Category Archives: E.coli

RASFF Alerts – STEC E.coli – Cheese – Boneless Beef – Cucumber Salad – Beef Patty – Bovine Meat

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STEC O103H2 in French cheese Valencay in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and UK

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STEC stx2 in chilled boneless beef from Brazil in the Netherlands and Sweden

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Foodborne outbreak caused by shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli in cucumber salad from France, with raw material from Belgium – in France

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STEC in bovine minced meat patty with raw material from Denmark in Finland

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Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli in chilled bovine meat from Uruguay in Germany

Ireland – 50 sick in Ireland by contaminated drinking water; officials chided – STEC E.coli

Food Safety News

More than 50 people are ill in Ireland after a failure at a treatment plant led to contaminated water being released to the public.

The Health and Service Executive (HSE) is investigating an outbreak in the town of Gorey in North Wexford. There have been 52 confirmed illnesses linked to the incident, including cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), with a number of hospitalizations.

At Gorey water treatment plant in County Wexford, there was a power outage and a chlorine pump failure resulting in water leaving the plant and entering the public supply without the appropriate level of disinfection for five days beginning Aug. 19. This incident was not reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and HSE until Aug. 26.

Authorities said the delay in reporting prevented a timely risk assessment of the impact on drinking water quality and time to allow measures that could have protected public health.

EPA conducted two audits at Gorey water treatment plant on Sept. 7 and 16 to investigate the incident and to identify what corrective actions needed to be taken.

Italy – ROBIOLA DI MONTE – STEC E.coli

Salute

Brand : INVERNIZZI

Name : ROBIOLA DI MONTE

Reason for reporting : Recall due to microbiological risk

Publication date : 17 September 2021

Research – Survival of Escherichia coli and Listeria innocua on Lettuce after Irrigation with Contaminated Water in a Temperate Climate

MDPI

Microbial disease outbreaks related to fresh produce consumption, including leafy green vegetables, have increased in recent years. Where contamination occurs, pathogen persistence may represent a risk for consumers’ health. This study analysed the survival of E. coli and L. innocua on lettuce plants watered with contaminated irrigation water via a single irrigation event and within stored irrigation water. Separate lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa var. capitata) were irrigated with water spiked with Log10 7 cfu/mL of each of the two strains and survival assessed via direct enumeration, enrichment and qPCR. In parallel, individual 20 L water microcosms were spiked with Log10 7 cfu/mL of the individual strains and sampled at similar time points. Both strains were observed to survive on lettuce plants up to 28 days after inoculation. Direct quantification by culture methods showed a Log10 4 decrease in the concentration of E. coli 14 days after inoculation, and a Log10 3 decrease in the concentration of L. innocua 10 days after inoculation. E. coli was detected in water samples up to 7 days after inoculation and L. innocua was detected up to 28 days by direct enumeration. Both strains were recovered from enriched samples up to 28 days after inoculation. These results demonstrate that E. coli and L. innocua strains are able to persist on lettuce after a single contamination event up until the plants reach a harvestable state. Furthermore, the persistence of E. coli and L. innocua in water for up to 28 days after inoculation illustrates the potential for multiple plant contamination events from stored irrigation water, emphasising the importance of ensuring that irrigation water is of a high quality. View Full-Text

France – BURRATA DI BUFFALA 125G MONOPRIX GOURMET- E.coli

Gov france

Identifying information for the recalled product

  • Product category Food
  • Product sub-category Milk and dairy products
  • Product brand name MONOPRIX GOURMET
  • Names of models or references BURRATA DI BUFFALA 125G MONOPRIX GOURMET
  • Product identification
    GTIN Lot Dated
    3350033437272 LF1229A Use-by date 05/09/2021
  • Start date / End of marketing From 08/20/2021 to 08/30/2021
  • Storage temperature Product to be stored in the refrigerator
  • Health mark IT L8M64 CE
  • Geographical sales area Whole France
  • Distributors MONOPRIX

Practical information regarding the recall

  • Reason for recall Presence of E.Coli beta-glucoronidase positive (680 00 UFC / g)
  • Risks incurred by the consumer Escherichia coli

USA – Jackson County E.coli Outbreak, Children Among those Sick

Make Food Safe

Media Reports in this Jackson County Ecoli Outbreak

Jackson County Public Health has told NewsWatch 12 that some of the hospitalizations include several children.

“A couple of children are at OHSU are receiving emergency treatment,” said Dr. Jim Shames. “We need citizens to be aware that serious diarrhea or bloody diarrhea should be reported to their health care provider.”

Jackson County Public Health says they are still trying to figure out where the E.coli outbreak is coming from, but right now they do believe the outbreak to be localized in the county.

RASFF Alerts – STEC E.coli – Reblochon Cheese- Veal Meat – Lamb Loins

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Escherichia coli shiga toxin-producing in Reblochon cheese from France in Austria and Germany

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E.coli STEC (Stx+) in veal meat from Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.

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Escherichia coli (STEC) in frozen lamb loins from New Zealand in Italy

Research – Effects of Combined Aerosolization with Ultraviolet C Light-Emitting Diode on Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus Attached to Soft Fresh Produce

MDPI

Washing soft fresh produce such as strawberries, baby leaves, and sliced onions with sanitizing agents is challenging due to their fragile texture. Thus, treatments like aerosolization using slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) and ultraviolet C light-emitting diode (UVC LED) irradiation may be good alternatives. In the present study, the reduction effects of a combined treatment of aerosolization using SAEW and UVC LED irradiation on enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and Staphylococcus aureus attached to strawberries, baby leaves, and sliced onions were investigated. The behaviours of EHEC and S. aureus, moisture loss, colour measurement, and visual appearance were also analyzed at 10 and 15 °C for 7 days. The reduction effect of the combined treatment with 100 SAEW and UVC LED was higher (0.53–0.92 log CFU g−1) than a single aerosolization treatment (0.11–0.41 log CFU g−1), regardless of samples or pathogens. A greater effect on EHEC and S. aureus reduction was observed in strawberries (0.74 and 0.92 log CFU g−1) than in baby leaves (0.62 and 0.53 log CFU g−1) and sliced onions (0.55 and 0.62 log CFU g−1). The combined treatment further reduced the EHEC and S. aureus populations in strawberries during 7 days of storage at 10 and 15 °C. However, the EHEC and S. aureus populations were maintained in baby leaves and sliced onions at 10 °C for 7 days. Additionally, the greatest effect on the maintenance of colour and appearance was obtained in the combined treatment. Since the combined treatment reduces EHEC and S. aureus populations and preserves visual quality, it could be expected to extend the shelf life of soft fresh produce at the retailer stage of the supply chain. View Full-Text

Research – Interaction of Escherichia coli with growing salad spinach plants

PubMed

In this study, the interaction of a bioluminescence-labeled Escherichia coli strain with growing spinach plants was assessed. Through bioluminescence profiles, the direct visualization of E. coli growing around the roots of developing seedlings was accomplished. Subsequent in situ glucuronidase (GUS) staining of seedlings confirmed that E. coli had become internalized within root tissue and, to a limited extent, within hypocotyls. When inoculated seeds were sown in soil microcosms and cultivated for 42 days, E. coli was recovered from the external surfaces of spinach roots and leaves as well as from surface-sterilized roots. When 20-day-old spinach seedlings (from uninoculated seeds) were transferred to soil inoculated with E. coli, the bacterium became established on the plant surface, but internalization into the inner root tissue was restricted. However, for seedlings transferred to a hydroponic system containing 10(2) or 10(3) CFU of E. coli per ml of the circulating nutrient solution, the bacterium was recovered from surface-sterilized roots, indicating that it had been internalized. Differences between E. coli interactions in the soil and those in the hydroponic system may be attributed to greater accessibility of the roots in the latter model. Alternatively, the presence of a competitive microflora in soil may have restricted root colonization by E. coli. The implications of this study’s findings with regard to the microbiological safety of minimally processed vegetables are discussed.

RASFF Alert – E.coli – Mussels

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E.coli in live mussels from France in Austria and Germany