Category Archives: CDC

USA – Outbreak of Salmonella Infections Linked to Butterball Brand Ground Turkey

Posted on May 9, 2019 | Leave a comment

CDC

This outbreak appears to be over. People should always handle and cook turkey safely. Get CDC’s tips to prevent foodborne illness from turkey.

  • On March 13, 2019, Butterball, LLC in Mount Olive, North Carolina recalled external icon approximately 78,164 pounds of raw ground turkey products because they may have been contaminated with Salmonella Schwarzengrund.
    • Recalled ground turkey products were produced on July 7, 2018 and were shipped to institutional and retail locations nationwide.
    • Products were labeled with the establishment number “EST. P-7345” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
    • Visit the USDA-FSIS website for a list of recalled products external icon.
  • Institutions, restaurants, and retailers should not serve or sell recalled turkey products and should check food storage and freezers for them.
    • If possible, retailers who received recalled turkey products should contact their customers to alert them of the recall.
  • Consumers should check their homes for Butterball brand ground turkey labeled with the establishment number “EST. P-7345” with a sell or freeze by date of 7/26/18. Visit the USDA-FSIS website for a list of recalled products external icon.
    • Do not eat recalled ground turkey. Return it to the store or throw it away.
  • Contact a healthcare provider if you think you got sick from eating recalled ground turkey.
  • In general, consumers and restaurants should always handle and cook ground turkey safely to avoid foodborne illness. It is important to handle and prepare all ground turkey products carefully.
Final Outbreak Information
  • As of May 7, 2019, this outbreak appears to be over.
  • A total of 7 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Schwarzengrund were reported from 3 states.
    • Illnesses started on dates ranging from December 19, 2018 to March 16, 2019.
    • One person was hospitalized. No deaths were reported.
  • Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicated that ground turkey produced by Butterball, LLC was the likely source of this outbreak.
  • On March 13, 2019, Butterball, LLC recalled external icon approximately 78,164 pounds of ground turkey products that may have been contaminated with Salmonella Schwarzengrund.

Leave a comment

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

USA – CDC Alert: Do Not Eat Romaine Lettuce, Throw It Out

Posted on November 21, 2018 | Leave a comment

CDC

Illustration with a triangle and exclamation mark and text reading Food Safety Alert

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, Canada, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) infections linked to romaine lettuce.

CDC is advising that U.S. consumers not eat any romaine lettuce, and retailers and restaurants not serve or sell any, until we learn more about the outbreak. This investigation is ongoing and the advice will be updated as more information is available.

  • Consumers who have any type of romaine lettuce in their home should not eat it and should throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has gotten sick.
    • This advice includes all types or uses of romaine lettuce, such as whole heads of romaine, hearts of romaine, and bags and boxes of precut lettuce and salad mixes that contain romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix, and Caesar salad.
    • If you do not know if the lettuce is romaine or whether a salad mix contains romaine, do not eat it and throw it away.
    • Wash and sanitize drawers or shelves in refrigerators where romaine was stored. Follow these five steps(https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/clean-refrigerator-steps.html) to clean your refrigerator.
  • Restaurants and retailers should not serve or sell any romaine lettuce, including salads and salad mixes containing romaine.
  • Take action(https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/foodsafety-2015/index.html) if you have symptoms of an E. coli infection(https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/ecoli-symptoms.html):
    • Talk to your healthcare provider.
    • Write down what you ate in the week before you started to get sick.
    • Report your illness to the health department.
    • Assist public health investigators by answering questions about your illness.

Advice to Clinicians

  • Antibiotics are not recommended(https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/clinicians.html) for patients with E. coli O157 infections. Antibiotics are also not recommended for patients in whom E.coli O157 infection is suspected, until diagnostic testing rules out this infection.
  • Some studies have shown that administering antibiotics to patients with E. coli O157 infections might increase their risk of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (a type of kidney failure), and the benefit of antibiotic treatment has not been clearly demonstrated.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in CDC, E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, food death, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Uncategorized

USA – Notes from the Field: Multiple Cyclosporiasis Outbreaks — United States, 2018

Posted on October 8, 2018 | Leave a comment

CDC Cyclospora_LifeCycle201

Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis through ingestion of fecally contaminated food or water. Symptoms of cyclosporiasis might include watery diarrhea (most common), loss of appetite, weight loss, cramping, bloating, increased gas, nausea, and fatigue. Typically, increased numbers of cases are reported in the United States during spring and summer; since the mid-1990s, outbreaks have been identified and investigated almost every year. Past outbreaks have been associated with various types of imported fresh produce (e.g., basil, cilantro, and raspberries) (1). There are currently no validated molecular typing tools* to facilitate linking cases to each other, to food vehicles, or their sources. Therefore, cyclosporiasis outbreak investigations rely primarily on epidemiologic data.

The 2018 outbreak season is noteworthy for multiple outbreaks associated with different fresh produce items and the large number of reported cases. Two multistate outbreaks resulted in 761 laboratory-confirmed illnesses. The first outbreak, identified in June, was associated with prepackaged vegetable trays (containing broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots) sold at a convenience store chain in the Midwest; 250 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported in persons with exposures in three states (illness onset mid-May–mid-June) (2). The supplier voluntarily recalled the vegetable trays (3). The second multistate outbreak, identified in July, was associated with salads (containing carrots, romaine, and other leafy greens) sold at a fast food chain in the Midwest; 511 laboratory-confirmed cases during May–July occurred in persons with exposures in 11 states who reported consuming salads (4). The fast food chain voluntarily stopped selling salads at approximately 3,000 stores in 14 Midwest states that received the implicated salad mix from a common processing facility (5). The traceback investigation conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not identify a single source or potential point of contamination for either outbreak.

Leave a comment

Posted in CDC, Cyclospora, food bourne outbreak, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Uncategorized

USA – CDC – Food Safety Month

Posted on August 31, 2018 | Leave a comment

Facebook sized image for download about how kidney failure strikes 1 out of 7 children under age 5 who are diagnosed with e.coli 0157 infection.CDC  

September is National Food Safety Education Month. It provides an opportunity to raise awareness about steps you can take to prevent food poisoning.

Every year, an estimated 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from eating contaminated food. Some people are more likely to get a foodborne illness (also called food poisoning) or to get seriously ill.

Join us in sharing information about which groups of people are more likely to get food poisoning, symptoms of food poisoning, and what steps they or their caregivers can take to help prevent it. Also, learn when to see a doctor and how to report food poisoning.

Food Safety Graphics Page

 

Leave a comment

Posted in CDC, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Safety, Uncategorized

USA – Outbreak of Salmonella Infections Linked to Hy-Vee Spring Pasta Salad – Update

Posted on August 2, 2018 | Leave a comment

CDC   salad-with-label-small

  • Fifty-eight more ill people from nine states were added to this outbreak since the last update on July 18, 2018. Four more states reported ill people: Illinois, Kansas, North Dakota, and Tennessee.
  • Salmonella enterica subspecies IIIb has been added to this investigation because two people were infected with this strain of Salmonella and with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Sandiego at the same time. A search of the CDC PulseNet database found six additional people infected with the strain of Salmonella enterica subspecies IIIb and these cases have also been added to the outbreak.
  • A total of 79 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella have been reported from nine states.
  • Illnesses started on dates ranging from June 21, 2018, to July 15, 2018.
  • Epidemiologic evidence(https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/outbreaks/investigating-outbreaks/index.html) indicates that Spring Pasta Salad purchased at Hy-Vee grocery stores is a likely source of the outbreak.
  • This investigation is ongoing, and CDC will provide updates when more information is available.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in CDC, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Salmonella, Uncategorized

USA – FDA Fast Facts: FDA works with partners to investigate a Cyclospora outbreak potentially associated with McDonald’s salads

Posted on July 16, 2018 | Leave a comment

FDA Cyclospora_LifeCycle201

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with state and local officials, are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Cyclospora infections. Yesterday, the Illinois and Iowa Health Departments identified McDonald’s salads as being potentially linked to cases of Cyclospora in both states. McDonald’s has voluntarily stopped selling salads at affected restaurants across 14 states and the CDC reports that 61 people across seven states have gotten sick.

“We understand how important it is to quickly identify the cause of this foodborne outbreak to help reduce additional illness and we’re working closely with our colleagues at CDC and state partners to get more answers. There’s still a lot to learn about this outbreak, and we appreciate that McDonald’s has removed salads from the menu in impacted restaurants while we work to determine whether they are in fact linked to the outbreak. We will continue to share our progress toward these goals and provide updates as we learn more,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. “It’s early in the investigation, but we are taking steps now to help ensure consumers know about the potentially contaminated product so that they can better protect themselves or seek treatment, especially if they have signs or symptoms of a Cyclospora infection. This is especially important as Cyclospora is not commonly tested for in a health care setting, so consumers who may think they have been exposed should raise their concerns with their health care professional.”

As part of this emerging investigation, the FDA is actively working with McDonald’s to identify the common ingredients in the salads identified by those who became sick and to trace back those ingredients through the supply chain.

Cyclospora is a parasite that can cause severe intestinal illness, but can be treated. Although it’s unknown exactly how food and water become infected with Cyclospora, people should be aware that rinsing or washing food is not likely to remove it.

The following is an update on the FDA’s ongoing investigation into this outbreak.

Leave a comment

Posted in CDC, Cyclospora, FDA, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Uncategorized

CDC – Handwashing Posters

Posted on July 9, 2018 | Leave a comment

CDC Handwashing Posters

Some examples and there are links to many others.

superhero poster featuring a boy and girl with african-american features        One trillion germs - english    Poster featuring a princess with african american features

 

Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands (english version)   Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands (spanish version)         Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands (chinese version)

A nine-panel photo storyboard poster that depicts the step-by-step progression of a foodborne illness outbreak. A food employee is experiencing vomiting at work.  

 

 

 

Leave a comment

Posted in CDC, Hand Washing, Uncategorized