Category Archives: Decontamination Microbial

USA – Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Seafood (October 2022) – FDA’s investigation is complete. CDC declares outbreak over

Posted on December 15, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FDA

The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Litchfield infections linked to fresh, raw salmon supplied to restaurants in California and Arizona by Mariscos Bahia, Inc. 

As of December 14, 2022, CDC announced that the outbreak is over. CDC reports a total of 39 illnesses in four states. The last illness onset was October 23, 2022.

As part of this investigation, FDA and the California Department of Public Health conducted a joint inspection at Mariscos Bahia, Inc., Pico Rivera, CA and collected environmental samples from the facility. Multiple samples collected from the firm came back positive for Salmonella. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) indicated the Salmonella detected in at least one of the swabs from the facility matched the strain causing illnesses in this outbreak. The epidemiological evidence indicated that ill people consumed fresh, raw salmon processed at this firm; however, the presence of Salmonella in the processing environment also indicated that additional types of fish processed in the same area of the facility could have been contaminated.

On October 20, 2022, Mariscos Bahia, Inc., Pico Rivera, CA initiated a voluntary recall. Recalled products included fresh, raw salmon along with all other types of fresh fish processed in the same area as the salmon which included fresh, raw halibut, Chilean seabass, tuna, and swordfish.

Recommendation

According to Mariscos Bahia, Inc., seafood was only sold directly to restaurants in California and Arizona and would not be available for purchase by consumers in retail stores. The firm contacted direct restaurant customers that received recalled product. Recalled seafood was sold fresh and is now past shelf-life unless it was frozen after purchase.

Restaurants who might have purchased or received recalled fresh, raw salmon, halibut, Chilean seabass, tuna, or swordfish from Mariscos Bahia, Inc. (Pico Rivera, CA, and Phoenix, AZ) between June 14 – October 17, 2022, should check their freezers and throw away recalled product. Restaurants should also be sure to wash and sanitize locations where recalled fish from Mariscos Bahia, Inc. were stored or prepared. 

 

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, 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

North Korea – Pyongyang food poisoning outbreak likely caused by government distributed dairy products

Posted on December 15, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Daily NK

A rash of food poisoning cases was recently reported in Pyongyang by families who had consumed the dairy products that the North Korean government distributes to children under the age of five years old, Daily NK has learned.

A source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Tuesday that around a dozen parents and children under the age of five in the Taesong District of Pyongyang were taken to the hospital after reporting symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting.

An investigation found that everyone in the group began to experience symptoms after consuming dairy products supplied by their neighborhood government office.

Children in North Korea are given dairy products, including powdered milk and fresh milk, as one of the North Korean government’s flagship childcare initiatives. North Korea is currently combating an extremely low birth rate.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Poisoning

EFSA- Campylobacter Story Map

Posted on December 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

The most clinically relevant  species  are Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) and C. coli, which are responsible for almost 95% of Campylobacter-associated diarrheal diseases. Other emerging species have been recently identified as human or animal pathogens. The involvement of some of these species in human disease is still unclear.

Campylobacter are a group of small, curved, gram-negative, non-spore-forming, motile bacteria with a single polar flagellum or bipolar flagella.

Thermotolerant Campylobacter species (e.g. C. jejuni, C. coli) are able to grow at temperatures between 37° and 42˚C but not below 30˚C, while strains of non-thermotolerant Campylobacter species (e.g. C. fetus subsp. venerealis, C. fetus subsp. fetus) may not grow at 42˚C. Generally, they are highly sensitive to oxygen, desiccation, osmotic stress, and low  pH , and they cannot grow in foods during handling or storage at room temperature in moderate climates. Freezing reduces the number of viable Campylobacter, but it must nevertheless be stressed that the bacteria can survive extended periods of refrigeration and freezing.

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Posted in Campylobacter, Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, 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

EFSA – Campylobacter Dashboard

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EFSA

The EFSA dashboard on Campylobacter is a graphical user interface for searching and querying the large amount of data collected each year by EFSA from EU Member States and other reporting countries based on Zoonoses Directive 2003/99/EC. The Campylobacter dashboard shows summary statistics for the monitoring results of the pathogen with regard to major food categories, Campylobacter-positive official samples exceeding the Process Hygiene Criterion limit of 1,000 CFU/g for chilled broiler carcases and the occurrence of Campylobacter in major food categories. The Campylobacter data and related statistics can be displayed interactively using charts, graphs and maps in the online EFSA dashboard. The main statistics can also be viewed and downloaded in tabular format. Detailed information on the use and features of the Campylobacter dashboard can be found in the present user guide that can also be downloaded from the online tool.

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Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, 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

FSA – Foodborne Outbreaks – Story Map

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EFSA

A foodborne outbreak can be defined as “an incident in which two or more people develop the same disease or infection following the consumption of a common contaminated food”. Most of the agents implicated in foodborne outbreaks are zoonotic agents*. The severity of the disease varies in humans, with effects ranging from mild to serious illness and even death ( WHO, food safety ).

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

EFSA – Listeria monocytogenes Dashboard

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EFSA

The EFSA dashboard on Listeria monocytogenes is a graphical user interface for searching and querying the large amount of data collected each year by EFSA from EU Member States and other reporting countries based on Zoonoses Directive 2003/99/EC. The Listeria monocytogenes dashboard shows summary statistics for the monitoring results of the pathogen with regard to major ready-to-eat food categories, Listeria monocytogenes-positive official samples in the context of food safety criteria in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 and official samples exceeding the food safety criteria limit of 100 CFU/g for specified food matrices. Other monitoring statistics for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods are also displayed. The Listeria monocytogenes data and related statistics can be displayed interactively using charts, graphs and maps in the online EFSA dashboard. The main statistics can also be viewed and downloaded in tabular format. Detailed information on the use and features of the Listeria monocytogenes dashboard can be found in the present user guide that can also be downloaded from the online tool.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Pathogen

EFSA – Foodborne Outbreaks – Dashboard

Posted on December 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

The EFSA dashboard on foodborne outbreaks is a graphical user interface that allows for searching and querying the large amount of data on foodborne outbreaks collected by EFSA from the European Union Member States and other reporting countries based on the Zoonoses Directive 2003/99/EC. In the online EFSA dashboard, the foodborne outbreak data (since 2015) and related statistics can be displayed interactively using charts, graphs, and maps. The main statistics can also be visualised (and downloaded) in a tabular format. The present user guide describes the content and functionalities of the dashboard on foodborne outbreaks and provides detailed indications to make full use of this visualisation tool.

Updates on versioning

Version 1 includes the user guide of the foodborne outbreaks dashboard

Version 2 includes user guides both on foodborne outbreaks as well as on zoonotic agents.

Consequently the title of the records has been updated to match the content.

 

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

EFSA – Salmonella – Story Map

Posted on December 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

Salmonella is a genus of highly diverse bacteria that live in the intestinal tract of humans and animals and are widespread in the environment thanks to their ability to survive and adapt even under extreme conditions.

The more than 2,600 Salmonella  serovars  are divided into typhoidal and non-typhoidal serovars and all of them are potentially harmful and can cause diseases in humans with different level of severity. Typhoidal serovars (S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi) are highly adapted to the human host, which constitutes their exclusive reservoir, so they are transmittable only through human-to-human contact, causing a potentially life-threatening syndrome known as typhoid or paratyphoid fever. Their prevalence is very low in high-income countries, and the few European cases that occur generally involve people returning from trips to low- or middle-income countries.

Non-typhoidal serovars are zoonotic agents. They are transmittable from animals and foods to humans, but also through human-to-human contact, and they can cause various syndromes, most of which are gastrointestinal. Due to its adaptability, Salmonella is widely prevalent in the environment and can infect animals and contaminate food.

The majority of circulating serovars are non-typhoidal and are the subject of this story map.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, 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

Pathogens dominate Swiss alerts in 2021

Posted on December 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The number of recalls went up in 2021 but public warnings dropped in Switzerland, according to recently published figures.

The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) published 18 public warnings and 61 recalls for food in 2021 compared to 28 warnings and 49 recalls the year before. Recalls are published by companies and public warnings are made by Swiss authorities.

Most alerts this past year concerned pathogens such as Listeria nine times, Salmonella on six occasions, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) twice.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology Investigations, Salmonella, STEC, STEC E.coli

EFSA – Listeria monocytogenes – Story Map

Posted on December 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

Listeria bacteria are widespread in the environment and they are worldwide commonly found in soil and water, as well as in animal digestive tracts. There are more than 15  species  of bacteria in this genus, but human cases of Listeria infection are almost always caused by Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) while Listeria ivanovii is pathogenic in animals but rarely in humans. The other species are not considered to be pathogenic in humans or animals.

L. monocytogenes are able to form communities of bacteria called biofilms and are therefore resistant to a wide range of stresses. This capacity varies among  genotypes . They can tolerate acidic, dry and salty conditions, in the presence or absence of oxygen. Moreover, unlike most pathogenic bacteria, they are able to survive and multiply in refrigerated foods, making ready-to-eat foods of particular concern.

Specific  strains  (identified by “ serogroups ” and “ serovars ”) are important for human health as they can differ in terms of geographical distribution and their ability to cause disease. Detection and isolation of Listeria strains, both by classic laboratory procedures and molecular and genomic methods, are therefore crucial to evaluate their relative presence in food, the environment and clinical settings, to address the  virulence  and to precisely trace  outbreaks , identifying the source of infection.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Pathogen