Category Archives: Contaminated water

ECDC – Giardiasis (lambliasis) – Annual Epidemiological Report for 2019

Posted on December 8, 2022 by | Leave a comment

ECDC

Giardia

In 2019, 18 004 confirmed giardiasis cases were reported in the EU/EEA. The EU/EEA notification rate was 5.2 cases per 100 000 population. The highest notification rates were reported in Belgium and Bulgaria. The EU/EEA notification rate was stable in the period 2015–2018, with a drop in 2019, the reasons for which have yet to be determined. The highest notification rate per 100 000 population was observed in the age group 0–4 years (16.5 for males and 15.0 for females).

Giardiasis is a common parasitic infection worldwide, caused by the protozoan Giardia lamblia (syn. G. duodenalis, G. intestinalis). The disease may be asymptomatic and self-limiting, or characterised by fatigue, bloating, acute diarrhoea and other chronic gastrointestinal symptoms. Infection occurs frequently via ingestion of cysts found in contaminated water (water-themed recreational activities, swimming pools or drinking water) or food, but person-to-person transmission may also occur, e.g. through sexual transmission.

Click to access giardiasis-%20annual-epidemiological-report-2019_0.pdf

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Posted in Contaminated water, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Giardia, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

Ireland – E. coli found in 1 in 20 private water supplies, says EPA.

Posted on November 29, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EPA

Key Findings for 2021

➤Compliance with drinking water standards in private supplies hasn’t improved in recent years. One in 20 supplies failed to meet the standard, compared to 1 in 200 for public water supplies.

➤Local authorities are not monitoring over a quarter of small private supplies for E. coli – and there may be many more supplies which need to be registered with the local authority.

➤Despite these shortcomings, over 60% of government funding available for infrastructural improvements went unused by water suppliers.

➤The timely completion of the Government review of rural water services will provide direction and support to water suppliers to address risks to public health.

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Posted in Bore Hole Water, Contaminated water, E.coli, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

Italy – MUSSELS ORIGIN IN SPAIN – Microbiological Contamination

Posted on November 28, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Salute

Trademark : EFFELLE PESCA SRL APPROVALNUMBER IT S1086 CE

Name : batch FL 335600 MUSSELS ORIGIN IN SPAIN PACKAGED BY EFFELLE PESCA SRL -MESOLA (FE)

Reason for reporting : Recall due to microbiological risk

Publication date : 28 November 2022

Documentation

Documentation

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Posted in Contaminated water, cross contamination, 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 Safety Management, Food Testing, Food Toxin, microbial contamination

Research – Bacterial microbiota profile in gills of modified atmosphere-packaged oysters stored at 4 °C

Posted on November 26, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

french oysters

Abstract

As filter-feeding bivalves, oysters can accumulate microorganisms into their gills, causing spoilage and potential safety issues. This study aims to investigate the changes in the gill microbiota of oysters packed under air and modified atmospheres (MAs, 50% CO2: 50% N2, 70% CO2: 30% O2, and 50% CO2: 50% O2) during storage at 4 °C. The diversity of bacterial microbiota in oyster gills was profiled through polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis on the 16S rRNA gene V3 region to describe the variation during the entire storage period. The DGGE profile revealed high bacterial diversity in the air- and MA-packaged oyster gills, and the spoilage bacterial microbiota varied in the MA-packaged oyster gills. Results indicated that CO2:O2 (70%:30%) was suitable for oyster MA packaging and that high bacterial loads in oyster gills need to be considered during storage. In addition, Lactobacillus and Lactococcus species were found to grow dominantly in fresh oyster gills under MA packaging, which supports the potential application of MA packaging for oyster storage.

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Posted in Contaminated water, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Research, water microbiology

Sweden – At least 100 ill in Swedish Cryptosporidium salad outbreak

Posted on November 18, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

water contamination

A rise in Cryptosporidium infections in Sweden has been attributed to contaminated salad by public health officials.

The Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten) said 101 cases of a certain type of Cryptosporidium parvum had been confirmed in 13 regions of the country.

Patients fell ill from Sept. 25 to Oct. 15 this year and women were more affected than men. Cases range from 4 to 86 years old with an average age of 42.

Link to salad
The agency added there are another 99 potential cases being investigated. The type of Cryptosporidium parvum involved is common so there could be several possible sources.

Local infection control units, the Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) and Folkhälsomyndigheten investigated the increase in infections to find a source.

Analysis of information from patients on what they had eaten before becoming ill shows they ate mixed or bagged salad more often than a control group.

Salad has a short shelf life so health officials don’t think it is still available for sale but no products have been sampled.

Livsmedelsverket has looked into possible producers and growers but has been unable to find the likely source of infection.

As reported cases of Cryptosporidium have decreased and are at similar levels to previous years, officials believe the outbreak is over.

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Posted in Contaminated water, Cryptosporidiosis, Cryptosporidium, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

Research – EU and UK record travel-related Shigella infections

Posted on November 15, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A multi-country Shigella outbreak in Europe has been linked to stays at some hotels in Cape Verde.

Confirmed Shigella sonnei cases have been reported in the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Germany, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said there is no information about the source of infection but given the increase in travel during the coming holiday season, new cases are likely.

However, Holiday Claims Bureau and Hudgell Solicitors in the UK have noted complaints of illness and poor hygiene standards from holidaymakers, suggesting the source could be contaminated food or water. Holiday Claims Bureau said it had been informed of sick people testing positive for Shigella.

Travelers have described symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and pains, which in some cases lasted until they returned home.

Anne Thomson, Hudgell Solicitors’ travel litigation executive, said people can suffer as a result of a change in diet and climate.

“However, when we are alerted to situations where a number of holiday guests are affected by similar symptoms, particularly when they are not part of the same traveling group, we feel an investigation is needed to contain any wider outbreak and prevent future problems,” she said.

“Holidaymakers becoming ill having only ever eaten at the specific hotel they are staying at, and concerns raised by guests over standards of hygiene and cleanliness throughout premises, and not just in dining areas, are often red flags to potential underlying problems.”

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Posted in Contaminated water, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Shigatoxin, Shigella, Shigella Sonnei, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

Ireland – Wexford boil water notice impacting over 25,000 people could remain until middle of next week – Giardia

Posted on November 4, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Independant

A boil water notice impacting over 25,000 people on the Wexford town public water supply could remain in place until the middle of next week.

Wexford County Council and Irish Water made the decision to implement the boil water notice with immediate effect on Wednesday evening, after samples taken from the Newtown Road Treatment Plant in town showed a detection of Giardia.

An emergency consultation with the HSE followed and the local authority took the decision to implement a boil water notice for an area covering the vast majority of Wexford town and right out as far as Taghmon.

The authorities say that they took the action “to protect the health of consumers” across Wexford. The consumption of water containing Giardia can cause diarrhoea, extreme abdominal cramps and gas. It is unclear if there’s been any official reports of people ill as a result of consuming the water, however, a few posted on social media complaining of these types of symptoms.

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Posted in Boil Water Notice, Contaminated water, food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Testing, Giardia, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

Research – Survey of the occurrence of Giardia duodenalis cysts and Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts in green leafy vegetables marketed in the city of Valencia (Spain)

Posted on October 30, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

Abstract

The role of vegetables usually consumed without prior culinary treatment is known to contribute to the prevalence of foodborne diseases. Cysts and oocysts can contaminate food, which can then be the source of infection in humans. The aim of the study was to assess the occurrence of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. (oo)cysts in green leafy vegetables marketed in the city of Valencia (Spain) combining parasitological methods, two real-time qPCRs and light microscopy. An experimental field study was conducted on 129 vegetable samples, 64 from conventional farms and 65 from ecological (organic) farms. The samples were washed with water, and the resulting solution after removing the vegetables, was subjected to 24-hour sedimentation. The concentrated sediment was used for the search for protozoa. A positive result by both real-time PCRs, or a positive result by one qPCR and confirmation by microscopy was established as a positivity criterion. Giardia duodenalis was detected in 23.0 % of the samples, and Cryptosporidium spp. in 7.8 %. G. duodenalis (41.5 %) and Cryptosporidium spp. (20.0 %) were more frequent in ecological crops. The high level of contamination detected in organic vegetables may be due to the type of fertilizers and the quality of the water used for their irrigation and reinforces the need to take extreme hygiene measures in vegetables that are consumed raw.

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Posted in Contaminated water, Cryptosporidiosis, Cryptosporidium, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Giardia, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

Sweden – Sweden searches for the source of Crypto and Salmonella outbreaks

Posted on October 24, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Swedish officials are investigating a recent increase in reported cases of Cryptosporidium.

A total of 61 people have been confirmed as being infected by the same certain type of Cryptosporidium parvum. These people fell ill from Sept. 25 to Oct. 10 and live in 10 different regions of the country.

Of confirmed cases, 41 are women and 20 are men. They are aged between 11 and 86 years old with an average age of 44.

There are another 98 possible infections that have been reported within the same period and some of these may also belong to the outbreak.

The Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten) said the increase is under investigation but could be caused by food with wide distribution in the country.

Local infection control units, the Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) and Folkhälsomyndigheten are investigating the outbreak to identify the source of infection.

Cryptosporidium is a parasite that, if ingested, can cause cryptosporidiosis. Transmission occurs mainly through contact with contaminated water but can be via food or exposure to infected animals or water contaminated by the feces of infected animals.

The main symptom is watery diarrhea, which can range from mild to severe. It is often accompanied by stomach pain, nausea or vomiting, fever, and sometimes dehydration and weight loss. Symptoms usually appear two to 10 days after infection and last one to two weeks.

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Posted in Contaminated water, Cryptosporidiosis, Cryptosporidium, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Salmonella, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

USA – Michigan consumers warned of produce contaminated with human waste

Posted on October 5, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is advising consumers not to eat any Kuntry Gardens produce or products containing produce from Kuntry Gardens of Homer, MI, because it may be contaminated with raw, untreated human waste.

All of the implicated products are expected to be labeled under the name Kuntry Gardens.

During a routine produce safety inspection, MDARD staff identified that Kuntry Gardens was using raw, untreated human waste on the fields where produce was grown for sale to local grocery stores and direct sale. The use of raw, untreated, human waste for growing commodities intended for human food is a violation of state and federal laws and regulations.

If not treated professionally, human waste and other body fluids can spread dangerous infectious diseases such as hepatitis A, Clostridium difficile, E. coli, rotavirus and norovirus.

The state health department has placed impacted product still on the farm under seizure and is working with the farm to oversee disposition and corrective action.

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Posted in Clostridium difficile, Contaminated water, Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Hepatitis A, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Norovirus, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety