Campylobacter in pigeon from France in Germany
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Campylobacter in pigeon from France in Germany
Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, RASFF
A survey in the Netherlands has found more than a quarter of people wash raw chicken, which public health officials say increases the chances of spreading bacteria.
Results come from two surveys by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre (Voedingscentrum) with the Dutch population about safe food handling.
The first survey in May 2021 with 2,000 participants asked Dutch consumers about general food safety handling in the domestic kitchen. One of the questions was if they washed their chicken.
A second survey in November 2021 with 1,000 respondents was focused on safe handling of chicken. People were asked if they washed their chicken and more details about why and how. Both surveys revealed that more than 25 percent of consumers washed their chicken often or almost always.
Bacteria on chicken can cause food poisoning. Usually it is because of Campylobacter or Salmonella.
Washing raw poultry is not recommended, because of concerns about contaminating other foods and surfaces and increasing the risk of foodborne illness.
Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research, Retailer Campylobacter Survey, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken
High pressure treatment (HPP), also known as “high pressure hydrostatic treatment (HHP)” or “ultra pressure treatment (UHP)”, is a non-thermal (<45 °C) food preservation technology that inactivates forms vegetative pathogens and spoilage microorganisms – does not inactivate bacterial spores – using high pressures with minimal effects on taste, texture, appearance or nutritional value.
High pressure treatment is not specifically regulated within the EU, however, according to Regulation (EC) 852/2004 regarding the hygiene of food products, HPP is considered a processing. Any relevant food safety legislation is applicable to HPP ─hygiene requirements, microbiological criteria, food contact materials, traceability and labeling requirements. The guidance document on the application of certain provisions of Regulation (EC) 852/2004 introduces, in section 9.6, clarifications on the implementation of the HPP.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was asked to issue a scientific opinion on the efficacy (reduction of foodborne pathogen levels) and food safety of HPP. Specifically, the terms of reference of the mandate required: to provide an overview of the foods to which the HPP is or could be applied, together with the processing conditions; list the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that may influence the effectiveness of HPP; and assess the potential chemical and microbiological risks to food safety of HPP-treated foods compared to untreated foods or foods that are routinely applied in order to increase their microbiological food safety.An evaluation of the use of HPP was also requested for two specific purposes: as an alternative to the pasteurization and ultra high temperature (UHT) treatment of raw milk and raw colostrum; and for the control of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods. Quality aspects and organoleptic properties were beyond the scope of this mandate.
Virtually all types of food can be treated with HPP. However, foods that contain trapped air (eg, bread, cakes, whole and freshly cut fruits and vegetables) are not suitable for HPP because their porous structure will be adversely affected. Low-moisture foods, such as powdered products and nuts, are not usually treated with this technology due to low microbial inactivation when the water content is less than 40%.
According to the data collected through a questionnaire in food operators, the relative importance between the types of food that are currently treated with HPP is as follows:
In the industrial context, to inactivate microorganisms, pressures of between 400 and 600 MPa are applied, for 1.5 to 6 minutes. The water used as a pressure transmission fluid for HPP is often pre-cooled to 4-8 °C.
Typically, products (liquid, semi-solid and solid foods) are packaged in flexible plastic materials prior to HPP to prevent recontamination of the product after HPP. Equipment for processing liquids in bulk before packaging is also available, but is currently rarely used.
According to EFSA’s scientific opinion, the main intrinsic factors in food that influence the effectiveness of HPP in terms of reducing vegetative microorganisms are water activity (a w ) and pH. Microbial inactivation increases with high values of a w and low pH values. Carbohydrates, proteins and lipids have a protective effect on microorganisms, which reduces microbial reduction. The main extrinsic factors are pressure and target pressure retention time. The type of microorganism, the taxonomic unit and the strain and the physiological state of the microorganisms to be inactivated also affect the effectiveness of the HPP.
The efficacy of HPP in different food matrices is variable due to the interactions between specific intrinsic factors, which makes it difficult to predict the efficacy of HPP in a complex food matrix.
EFSA recommends that the interactions of the different components be considered in the planning of the assessment of the impact of intrinsic factors on the effectiveness of PPPs and that validation studies be performed on actual food matrices.
Food HPP poses no additional microbiological risk to food safety (eg, spore activation, induction of sublethal cell damage, conversion of normal form of prions to amyloid forms, and induction of virulence, gene expression for toxins and cross-resistance to other stresses) compared to other treatments commonly applied to these foods (eg, thermal pasteurization).
EFSA has also assessed the risk associated with mycotoxins and chemical processing contaminants by establishing that PPH-treated foods do not present a higher risk compared to conventionally treated foods.
HPP does not generate additional chemical food safety hazards from food contact materials compared to foods treated under similar temperature and weather conditions without HPP.
When raw milk, colostrum, dairy products or colostrum products are subjected to a heat treatment, such as pasteurisation or ultra-high temperature (UHT) treatment, the treatment must comply with the conditions laid down in the Regulation (CE) 853/2004. According to this Regulation, if pasteurization is used for these products, food operators must ensure that the following specifications are met: a high temperature for a short period of time (at least 72 ° C for 15 seconds), a low temperature for a long period of time (at least 63 °C for 30 minutes), or any other combination of temperature and time conditions to obtain an equivalent effect.
There is a growing interest in the use of HPP as an alternative treatment to pasteurization and UHT because it is expected to maintain properties closer to those of raw milk and colostrum.
According to the data collected and evaluated by EFSA, it was determined that HPP could not achieve logarithmic reductions (log 10 ) equivalent to those achieved by thermal pasteurization of milk (more than 10 log 10 ) or by UHT (log 10). more than 12 log 10 ). However, HPP conditions could be identified to achieve reductions equivalent to those recommended by international agencies as benchmarks of performance criteria for pasteurization (eg, reductions of 5, 6, 7, and 8 log 10 ). ).From the mathematical models obtained, several examples are provided of the minimum requirements (combination of pressure and time) of the HPP that, with a high certainty, would allow to reach the different criteria of operation.
Under the most stringent industrially used HPP conditions (600 MPa for 6 minutes), reductions of 5 log 10 for Mycobacterium bovis , 8 log 10 for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (ECTS or STEC),Listeria monocytogenes , Salmonella spp . and Campylobacter spp. , and 6 log 10 for Staphyloccoccus aureus .
According to EFSA, no data were found on the impact of HPP on the reduction of Brucella melitensis and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and therefore no conclusions could be drawn for these. dangers.
EFSA evaluated several milk and colostrum compounds to determine their suitability as indicators of HPP efficacy, including the endogenous alkaline milk phosphatase enzyme (ALP) – widely used to verify the proper thermal pasteurization of milk. γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), xanthine oxidase (XoX), β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) or lactoferrin (LF).
In view of the available evidence, EFSA concludes that none of the evaluated indicators can currently be proposed as an appropriate indicator for use under the commercially viable technological conditions of HPP applied to industry (400 and 600 MPa for 1.5-6 minutes) and recommends further in-depth studies to determine the suitability of such compounds as indicators of HPP efficacy.
The most relevant foods associated with human listeriosis in the EU that are also relevant to be treated with HPP to increase microbiological food safety include ready-to-eat cooked meat products, soft and semi-soft cheeses, fresh cheeses and smoked or marinated fish. .
For ready-to-eat cooked meat products, the minimum requirements (combinations of pressure and retention time) were derived, which would achieve reductions of 1 to 5 log 10 for L. monocytogenes . For the other types of ready-to-eat foods relevant to listeriosis, the high uncertainty of the data did not allow the establishment of generic minimum HPP conditions, so specific validation studies are required for each specific product.
Salmonella spp. and E. coli were identified as the most relevant additional hazards, apart from L. monocytogenes, in ready-to-eat foods associated with human listeriosis. In the foods mentioned, these pathogens ( Salmonella and E. coli ) are generally more sensitive to HPP than L. monocytogenes and are thought to be inactivated to a similar or greater extent.
According to the EFSA report, further studies on the inactivation by HPP of L. monocytogenes and other pathogenic bacteria relevant to ready-to-eat foods, such as smoked fish, marinated fish, soft and semi-soft cheese, would be needed to establish the generic minimum requirements for HPP to ensure the safety of these foods.
Provides valuable qualitative and quantitative data on Campylobacter in Irish Broilers.
Study demonstrates improvements and progress made in the Irish poultry industry.
Study provides indications of several factors on Campylobacter contamination rates.
In 2008, an EU wide baseline survey of broilers revealed a high Campylobacter prevalence. To assist with industry-wide controls, updated data were required. The primary objective of this study was to establish up-to-date data on Campylobacter carriage and carcass contamination in Irish broilers. Monthly samples were collected from the three largest broiler processing plants in Ireland over a twelve-month period. Samples were taken from both first and final thin birds (partial and full depopulation) from 358 batches of broilers. From each batch, a composite sample of 10 caecal contents (n = 358) and 5 neck skins (n = 1790) were collected and numbers of Campylobacter in each sample were determined. Of the 1790 neck skin samples tested, 53% were Campylobacter positive. Campylobacter was detected in the caecal contents of 66% of all batches tested. Depopulation and/or age had a significant effect on Campylobacter prevalence with 67% of final thin broilers yielding Campylobacter-positive neck skin samples in contrast to 38% of first thin broilers that yielded positive neck skin samples (P ≤ 0.002). A significant seasonal variation was observed in the rate of Campylobacter-positive caecal samples with higher prevalence seen in July (85%) than the colder months of November (61%), December (50%), January (61%) March (57%) and April (59%). Neck skin samples were 7 times more likely to be Campylobacter positive if the caecal contents from the same batch were positive (odds ratio = 7.1; P ≤ 0.0001). The decrease in Campylobacter prevalence observed in neck skin and caecal contents demonstrates the improvements and progress made in reducing prevalences of this important enteropathogen in the Irish poultry industry since the 2008 EU baseline survey. It also provides further supporting data on the impact of thinning, the processing environment and season on Campylobacter prevalence.
Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research, Retailer Campylobacter Survey
Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research
The latest data from a national surveillance system that monitors foodborne bacterial pathogens for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) shows some concerning changes in resistance patterns among serotypes of Salmonella.
The findings come from the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring Systems (NARMS) 2019 Integrated Summary, which combines data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The report provides a snapshot of resistance patterns found in bacteria isolated from humans, animals, raw meats from retail outlets (chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, and pork chops), and meat and poultry product samples collected at slaughtering facilities.
In addition to Salmonella, which causes an estimated 1.35 million illnesses and 26,500 hospitalizations each year, the NARMS report also includes resistance data on Campylobacter (1.5 million illnesses and 19,500 hospitalizations), Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus. NARMS monitors these bacteria to detect emerging resistance patterns to the antibiotics that are most important to human medicine, multidrug resistance, and specific resistance genes.
Overall, the NARMS report shows that more than three fourths of the Salmonella isolates (78%) from humans were not resistant to any of the antibiotics tested, and that the overall level of resistance in humans remains relatively unchanged since 2018. However, the report also found rising resistance to ciprofloxacin—one of the three antibiotics used to treat severe Salmonella infections.
From 2018 to 2019, Salmonella with decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin increased from 9% to 11% in humans, from 18% to 31% in retail chicken, from 20% to 30% in chicken product samples, from 26% to 32% in chicken cecal content samples, and from 0% to 14% in retail pork samples.
The increase in resistance to ciprofloxacin among poultry isolates was primarily due to the increase in Salmonella Infantis, a multidrug-resistant (MDR) serotype that emerged in 2014.
The rise in Salmonella Infantis isolates was also behind an increase in MDR isolates found in retail chicken (from 20% to 32%) and in chicken product samples (22% to 29%). Up to 10 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes were found in some of the Salmonella Infantis isolates.
In addition, the NARMS report shows an increase in another MDR Salmonella serotype, I 4,[5],12:i:-, which is linked to pigs and has become an increasing public health concern in Europe and the United States. The percentage of MDR isolates from humans that are of the I 4,[5],12:i:- serotype rose from 7% in 2010 to 26% in 2019, and from 7% to 35% in swine samples.
NARMS data also show rising fluoroquinolone resistance in Campylobacter isolates. In humans, the proportion of ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter isolates rose from 29% in 2018 to 34% in 2019 for Campylobacter jejuni and from 41% to 45% in C coli. Ciprofloxacin-resistant C jejuni isolated from chicken cecal contents (21% in 2018 to 26% in 2019) and chicken retail samples (20% to 22%) also rose.
Analysis of E coli isolates found increases in ceftriaxone resistance in sow cecal samples (3% in 2018 to 7% in 2019) and in retail pork (4% to 7%). Whole-genome sequencing of Salmonella and E coli from animals, animal products, and retail meats found that none harbored any of the MCR-1 through MCR-8 colistin-resistance genes.
Posted in AMR, Antibiotic Resistance, Campylobacter, E.coli, Enterococcus, FDA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research, Salmonella
The supermarket Marks and Spencer has reported better results for Campylobacter in chicken in the latest quarterly figures from the United Kingdom.
The data covers October to December 2021 for nine retailers on high levels of Campylobacter in fresh, shop-bought, UK-produced chickens.
Results at Morrisons, Lidl, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s went up while Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Co-op, Aldi and Asda recorded lower levels of contamination compared to the previous quarter.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) maximum level is 7 percent of birds with more than 1,000 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) of Campylobacter.
Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research, Retailer Campylobacter Survey
Antibiotic resistance in Salmonella and Campylobacter bacteria is still high, says a report released today by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Campylobacteriosis was the most reported zoonosis in the EU in 2020 and the most frequently reported cause of foodborne illness. Campylobacter bacteria from humans and poultry continues to show very high resistance to ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, that is commonly used to treat some types of bacterial human infection.
Increasing trends of resistance against the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics has been observed in humans and broilers for Campylobacter jejuni. In Salmonella Enteritidis, the most common type of Salmonella in humans, increasing trends of resistance to the quinolone/fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics were observed. In animals, resistance to these antibiotics in Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella Enteritidis were generally moderate to high.
However, despite the increasing trends of resistance against certain antibiotics, simultaneous resistance to two critically important antibiotics – remains low for E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter in bacteria from both humans and food-producing animals.
A decline in resistance to tetracyclines and ampicillin in Salmonella from humans was observed in nine and ten countries, respectively, over the period 2016-2020, and this was particularly evident in Salmonella Typhimurium. Despite the decline, resistance to these antibiotics still remains high in bacteria from both humans and animals.
Furthermore, in more than half of the European Union countries, a statistically significant decreasing trend in the prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli was observed in food-producing animals. This is an important finding as particular strains of ESBL-producing E. coli are responsible for serious infections in humans.
Carbapenem resistance remains extremely rare in E. coli and Salmonella from food-producing animals. Carbapenems are a class of last resort antibiotics and any findings showing resistance to these in zoonotic bacteria are concerning.
Although findings and trends are consistent with data reported in previous years, the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the amount of data reported, particularly with regards to public health.
An interactive data visualisation tool shows resistance levels in humans, animals and food, country-by-country in 2019 and 2020.
Additionally, the human food and waterborne antibiotic resistance data is published in ECDC’s Surveillance Atlas of Infectious Diseases (under the diseases campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis and shigellosis, respectively).
Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, carbapenem resistance, Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, ESBL, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Multi Drug Resistant, Research, Salmonella
In 2020, surveillance of Campylobacter infections confirmed the epidemiological and biological trends already observed in recent years:
The number of Campylobacter strains listed by the CNR has been increasing since 2013, the year in which the network’s laboratories introduced online data entry. This increase could be a reflection of an increase in Campylobacter infections in France. However, this increase in the number of strains must be considered within the framework of the specificities of the surveillance system. Several factors, such as an increase in the activity of the network’s laboratories or prescriptions for stool cultures, could cause an increase in the number of isolations and notifications over time. The implementation of multiplex PCR in many laboratories has also facilitated the detection of Campylobacter sp in stool samples.
The health context linked to the COVID-19 pandemic does not seem to have had an impact on the surveillance data. A decrease in the number of strains compared to previous years was observed only in March-April 2020, corresponding to the period of the first confinement. This reduction seems to reflect less recourse to care (medical consultation, biological analyses) during this period, but could also indicate a reduction in the incidence linked to health restrictions.
A potential vaccine developed by University of Guelph researchers to combat one of the main causes of bacterial diarrheal illness worldwide is set to be tested on people early this year.
Human clinical trials of a novel sugar-based vaccine will take place in 2022 at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. The trials will be funded by the United States National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Mario Monteiro, a professor in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, hopes recent refinements to the vaccine in his lab following earlier phase one trials will improve its effectiveness against the Campylobacter jejuni bacterium.