Category Archives: Campylobacter

RASFF Alert – Campylobacter – Chilled Chicken Escalopes

Posted on November 13, 2020 by | Leave a comment

European Food Alerts

RASFF

Salmonella (presence /25g) and Campylobacter (< 100 CFU/g) in chilled chicken escalopes from Austria in Germany

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Posted in Bacteria, bacterial contamination, Campylobacter, food contamination, 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

Sweden – Hit again by increase in Campylobacter

Posted on November 12, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Campylobacter kswfoodworld

Sweden is once again battling a rise in the number of Campylobacter infections after a temporary decline. A common source related to chicken has been identified.

Since August, the number of people who have contracted campylobacteriosis has been unexpectedly high. The increase in disease was preceded by a greater proportion of broiler flocks with Campylobacter.

Officials warned that higher sickness rates in recent weeks indicates that problems remain.

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Posted in Campylobacter, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Research

EU – EU project uses phages to tackle Campylobacter in poultry

Posted on November 10, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A European project has developed a way to help with the biocontrol of Campylobacter and reduce its prevalence in the poultry sector.

Work focuses on the development of a bacteriophage-based solution to be used as a natural antimicrobial in the farm (pre-harvest), at slaughter, and in processing facilities (post-harvest). Standard control measures at the farm level rely upon the use of antibiotics.

The project, called Campylobacter-Specific Nullification via Innovative Phage-mediated Enteropathogen Reduction (C-SNIPER), is led by AZTI, a technology center in Spain. It received funding from EIT Food, part of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.

Poultry is the most widely consumed meat in the EU with Poland, Italy, Spain, and Germany as major producers. However, the consumption of poultry products is also considered the main route for campylobacteriosis, the most frequently reported foodborne illness in Europe.

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Posted in Bacteriophage, Campylobacter, food contamination, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Research

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 – Microbiological Quality of Cooked Chicken: Results of Monitoring in England (2013 to 2017)

Posted on November 2, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

Results from monitoring of the microbiological quality of 2,721 samples of ready-to-eat cooked chicken collected between 2013 to 2017 in England were reviewed: 70% of samples were from retail, catering, or manufacture and 30% were imported and collected at English ports. Samples were tested for a range of bacterial pathogens and indicator organisms. Six samples (<1%) had unsatisfactory levels of pathogens that were potentially injurious to health. Neither Salmonella nor Campylobacter were recovered from any samples. Two samples from catering settings contained either an unsatisfactory level of Bacillus cereus (5 × 106 CFU/g) or an unsatisfactory level of coagulase-positive staphylococci (1.6 × 104 CFU/g). Listeria monocytogenes was recovered from 36 samples (1 at manufacture, 26 at catering, and 9 at retail) and in 4 samples, unsatisfactory levels (≥102 CFU/g) were detected (3 samples collected at catering and 1 sample at retail). For L. monocytogenes, there were no significant differences between the rates of contamination for the samples collected from ports, manufacture, retail supermarkets, and other retailers (P = 0.288). There were no differences between the rates of contamination for other potential pathogens detected between samples from different settings. The prevalence of hygiene indicators (Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae, and aerobic colony counts) at import was significantly lower than in samples collected from manufacturers, retail, or catering (P < 0.01). Samples collected from catering gave poorer results than those from all other settings. Regardless of the stage in the food chain, samples from Thailand and from other non–European Union countries were of significantly better microbiological quality with respect to indicator organisms than those from the United Kingdom or from other European Union countries (P = <0.001).

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Routine microbiological monitoring of 2,721 samples was reviewed.
  • Six samples (<1%) were unsatisfactory due to the levels of bacterial pathogens.
  • Hygiene indicator bacteria were significantly higher in samples from catering.
  • Port samples had significantly lower levels of hygiene indicators.

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Posted in Bacillus cereus, Campylobacter, E.coli, Enterobacteriaceae, Food Microbiology Research, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Research, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken, Staphylococcus aureus

Research – Netherlands – Surveillance zoonoses in broilers 2018-2019

Posted on September 26, 2020 by | Leave a comment

RIVM

Animals can carry pathogens that can cause disease in humans. The diseases which they cause are known as zoonoses. In 2018 and 2019 the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority [Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority] (NVWA) investigated how often some of these pathogens occurred in broilers. This study involved broilers at 198 farms as well as 132 livestock farmers, family members and employees. RIVM assessed whether the same pathogens also occurred in these persons. Most of these pathogens usually cause diarrhoea, but the infections can sometimes be more severe. ESBL-producing bacteria were also assessed, as they are resistant to an important group of antibiotics.

A number of pathogens occur frequently in the investigated broilers. They are present in the animals’ intestines and therefore in the manure as well. Meat can become contaminated in the slaughterhouse if it comes into direct contact with the manure. People can prevent an infection by only eating chicken that has been thoroughly cooked. It is also important to prevent other food from coming into contact with raw meat.

Of the pathogens investigated, ESBL-producing bacteria were found most often, namely in the broilers on 36% of the farms. Among livestock farmers and family members, these bacteria were found in 7% of participants. This is comparable to the percentage in the general Dutch population.

Campylobacter was found on 32% of broiler farms. This is comparable to the numbers from Campylobacter surveillance conducted between 1999 and 2002. Campylobacter was also found in two of the human participants.

Salmonella surveillance is carried out on all broiler farms according to European legislation. Salmonella was reported in broilers from 11% of the farms. The types of Salmonella bacteria identified are those that can cause diarrhoea in people. Salmonella was also found in one human participant.

STEC and Listeria were found on very few broiler farms. These bacteria were detected on 1% (Listeria) or less (STEC) of the investigated farms.

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Posted in Campylobacter, ESBL, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Listeria monocytogenes, Pathogen, pathogenic, Salmonella, STEC, STEC E.coli, Zoonosis

UK – Tesco and Asda improve Campylobacter in chicken results

Posted on September 18, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Campylobacter kswfoodworld

Image CDC

The percentage of chickens at Tesco and Asda testing positive for Campylobacter at the top level of contamination in the second quarter of 2020 has fallen below the FSA target.

The two supermarkets had recorded levels above the Food Standards Agency (FSA) threshold of 7 percent of birds with more than 1,000 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) of Campylobacter in the first quarter of this year.

Tesco reported 9 percent of 132 samples in 1Q 2020 had the highest level of Campylobacter contamination while Asda recorded 9.2 percent.

The figures for 2Q from April to June show Tesco had 3 percent and Asda had 3.6 percent above the top level of contamination.

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Posted in Bacteria, bacterial contamination, Campylobacter, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing

Research – Switzerland – Do changes in STEC diagnostics mislead interpretation of disease surveillance data in Switzerland? Time trends in positivity, 2007 to 2016

Posted on September 15, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Eurosurveillance

Infections caused by Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing  (STEC) are generally mild and self-limiting or even asymptomatic. However, particularly in children and elderly people, STEC infections can lead to severe gastroenteritis with haemorrhagic diarrhoea and life-threatening conditions, e.g. haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) [1,2].

STEC transmission can occur through the consumption of contaminated food and drinks, or by direct contact with infected individuals or animals shedding the bacterium* [1,3–5]. STEC infections are endemic in Europe, including Switzerland [6,7]. Cases occur sporadically or in outbreaks; a large outbreak attributed to contaminated sprouts occurred in Germany in 2011 [8]. Smaller outbreaks have also been reported, e.g. there was an outbreak in Italy in 2013 and in Romania in 2016, both were suspected to be caused by contaminated dairy products [9,10]. Considering 22 years of population-based data up to 2012, Majowicz et al. estimated in 2014 that STEC leads to an estimated 2.8 million illness cases per year, including 3,800 cases of HUS, globally [11].

The National Notification System for Infectious Diseases (NNSID) of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has been receiving all notifications of laboratory-confirmed STEC infections since 1999. Case numbers were generally constant until 2010, with only a few laboratories reporting STEC cases in Switzerland. An increase in cases was observed in 2011 following the outbreak in Germany, before returning to expected yearly fluctuations, and then markedly increasing since 2015 [12]. Given that this increase was observed around the same time as the introduction of syndromic multiplex PCR panels for stool analyses in standard laboratory practice in Switzerland [12], it was hypothesised that these panels were the cause of the increase in notified STEC cases. Traditionally, routine testing of stool samples for bacterial pathogens involved only  spp.,  spp. and  spp. using culture-based techniques. With syndromic multiplex PCR panels, stool samples can be tested for up to 22 pathogens, including STEC, in one single run [12,13].

Prior to the gradual introduction of multiplex PCR to the routine diagnostics between 2014 and 2015, STEC was only specifically tested for in Switzerland upon physician request, and this rarely happened. Current testing practice includes the use of small syndromic enteric bacterial panels for testing in patients without a travel history or a larger gastrointestinal panel if travel history is reported on the test order form [7].

A qualitative assessment found that Swiss laboratory experts uniformly agreed that the increase in STEC case numbers was due to the introduction and increasing use of multiplex PCR panels [7]. We set out to conduct a quantitative investigation as to whether an increase in the STEC testing rate associated with the use of the panels is what led to the increased notification of cases.

Our study assesses the development of the STEC positivity in the Swiss population between 2007 and 2016 using routine laboratory data, and gives insight into the epidemiology and notification numbers of STEC infections in Switzerland.

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Posted in Bacteria, bacterial contamination, Bacterial Toxin, Campylobacter, cross contamination, E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, eae, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Poisoning Death, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella, Shigella, Shigella flexneri, Shigella Sonnei, STEC, STEC E.coli, STX 1, STX 2

Australia – NSW Annual Food Testing Report Released

Posted on September 14, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety.com

Campylobacter kswfoodworld

Every year, the New South Wales Food Authority (NSW Food Authority) releases their Annual Food Testing Report on the testing conducted by their primary testing provider and by other laboratories. This year’s report highlights some key findings with regards to food safety testing results and trends.

Testing is conducted for a variety of reasons including food-borne illness investigations, Food Safety Program verifications and other types of research. In the report, the NSW Food Authority breaks down the significant findings in each of these categories which provides important information for the Australian food industry.

Key facts from the report

The NSW Annual Food Testing Report provides the following facts for the period of July 2018 to June 2019:

  1. During this time period, there were a total of 6,431 samples submitted for testing.
  2. Sample types analysed included:
  • meat
  • seafood
  • dairy
  • plant products
  • packaged food
  • eggs
  • food from retail outlets
  • environmental samples

3. There were over 70 different types of tests performed. These included:

  • microbiological assessment
  • pH
  • water activity
  • allergens
  • additives such as preservatives

Key findings from the report

The findings listed in the report are categorized based on different programs. The following is a breakdown of some of the key findings:

Food-borne illness investigation findings

The report states that between 2018 and 2019 there were a total of 4,010 samples (food and environmental) that were submitted for testing. These samples were submitted for testing due to food-borne illness investigations and the follow-ups for these investigations.

Increase in Salmonella Enteritidis cases

The report discusses a marked increase in the cases of Salmonella Enteritidis that has been observed since the middle of 2018. The cases have now been linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis that was locally acquired. This a significant difference from cases of Salmonella Enteritidis in Australia in the past, with most cases typically presenting in people who had travelled overseas.

Testing was conducted and monitoring took place to determine where the outbreak was stemming from. The investigation involved taking 2,072 samples from egg production businesses and testing eggs and environmental samples. The results from the testing showed that Salmonella Enteritidis was on 13 properties that were interconnected through people, eggs and/or equipment.

The result was six food recalls at the consumer level from properties affected in NSW, and one consumer level recall in Victoria. The report states that surveillance and monitoring of NSW egg farms is slated to continue throughout 2020.

Decrease in Listeria prevalence in melons

The melon industry in Australia, particularly the rockmelon industry, has been linked to food-borne illness outbreaks of Listeria in recent years. The report states that listeriosis cases in New South Wales has actually declined sharply as of late, which is being attributed to the improved food safety measures that have been put in place in the Australian melon industry.

During the period of November 2018 and April 2019, the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) conducted food safety training workshops for rockmelon growers in NSW. NSW DPI also conducted sampling of melon harvests and packhouse environments to make sure that melon growers were following food safety protocols.

Verification findings

Concerns about Campylobacter and Salmonella on poultry

Campylobacter and Salmonella infections are both significant health concerns for Australians. In order to monitor the prevalence of these two food-borne pathogens, the raw poultry verification program gathers ongoing data on their prevalence and levels in raw poultry.

The report states that during the period of July 2018 and June 2019, samples were taken from raw poultry including 196 from whole chickens/chicken portions from processing plants, and 312 chicken portions from retail facilities. The samples were tested for the presence of Campylobacter and Salmonella.

The results for processing plants:

Salmonella

  • detected in 21.4% of samples
  • 9.2% of samples had quantifiable levels

Campylobacter

  • detected in 86.7% of samples
  • 1.5% of samples had quantifiable levels

The results for retail facilities:

Salmonella

  • detected in 25.8% of samples
  • 1.7% of samples had quantifiable levels

Campylobacter

  • detected in 89.9% of samples
  • 6.4% of samples had quantifiable levels

Research findings

Investigating algal biotoxins in wild harvest shellfish

There are other types of food-borne pathogens that are not as well known as Listeria, Salmonella or Campylobacter. The report touches on how some algae produce toxic compounds that can then accumulate in certain types of fish, particularly filter-feeding bivalve shellfish. The concern is that the toxic compounds can be harmful to humans if they are consumed by eating the shellfish.

The NSW Food Authority conducted testing between 2018 and 2019 which involved taking samples from pipis which are a type of shellfish group. There were 76 samples taken and they were tested for three different types of algae toxin groups which were amnesic shellfish toxins, paralytic shellfish toxins and diarrhetic shellfish toxins. The results revealed that diarrhetic shellfish toxins were detected in 13 of the 76 samples.

The NSW Food Authority will continue to investigate the health concerns around algae toxins in harvest shellfish in the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

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Posted in Algal Blooms, Algal Toxin, Bacteria, bacterial contamination, Campylobacter, Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning, DON, food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food death, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Poisoning Death, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Temperature Abuse, Food Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiology, paralytic shellfish poisoning, Pathogen, Poisoning, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken

Research – Persistent contamination of raw milk by Campylobacter jejuni ST-883

Posted on September 12, 2020 by | Leave a comment

PubMed

Raw Milk Food Safety KSW FoodworldCampylobacter kswfoodworld

Campylobacter jejuni has caused several campylobacteriosis outbreaks via raw milk consumption. This study reports follow-up of a milk-borne campylobacteriosis outbreak that revealed persistent C. jejuni contamination of bulk tank milk for seven months or longer. Only the outbreak-causing strain, representing sequence type (ST) 883, was isolated from milk, although other C. jejuni STs were also isolated from the farm. We hypothesized that the outbreak strain harbors features that aid its environmental transmission or survival in milk. To identify such phenotypic features, the outbreak strain was characterized for survival in refrigerated raw milk and in aerobic broth culture by plate counting and for biofilm formation on microplates by crystal violet staining and quantification. Furthermore, whole-genome sequences were studied for such genotypic features. For comparison, we characterized isolates representing other STs from the same farm and an ST-883 isolate that persisted on another dairy farm, but was not isolated from bulk tank milk. With high inocula (105 CFU/ml), ST-883 strains survived in refrigerated raw milk longer (4-6 days) than the other strains (≤3 days), but the outbreak strain showed no outperformance among ST-883 strains. This suggests that ST-883 strains may share features that aid their survival in milk, but other mechanisms are required for persistence in milk. No correlation was observed between survival in refrigerated milk and aerotolerance. The outbreak strain formed a biofilm, offering a potential explanation for persistence in milk. Whether biofilm formation was affected by pTet-like genomic element and phase-variable genes encoding capsular methyltransferase and cytochrome C551 peroxidase warrants further study. This study suggests a phenotypic target candidate for interventions and genetic markers for the phenotype, which should be investigated further with the final aim of developing control strategies against C. jejuni infections.

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Posted in Bacteria, bacterial contamination, Campylobacter, food contamination, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiology