Category Archives: E.coli O104

Research – EFSA – ECDC – The European Union Summary Report on Trends and Sources of Zoonoses, Zoonotic Agents

Posted on April 9, 2013 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

The European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control analysed the information submitted by 27 European Union Member States on the occurrence of zoonoses and food-borne outbreaks in 2011. Campylobacteriosis was the most commonly reported zoonosis with 220,209 confirmed human cases. The occurrence of Campylobacter continued to be high in broiler meat at EU level.

The decreasing trend in confirmed salmonellosis cases in humans continued with a total of 95,548 cases in 2011. Most Member States met their Salmonella reduction targets for poultry, and Salmonella is declining in these populations. In foodstuffs, Salmonella was most often detected in meat and products thereof.

The number of confirmed human listeriosis cases decreased to 1,476. Listeria was seldom detected above the legal safety limit from ready-to-eat foods.

A total of 9,485 confirmed verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) infections were reported. This represents an increase of 159.4 % compared with 2010 as a result of the large STEC/VTEC outbreak that occurred in 2011 in the EU, primarily in Germany. VTEC was also reported from food and animals.

The number of human yersiniosis cases increased to 7,017 cases. Yersinia enterocolitica was isolated also from pig meat and pigs; 132 cases of Mycobacterium bovis and 330 cases of brucellosis in humans were also reported. The prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle increased, and the prevalence of brucellosis decreased in cattle and sheep and goat populations.

Trichinellosis and echinococcosis caused 268 and 781 human cases, respectively and these parasites were mainly detected in wildlife. The numbers of alveolar and of cystic echinococcosis respectively increased and decreased in the last five years. One imported human case of rabies was reported. The number of rabies cases in animals continued to decrease.

Most of the 5,648 reported food-borne outbreaks were caused by Salmonella, bacterial toxins, Campylobacter and viruses, and the main food sources were eggs, mixed foods and fish and fishery products.

 

© European Food Safety Authority, 2013

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, E.coli, E.coli O104, E.coli O157, ECDC, EFSA, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Poisoning, Research

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European Sprouted Seeds Legislation Due July 2013 are the USA to Follow?

Posted on January 21, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin Eurofins

The newly proposed produce safety rule of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has a section devoted to sprouts because they “present a unique risk.” That’s because the ideal conditions for growing sprouts are also ideal for growing pathogens, as we have seen many times in recent years.

Since 1996, there have been 30  “sproutbreaks” where sprouts contaminated with Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli and other pathogens have caused outbreaks of illness. In 2012, sprouts were recalled for potential contamination at least seven times and caused one of the largest multi-state foodborne illness outbreaks of the year.  The 11-state outbreak which sickened 29 people was linked to sprouts served at a fast food sandwich chain. Also in 2012, Kroger, one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers decided to stop selling sprouts because of the risk they pose.

Some of the new requirements in the proposed rule are: requiring growers to take “measures reasonably necessary to prevent the introduction of hazards into or onto seeds or beans;” requiring that growing, harvesting, packing and holding of sprouts be done in a fully-enclosed building; “require that any food-contact surfaces that come in contact with sprouts, seeds, or beans must be cleaned and sanitized;”  required use  of a scientifically valid to reduce microorganisms before sprouting;  required testing for Listeria; and required record keeping of seed treatments  and environmental  monitoring.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O104, E.coli O157, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella

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Research New Bacterial Identification Technology

Posted on January 17, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel (GPP), which recently received approval from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is one lab test that can do the job of many,  expertly scanning a solitary stool sample for 11 different illness-inducing organisms.

To many, that sounds an impressive feat in an of itself. But considering that 179 million Americans are stricken with gastroenteritis every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s also one that can come in handy. Infectious gastroenteritis is caused by certain viruses, bacteria, or parasites and can be spread easily through person-to-person contact or from contaminated food, water, and surfaces. Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea.

The  xTAG can scan for  bacteria including Campylobacter, Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) toxin A/B, Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) LT/ST, Salmonella, Shigella and Shiga‐like Toxin producing E. coli (STEC) stx 1/stx 2. It can scan for viruses including Norovirus and Rotavirus A. And it can scan for parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Clostridium difficile, Cryptosporidium, E.coli, E.coli O103, E.coli O104, E.coli O145, E.coli O157, E.coli O26, EHEC, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Food Virus, Giardia, Methods, Microbiology, Norovirus, Pathogen, Rotavirus

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Research – Hot Water and Chlorine Treatments – Bean Sprout

Posted on December 31, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Science DirectEurofins

Abstract

The majority of bean sprout-related outbreaks have been associated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, and an effective method to inactivate these organisms on seeds prior to sprouting is important to avoid foodborne pathogen diseases. We have previously tested treatment with a combination of hot water and chlorine, and a high bactericidal effect without decreases in the germination ratio was observed on mung bean seeds produced in China. To evaluate the versatility of this treatment, the present study confirmed whether our disinfection treatment can be applied to mung bean seeds produced in another country (Myanmar). A more than 5.0 log CFU/g reduction of E. coli O157:H7 was achieved when the mung bean seeds were treated with hot water at 85 °C for 10–40 s, followed by soaking in a 2000 ppm chlorine solution for 2 h; the hot water treatment at 85 °C for 40 s followed by the chlorine treatment completely eliminated E. coli O157:H7 from the mung bean seeds. Additionally, a more than 5.0 log CFU/g reduction was obtained for Salmonella after the hot water treatment at 85 °C followed by the chlorine treatment. These treatments did not significantly affect the viability and germination of the mung bean seeds, and a sufficient yield for commercial uses was obtained.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O104, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Hygiene, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

USA – Research -STEC Sampling and Listeria Outbreaks 1998-2008

Posted on December 20, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FSIS Notice

 This notice provides new instructions to inspection program personnel (IPP) for verifying and documenting the sample source (beef, veal, or mixed) in the Public Health Information System (PHIS) when collecting raw beef samples under FSIS’s verification testing programs for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC).

CDC

Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterial foodborne pathogen, can cause meningitis, bacteremia, and complications during pregnancy. This report summarizes listeriosis outbreaks reported to the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during 1998–2008. The study period includes the advent of PulseNet (a national molecular subtyping network for outbreak detection) in 1998 and the Listeria Initiative (enhanced surveillance for outbreak investigation) in 2004. Twenty-four confirmed listeriosis outbreaks were reported during 1998–2008, resulting in 359 illnesses, 215 hospitalizations, and 38 deaths. Outbreaks earlier in the study period were generally larger and longer. Serotype 4b caused the largest number of outbreaks and outbreak-associated cases. Ready-to-eat meats caused more early outbreaks, and novel vehicles (i.e., sprouts, taco/nacho salad) were associated with outbreaks later in the study period. These changes may reflect the effect of PulseNet and the Listeria Initiative and regulatory initiatives designed to prevent contamination in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli O104, E.coli O145, E.coli O157, E.coli O26, EHEC, Food Hygiene, Food Safety, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, STEC

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USDA – Revised Microbiology Methods Links

Posted on November 8, 2012 by | Leave a comment

USDA Methods Book

USDA Isolation of Non 0157 Shiga Toxin E.coli with Appendix

USDA Isolation of Listeria monocytogenes with Appendix

USDA Isolation of Listeria monocytogenes PCR

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O104, E.coli O145, E.coli O157, E.coli O26, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Safety, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, STEC, USDA

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Research – E.coli Outbreak 2011 in Germany

Posted on October 31, 2012 by | Leave a comment

HACCPEUROPA – Full Article

A novel strain of E. coli bacteria caused a serious outbreak of foodborne illness focused in Germany in 2011. In all, 3,950 people were affected and 53 died, including 51 in Germany. Authorities have identified vegetable sprouts as the source.

The recent outbreaks of food poisoning due to contamination of vegetables by dangerous strains of E. coli raised the concerns and questions about E. coli transmission strategies.

E. coli is most at home in the warm, moist, nutrient-rich environment found in the gastrointestinal tract of warm-blooded animals. But to disperse from one host to another these bacteria must get out into the world. There is evidence that some E. coli can survive for several weeks outside the host, and even grow in water or soil. But it is on plant matter that E. coli colonisation has become a concern, as although most types of E. coli are harmless, the presence of pathogenic strains on fruit and vegetables presents a food safety risk.

E. coli strains have adopted slightly different transmission strategies, with some being better adapted to live on plants than others.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O104, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Research

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US – Non – O157 Testing Preliminary Results

Posted on July 18, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

On June 4, food regulators began screening beef for six more strains of E. coli beyond the already-monitored E. coli O157:H7. Since that time, 110 samples of beef trim have been tested for non-O157 E. coli; 3 were found to be carrying these bacteria. 
 
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service published these initial findings in a results chart this week. The three positive test results represented three different strains of E. coli: O45, O103 and O145, each of which was found once. No samples have yet tested positive for the other three strains: O26, O111 and O121.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O104, E.coli O145, E.coli O157, E.coli O26, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, STEC, USDA

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UK Sprout Producers Best Practice

Posted on May 9, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FPC

 Guidelines promoting best practice for sprout production are available for UK sprout producers thanks to an industry initiative led by the Fresh Produce Consortium in consultation with the Food Standards Agency.

The guide is free to Fresh Produce Consortium members.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O104, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Safety Alert, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

Bad Bug New Release

Posted on April 6, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FDA

This book is a great source of Microbiology Information and can be downloaded as a 264 page PDF.

The second edition of the Bad Bug Book3, published by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides current information about the major known agents that cause foodborne illness. The information provided in this handbook is abbreviated and general in nature, and is intended for practical use. It is not intended to be a comprehensive scientific or clinical reference. Each chapter in this book is about a pathogen – a bacterium, virus, or parasite – or a natural toxin that can contaminate food and cause illness. The book contains scientific and technical information about the major pathogens that cause these kinds of illnesses. A separate “consumer box” in each chapter provides non-technical information, in everyday language. The boxes describe plainly what can make you sick and, more important, how to prevent it.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens, Cryptosporidium, E.coli, E.coli O104, E.coli O157, E.coli O26, EHEC, Enterobacteriaceae, Eurofins Laboratories, FDA, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Legionella, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, MRSA, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, STEC