after the 10% sanitizer treatment, instead, scattered individual bacteria with visibly altered cell morphology were observed. The treated bacteria exhibited indented and distorted shapes with shortened cell length and increased surface roughness, indicating severe cell injury and death.  Our observations indicated that consecutive treatments with the multicomponent sanitizer was effective in inactivating E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica biofilms and preventing pathogen reoccurrence.

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Posted in Biofilm, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Research, Salmonella

Research – Effect of Ploidy on Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus Levels in Cultured Oysters

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Journal of Food Protection

Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus are naturally occurring human pathogenic bacteria commonly found in estuarine environments where oysters are cultured. The use of triploid oysters has increased due to their rapid growth rate and because they maintain a high quality throughout the year. Previous work suggested levels of Vibrio spp. may be lower in triploid oysters than diploid oysters. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether there is a difference in the abundances of V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus between half-sibling diploid and triploid American oysters (Crassostrea virginica). In four trials, 100 individual oysters (either iced or temperature abused) were analyzed for V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus by using direct plating followed by colony hybridization. Mean levels of V. parahaemolyticus in iced and abused diploid oysters were 3.55 and 4.21 log CFU/g, respectively. Mean levels in iced and abused triploid oysters were 3.49 and 4.27 log CFU/g, respectively. Mean levels of V. vulnificus in iced and abused diploid oysters were 3.53 and 4.56 log CFU/g, respectively. Mean levels in iced and abused triploid oysters were 3.54 and 4.55 log CFU/g, respectively. The differences in Vibrio spp. abundances between diploid and triploid oysters was not significant (P > 0.05). However, the differences across treatments were significant (P < 0.05), with the exception of V. parahaemolyticus levels in trial 3 (P = 0.83). Variation between individual oysters was also observed, with 12 of 808 measurements being outside of the 95th percentile. This phenomenon of occasional statistical outliers (“hot” or “cold” oysters) has been previously described and supports the appropriateness of composite sampling to account for inherent animal variability. In summary, the data indicate that abundances of V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus are not dependent on the ploidy of cultured oysters but vary with the type of handling.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Vibrio spp. abundances in oysters are not dependent on ploidy.
  • Vibrio spp. abundances in oysters are dependent on handling treatment.
  • Identification of occasional “hot” or “cold” oysters supports composite sampling.

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Posted in Contaminated water, Vibrio, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificans, Vibrio vulnificus, water microbiology

Research – Assessment of stabilized hydrogen peroxide for use in reducing Campylobacter levels and prevalence on broiler chicken wings

Posted on November 8, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

Poultry processing establishments utilize antimicrobial processing aids on broiler parts to minimize Campylobacter contamination. A stabilized hydrogen peroxide (SHP) product was assessed for use as an antimicrobial processing aid. In a series of experiments, wing segments with skin were inoculated with 103 – 107 cells of Campylobacter coli followed by treatment with SHP at 15,000 or 30,000 mg/L, peroxyacetic acid at 300 or 3,000 mg/L (ppm), or water. Each treatment was applied by either dip or spray. Rinsates from each wing segment were analyzed for direct counts and prevalence of Campylobacter. Treatment with SHP or PAA significantly reduced Campylobacter levels compared to water controls by up to 2.22 log CFU/mL. At high inoculum levels (106 – 107), SHP and PAA applied by dip had up to 1.27 log CFU/mL further reductions of Campylobacter levels as compared to spray treated wing segments. Additionally, wing drumettes were observed to retain higher levels and prevalence of Campylobacter recovery compared to wing flats at a low inoculation level (103). The results indicated that there was no carry-over effect of SHP (same day vs. 24 h) and dip treatment with SHP or PAA decreased Campylobacter recovery on broiler chicken wing segments compared to a water control. Although 2 log reductions were modest, SHP had similar efficacy as the commonly used processing aid, PAA. SHP shows potential for further investigation as an antimicrobial processing aid for use on poultry parts.

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Posted in Campylobacter, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Research

Research – Salmonella contamination of broiler chicken carcasses at critical steps of the slaughter process and in the environment of two slaughter plants

Posted on November 7, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Research, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken

Research – A bacterial virus helped the spread of a new Salmonella strain

Posted on November 7, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Phys Org.

Salmonella is associated with a large number of cases of foodborne infection resulting in diarrhea and in some cases severe complications. Half of all Salmonella infections in the European Union are linked to pigs, and a new strain called ST34 is dominant in this livestock animal. ST34 has now spread in pig populations worldwide and is pandemic.

The research was led by Eleonora Tassinari and Professor Rob Kingsley from the Quadram Institute and University of East Anglia and his research group, working with Public Health England, Animal and Plants Health Agency, the Earlham Institute and Teagasc Food Research Center. Their study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, part of UKRI.

They found that the common ancestor of the epidemic in UK pigs existed around 30 years ago but went unnoticed until 2005 when surveillance by the UK governments Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) first picked up ST34 in low numbers. Analysis of the genome sequence from human infections using data from Public Health England (PHE) indicated that a bacterial virus called mTmV infected ST34 on multiple occasions starting around 2002.

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Posted in Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Research, Salmonella

Research – Quantification of survival and transfer of Salmonella on fresh cucumbers during waxing

Posted on November 7, 2020 by | Leave a comment

JFP

Cucumbers found in retail markets are often waxed to improve visual appeal and retard moisture loss. This waxing may affect bacterial survival and the waxing process may facilitate cross-contamination between cucumbers. This study assessed survival of Salmonella on waxed and un-waxed cucumbers and the potential for Salmonella cross-contamination during the waxing process. Fresh waxed or un-waxed cucumbers were spot-inoculated with a Salmonella enterica cocktail. Three different wax coatings (mineral oil, vegetable oil, or petroleum wax) were manually applied to un-waxed cucumbers using polyethylene brushes. Salmonella transfer from inoculated cucumbers to brush or to un-inoculated cucumbers was quantified. Higher Salmonella concentrations were observed on waxed cucumbers during the first 3 days of storage but the final concentration on un-waxed cucumbers was higher than on waxed cucumbers at the end of storage, regardless of storage temperature. Wax formulation did affect survival of Salmonella inoculated directly into waxes, with the significant decline in Salmonella populations observed in vegetable-based wax coating, but with populations unchanged over 7 days at 7 or 21 °C in mineral oil-based and petroleum-based waxes. Salmonella cells could transfer from inoculated un-waxed cucumbers to brushes used for waxing and then to un-inoculated cucumbers during waxing. Significantly higher log percent transfer to brushes was observed when cucumbers were waxed with vegetable oil (0.71 log percent, P = 0.00441) vs. mineral oil (0.06 log percent) or petroleum (0.05 log percent). Transfer to un-inoculated cucumbers via brushes was also quantified (0.18 to 0.35 log percent transfer). Salmonella remaining on contaminated cucumbers after waxing could be detected for up to 7 days, and Salmonella survived better on cucumbers treated with a petroleum-based wax. These findings should be useful in managing risk of Salmonella contamination in cucumbers during post-harvest handling.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Research, Salmonella