RASFF – Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VT2 positive and negative EAE) in frozen deer meat from Austria in Italy
RASFF – Too high count of Escherichia coli (1200 CFU/g) in spinach from Cambodia in Norway
KSWFoodWorld
Category Archives: E.coli
RASFF Alerts – E.coli – STEC Deer Meat – E.coli Spinach
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall, STEC
Tagged deer meat, eae, escherichia coli, food, spinach
Research – Antibiotic Resitant Bacteria in Meats in the USA – E.coli Use Flagella as Anchors
An analysis by the Environmental Working Group has found that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are common on meat for sale in American supermarkets. A government study published on February 5, 2012 without fanfare found that 81% of ground turkey, 69% of pork chops, 55% of ground beef, and 39% of chicken carried antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The study, published by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS), which is a joint project by the FDA, CDC and USDA, found that the meat samples collected in 2011 harbored “significant amounts” of superbug versions of Salmonella and Campylobacter. Those two bacteria cause 3.6 million cases of foodborne illness every year in the United States.
In addition, 53% of raw chicken samples carried an antibiotic-resistant strain of E. coli, the bacteria found in feces. And the antibiotic resistance is growing fast. Of all Salmonella bacteria found on raw chicken in 2011, 74% were antibiotic resistant, compared to less than 50% in 2002.
Flagella aren’t just for swimming. For E.coli, these long tails that propel them through liquid, also function as anchors, establishing a hold on surfaces that allow the bacteria to settle in and colonize, according to a new study from Harvard researchers.
“We demonstrate that flagella are able to reach into crevices, access additional surface area, and produce a dense, fibrous network,’” the researchers say in the abstract for the study which was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on March 18. The findings could lead to improved design of surfaces used in health care and food manufacturing settings.
RASFF Alerts – E.coli and STEC E.coli – Beef – Basil – Mussels
RASFF – Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli in beef fillets from Argentina in Germany
RASFF – High count of Escherichia coli (30000/9000/24000/10000/33000 CFU/g) in fresh sweet basil from Cambodia in Norway
RASFF – Too high count of Escherichia coli (7000/8000/10000/>150000/43000 CFU/g) in fresh sweet basil from Cambodia in Norway
RASFF – High count of Escherichia coli (>15000; >15000; 800; >15000; >15000 CFU/g) in fresh sweet basil from Cambodia in Norway
RASFF – Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (presence /25g) in chilled boneless bovine meat from Brazil in tne Netherlands
RASFF – Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (presence /25g) in chilled boneless beef meat from Argentina, via Germany in the Netherlands
RASFF – High count of Escherichia coli (1700 MPN/100g) in Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from Spain in Italy
RASFF – Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli in chilled boneless beef from Uruguay in Germany
RASFF – High count of Escherichia coli (620<=>4400 CFU/g) in basil leaves from Cambodia in Norway
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall
Tagged beef fillets, beef meat, boneless beef, escherichia coli, food, rasff, sweet basil, tne netherlands
Central America – 4 Dead E.coli Outbreak
At least 96 people have been hospitalized and 4 have died in an E. coli outbreak in Guatemala linked to fresh produce.
The outbreak, which has affected residents of the town of Santo Domingo Xenacoj in South Central Guatemala, is thought to have originated with contaminated fruits and vegetables, reported the Associated Press Thursday.
A male resident of the town reported that two of his children, ages 9 and 12, had died in the outbreak, according to AP.
Specimen taken from the four victims who died linked their deaths to E. coli, said health officials.
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, EHEC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Methods, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, STEC, VTECH
Tagged aviation, cars, e coli outbreak, science
EFSA – VTEC E.coli Strains
EFSA’s scientific experts say that it is currently not possible to identify which VTEC bacteria strains have the potential to cause human diseases. In order to help risk managers to identify human health risks, EFSA has proposed a scheme to categorise VTEC strains according to their potential to cause disease. This work has been carried out in response to a request of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Health.
VTEC (verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli) is a group of pathogenic E. coli bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhoea and haemolytic uremic syndrome in humans, a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure and be fatal [1].
EFSA’s Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) has evaluated data from the EU on different VTEC strains with respect to their reported frequency, severity of human disease caused by the strains, and association with outbreaks. The Panel concluded that it is currently not possible to fully predict the potential of a VTEC strain found in food to cause human disease.
However the Panel has provided guidance to assist public health authorities in assessing risks related to VTEC strains. They proposed a scheme that considers the detection of specific genes in VTEC strains from humans, food and animals. EFSA will regularly review this scheme to improve future risk assessments.
Due to under-reporting of human cases and the unavailability of complete information, EFSA’s scientific experts also recommended that all Member States collect comprehensive data on VTEC strains when these are detected. Accurate reporting will help in predicting the factors responsible for the severity of human infections and outbreaks.
To carry out this evaluation, the Panel used data from the European Surveillance System (TESSy data) provided by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and from the EU Summary Report on Trends and Sources of Zoonoses, Zoonotic Agents and Food-borne Outbreaks in 2011published today as well as data from relevant scientific literature.
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O103, E.coli O104, E.coli O121, E.coli O145, E.coli O157, E.coli O26, EFSA, EHEC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Microbiology, O103, Pathogen, Research, STEC, VTECH
Tagged austrian federal ministry, e coli bacteria, human health risks, public health authorities
Research – EFSA – ECDC – The European Union Summary Report on Trends and Sources of Zoonoses, Zoonotic Agents
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
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
Tagged european food safety authority, food safety authority, mycobacterium bovis, science
USA – Rich Products – E.coli O121 Update
Rich Products Corporation of Buffalo, New York is expanding its recall of various heat treated, not fully cooked frozen mini meals and snack items to more than 10.5 million pounds because they may be contaminated with E. coli O121, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The expanded recall covers all products produced at the company’s Waycross, Ga. plant with “Best by” dates ranging from January 1, 2013 to September 29, 2014. Each product package above contains the establishment number “EST. 27232″ or “P-27233″ inside the USDA mark of inspection.
The products subject to recall were produced between July 1, 2011 and March 29, 2013 then distributed for retail or restaurant sale nationwide. FSIS and the establishment are concerned that some product may be present in household freezers.
FSIS was notified of a multistate investigation of E. coli O121 illnesses on March 19, 2013. Food samples were collected from an ill individual in New York as part of this investigation, and tested by the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Laboratory. At present, the outbreak includes 24 cases in 15 states that led to seven hospitalizations and one case of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. A sample of a Farm Rich frozen chicken mini quesadilla product from a New York case tested positive for the outbreak strain of E. coli O121. Additionally, a sample of leftover Farm Rich mini pepperoni pizza slices product from a Texas case tested positive for the same strain, confirmed by FSIS lab technicians.
When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at: www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp
USA – Walmart Recall Pizza – Possible E.coli Contamination
Walmart is recalling Farm Rich Pizza Slices from its stores nationwide because they may be contaminated with E.coli. The frozen pepperoni pizza slices were sold in 7.2 oz cartons and 22 oz cartons with “EST. 27232″ or “P-27233″ stamped inside the USDA mark of inspection. The “best by” dates for both sizes under recall is May 15 or May 16, 2014.
The products under recall contain cheese, pepperoni, sauce and dough, according to information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which, along with Farm Rich, has posted the recall on its website. The pizza slices are among several Farm Rich items being recalled for potential E. coli contamination including: mini chicken and cheese quesadillas, mini mozzarella bites and cheesesteak sandwiches.
Research – Caffeine Addicted E.coli – Measurement of Caffeine Levels
The widespread use of caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) and other methylxanthines in beverages and pharmaceuticals has led to significant environmental pollution. We have developed a portable caffeine degradation operon by refactoring the alkylxanthine degradation (Alx) gene cluster from Pseudomonas putida CBB5 to function in Escherichia coli. In the process, we discovered that adding a glutathione S-transferase from Janthinobacterium sp. Marseille was necessary to achieve N7-demethylation activity. E. coli cells with the synthetic operon degrade caffeine to the guanine precursor, xanthine. Cells deficient in de novo guanine biosynthesis that contain the refactored operon are ″addicted″ to caffeine: their growth density is limited by the availability of caffeine or other xanthines. We show that the addicted strain can be used as a biosensor to measure the caffeine content of common beverages. The synthetic N-demethylation operon could be useful for reclaiming nutrient-rich byproducts of coffee bean processing and for the cost-effective bioproduction of methylxanthine drugs.
Posted in E.coli, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Technology, Food Testing, Methods, Microbiology, Research
Tagged environment, science, technology
RASFF Alerts – E.coli – Enterobacteria – Aflatoxins – Mussels – Beef – Duck Meal – Maize
RASFF – High count of Escherichia coli (330 MPN/100g) in chilled mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis from Spain in italy
RASFF – Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli in chilled boneless beef (Bos taurus) from Argentina in Germany
RASFF – Too high count of Enterobacteriaceae (<10; <10; <10; 5000;<10 CFU/g) in duck meal from France in Belgium
RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 32.1 µg/kg – ppb) in maize from Ukraine in the Netherlands
Posted in Aflatoxin, Bacteria, E.coli, Enterobacteriaceae, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Hygiene, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall
Tagged boneless beef, escherichia coli, food, transportation
FoodWorld 