Category Archives: Campylobacter

UK – Scotland – Understanding the sources of human Campylobacter infection in Scotland

Posted on February 12, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Standards Scotland 

 

Research published today shows that chicken remains the biggest source of campylobacter infection in Scotland.

We commissioned the University of Aberdeen to compare clinical strains of campylobacter from the Grampian area with strains isolated from chickens, cattle, sheep, pigs and wild birds. This was used to determine the proportion of infections in Scotland from these potential sources.

While campylobacter remains the most common source of foodborne illness there has been a reduction in those contracting campylobacter from chicken. The proportion of cases attributed to chicken decreased from 55-75% to 52-68% when compared to data collected between 2012-2015.

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Posted in Campylobacter, Food Safety, Research

Research – Foodborne illness source attribution estimates for 2013 for Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter using multi-year outbreak surveillance data, United States

Posted on January 11, 2018 by | Leave a comment

CDC

Executive Summary

Each year in the United States an estimated 9 million people get sick, 56,000 are hospitalized, and 1,300 die of foodborne disease caused by known pathogens. These estimates help us understand the scope of this public health problem. However, to develop effective prevention measures, we need to understand the types of foods contributing to the problem.

The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC) is a tri-agency group created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS). Based on a new method, IFSAC developed foodborne illness source attribution estimates for 2012 using outbreak data from 1998 through 2012 for four priority pathogens, Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter. IFSAC described this method and the estimates for 2012 in a report and at a public meeting.

IFSAC derived the estimates for 2013 using the same method used for the 2012 estimates, with some modifications. The data came from 1,043 foodborne disease outbreaks that occurred from 1998 through 2013 and for which each confirmed or suspected implicated food fell into a single food category. The method relies most heavily on the most recent five years of outbreak data (2009–2013). Foods are categorized using a scheme IFSAC created to classify foods into 17 categories that closely align with the U.S. food regulatory agencies’ classification needs.

 

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Posted in Campylobacter, E.coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, Research, Salmonella, Uncategorized

UK – FSA Calls for Tender – Campylobacter in Scotland

Posted on March 31, 2014 by | Leave a comment

FSA food_standards_agency_logo

Proposals are sought for research that investigates the factors affecting variations in Campylobacter disease rates in Scotland. Specifically the FSA is looking to commission research that will significantly improve our understanding whether deprivation continues to have a protective effect on the levels of Campylobacter infection and if so what factors are likely to be contributing to this effect. The FSA would like to know what factors are most likely to influence rates of Campylobacter infection in different socioeconomic groups in Scotland.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Testing, Pathogen, Research

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Research Netherlands – Microbial Risk in Produce

Posted on March 4, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Ingentaconnect

The objective of this study was to evaluate the microbial hazard associated with the consumption of mixed salads produced under standard conditions. The presence of Salmonella, Campylobacter spp., and Escherichia coli O157 in the Dutch production chain of mixed salads was determined. Microbial prevalence and concentration data from a microbiological surveillance study were used as inputs for the quantitative microbial risk assessment. Chain logistics, production figures, and consumption patterns were combined with the survey data for the risk assessment chain approach. The results of the sample analysis were used to track events from contamination through human illness. Wide 95% confidence intervals around the mean were found for estimated annual numbers of illnesses resulting from the consumption of mixed salads contaminated with Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 (0 to 10,300 cases), Campylobacter spp. (0 to 92,000 cases), or E. coli (0 to 800 cases). The main sources of uncertainty are the lack of decontamination data (i.e., produce washing during processing) and an appropriate dose-response relationship.

Ingentaconnect

Recent outbreaks with vegetable or fruits as vehicles have raised interest in the characterization of the public health risk due to microbial contamination of these commodities. Because qualitative and quantitative data regarding prevalence and concentration of various microbes are lacking, we conducted a survey to estimate the prevalence and contamination level of raw produce and the resulting minimally processed packaged salads as sold in The Netherlands. A dedicated sampling plan accounted for the amount of processed produce in relation to the amount of products, laboratory capacity, and seasonal influences. Over 1,800 samples of produce and over 1,900 samples of ready-to-eat mixed salads were investigated for Salmonella enterica serovars, Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli O157, and Listeria monocytogenes. The overall prevalence in raw produce varied between 0.11% for E. coli O157 and L. monocytogenes and 0.38% for Salmonella. Prevalence point estimates for specific produce/pathogen combinations ranged for Salmonella from 0.53% in iceberg lettuce to 5.1% in cucumber. For Campylobacter, this ranged from 0.83% in endive to 2.7% in oak tree lettuce. These data will be used to determine the public health risk posed by the consumption of ready-to-eat mixed salads in The Netherlands.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Testing, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella

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Research – Poultry Food Safety Control Interventions in the Domestic Kitchen

Posted on February 27, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online Library imagesCAYZ5I84

Research was undertaken to investigate cross-contamination of the domestic kitchen environment during poultry fillet preparation using a streptomycin-resistant strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens as a model organism. The potential role of a cook-in-the-bag technology to control this cross-contamination was also investigated. Poultry fillets were inoculated with P. fluorescens (6.06 log10 CFU/cm2). Six people were challenged to unpack, defrost, cut and cook without contaminating the preparation environment. After preparation, the chopping board, knife blade, dishcloth, refrigerator handle, oven handle, oven buttons, draining board, tap, microwave handle, microwave buttons, plate, tinfoil and press handle were tested for the presence of the P. fluorescens strain, before and after washing. The experiment was then repeated with a precut cook-in-the-bag product. In a separate experiment, the effect of freezing and frozen storage (−20C) on Campylobacter and the sensory attributes of chicken fillets were investigated. The cook-in-the-bag approach considerably reduced the incidence and levels of cross-contamination in the domestic kitchen. Freezing significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the Campylobacter counts on inoculated fillets after 7 days at −20C (1.73 log10 CFU/g). While there was no adverse effect on taste, fillets that had been frozen were significantly more “firm” and “less moist” as compared with fresh product.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Spoilage, Food Testing, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Pseudomonas, Research

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USA – Chicken Livers – Campylobacter

Posted on February 5, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Orgeon Food Safety AlertsCampylobacter_jejuni_01

Since December 2013, Oregon health officials have been looking into the source of Campylobacteriosis that has sickened five individuals in Oregon and Ohio. All cases report eating undercooked or raw chicken livers; most cases consumed chicken livers prepared as pâté. The cases in Ohio ate chicken liver pâté while visiting Oregon. The Oregon Health Authority is working with USDA and CDC.

This is the second reported multistate outbreak of campylobacteriosis associated with consumption of undercooked chicken liver in the United States.

Oregon Live

A high-end chicken product enjoyed in high-end restaurants in Portland is part of a small food poisoning outbreak in Oregon.

Health officials issued a public health alert Tuesday, saying six people who consumed undercooked or raw chicken livers were infected with campylobacter, a common foodborne pathogen. Three people live in Oregon and two others were visiting the state from Ohio. The outbreak includes one person in Washington state who got sick after consuming chicken liver pills. Most of the others ate chicken liver pate.

 

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen

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Research – Freshwater Turtles and Salmonella – Campylobacter

Posted on January 14, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Science Daily800px-Florida_Box_Turtle_Digon3_re-edited

Professors from the University CEU Cardenal Herrera studied 200 specimens of freshwater turtles from eleven Valencian wetland areas, to determine the prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter in these animals, because of their potential risk of transmitting gastrointestinal diseases to humans, especially children. According to the results, published in the journal Plos One, 11% of the analysed specimens of freshwater turtles were found positive for Salmonella. However, Campylobacter was not detected in any of them. This is the first study to rule out terrapins as transmitters of campylobacteriosis to humans.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella

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RASFF Alerts – Campylobacter – Chicken – Bacillus cereus Toxin – Rocket

Posted on December 2, 2013 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Campylobacter coli (8 of 12 samples /25g) and Campylobacter jejuni (4 out of 12 samples /25g) in chilled boneless skinless chicken breast fillets from Poland in Denmark

RASFF – Bacillus cereus diarrheal enterotoxin (17000 CFU/g) in packed rocket from the Netherlands in Finland

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Posted in Bacillus cereus, Bacteria, Campylobacter, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Toxin

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Research – Campylobacter Chromosomes Mapped

Posted on December 2, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning BulletinCampylobacter

New research from the Institute of Food Research has mapped chromosomes of Campylobacter. Scientists are trying to understand how this pathogenic bacteria controls its genes to develop new strategies to fight it. In the UK, Campylobacter is the most common cause of foodborne diarrheal illness.

The chromosome map shows where all of the bacteria turns on its genes. Those are called transcriptional start sites (TSS).  The bacteria turns on different genes in response to changes in its environment. TSS are also how the bacteria evolved to adapt to new situations. All organisms have these control mechanisms.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

RASFF Alerts – Listeria monocytogenes – Raw Milk Cheese – Cream Cheese -Campylobacter – Chicken

Posted on November 25, 2013 by | Leave a comment

RASFF -Listeria monocytogenes (300 CFU/g) in raw cow milk cheese from France

RASFF -Listeria monocytogenes (230; <10; <10; <10; <10; CFU/g) in cream cheese from Denmark

RASFF -Campylobacter spp. (presence /25g) in chilled chicken thigh from Poland in Denmark

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall

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