The FDA is conducting a small, focused assignment to collect samples of raw agricultural commodity (RAC) romaine lettuce to test for Salmonella spp. and pathogenic Escherichia coli (also known as Shiga Toxin-producing E. coli or STEC), microbial hazards repeatedly linked to foodborne illnesses associated with romaine lettuce consumption. The assignment begins this month (November 2019) and is expected to last one year.
A MD E. coli O157:H7 outbreak may be linked to Ready Pac Bistro® Bowl Chicken Caesar Salad that was purchased from several Sam’s Club locations in that state, according to the Maryland Health Department. Seven people are sick. One person has been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.
The health department is recommending the consumers not eat Ready Pac Bistro® Bowl Chicken Caesar Salad. The lot number on the product is 255406963, and the best by date is October 31, 2019.
Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Uncategorized
According to press reports, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services is investigating what it calls a “significant increase” in the number of E. coli reports throughout the state.
Since November 13, officials say they are investigating 20 cases, three involving children. They say the cases are scattered across the state and are not isolated in any one region. The source remains a mystery. However, officials are treating it as an outbreak.
Posted in E.coli, food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Uncategorized
AIMS:The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of commercially prepared ready-to-eat (RTE) sushi by enumerating aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB) and thermotolerant coliforms (TC) and detecting Escherichia coli and Salmonella ssp. An isolate was identified as E. coli O157:H7 which was evaluated for its virulence and antimicrobial resistance profiling as well as its ability to form biofilms on stainless steel. METHODS AND RESULTS:There were four sampling events in seven establishments, totalling 28 pools of sushi samples. Mean AMB counts ranged between 5·2 and 7·7 log CFU per gram. The enumeration of TC varied between 2·1 and 2·7 log MPN per gram. Salmonella ssp. were not detected, and one sample was positive for E. coli and was identified as E. coli O157:H7. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of E. coli O157:H7 in sushi samples in the world literature. This isolate presented virulence genes stx1, stx2, eae and hlyA. It was also susceptible to 14 antimicrobials tested and had the ability to form biofilms on stainless steel. CONCLUSIONS:There is a need to improve the good hygiene practices adopted in establishments selling sushi in the city of Pelotas, Brazil. In addition, the isolated E. coli O157:H7 carries a range of important virulence genes being a potential risk to consumer health, as sushi is a RTE food. This isolate also presents biofilm formation ability, therefore, may trigger a constant source of contamination in the production line of this food. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY:The increase in the consumption of sushi worldwide attracts attention regarding the microbiological point of view, since it is a ready-to-eat food. To our knowledge, this was the first time that E. coli O157:H7 was identified in sushi samples.
Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Research, Salmonella, STEC, STEC E.coli, Uncategorized
New Seasons Market has expanded its recall of fresh ground beef sold at its Portland, Oregon stores for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination after new tests show that some of the potentially contaminated meat was available for sale as recently as November 8, 2019. In addition, one more illness case that is closely associated with one of the three confirmed cases has been identified.
Hugely popular Hahndorf cheesemaker Udder Delights has voluntarily recalled nearly a dozen of its cheese brands after E.coli bacteria above permitted levels was found.
Some of its most popular cheeses, including its 200g camembert and brie are being recalled. The SA company said there was no evidence the form of E.coli found was dangerous but it was recalling them as a precaution.
The cheeses are available from Coles and independent retailers in SA, Queensland, Victoria and WA. In NSW they also sell at Woolies and in Tasmania they are sold at independent retailers.
Udder Delights chef executive Sheree Sullivan said the team was “devastated” after small levels of the bacteria were found in some of the company’s white mould 200g cheeses.
Over the past 5 days, our health care facility in northwest Wisconsin, USA, has seen 3 women hospitalized with E. coli O157 infection. All presented with significant abdominal pain without fever and watery diarrhea which in 2 progressed to bloody diarrhea. None of the 3 have manifested any evidence of hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Both of the women seen by the Infectious Diseases service stated that their diet contains a lot of salads.
RASFF -too high count of Escherichia coli (1700 /100g) in live oysters from France in France
Purpose High pressure processing (HPP) has been widely used for high-acid (pH<4.6) juices. The purpose of this study was to investigate optimal parameters aimed at achieving 5-log reduction of the pathogens of reference in Concord grape juice (pH 3.39). Design/methodology/approach Grape juice was inoculated with five strain cocktails of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes . In total, 11 trials were carried out based on a Central Composite Rotational Design (CCRD). The pressure ( P ), ranging from 319 to 531 MPa, and dwell time ( t ), from 35 to 205 s, were tested. The performance of the combinations ( P × t ) was evaluated by pathogen challenge microbiological assays. Findings E. coli O157:H7 was more resistant to HPP than S. enterica . L. monocytogenes did not grow in unprocessed juice (before HPP). Findings demonstrated that moderate pressures (~400 MPa) and short dwell times (~2 min) were effective in achieving a greater than 5-log reduction in the pathogens of reference. Practical implications Because the maintenance costs of equipment exponentially increase with pressure beyond 600 MPa, significant reductions in process pressure are highly desirable. Originality/value The results of this study can supplement the dearth of information on the applicability of high pressure as a Concord grape juice processing technology in terms of the pathogens inactivation. Furthermore, the use of a cocktail of five strains of pathogens inoculated in Concord grape juice to challenge different HPP parameters has not been reported.
Executive Summary
Each year in the United States an estimated 9 million people get sick, 56,000 are hospitalized, and 1,300 die of foodborne disease caused by known pathogens. These estimates help us understand the scope of this public health problem. However, to develop effective prevention measures, we need to understand the types of
foods contributing to the problem. The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC) is a tri-agency group created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS). IFSAC developed a method to estimate the sources of foodborne illness using outbreak data from 1998 through the most recent year for four priority pathogens: Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter. IFSAC described this method and the estimates for 2012 in a report and at a public meeting. IFSAC derived the estimates for 2017 using the same method used for the 2012 estimates, with some modifications. The data came from 1,329 foodborne disease outbreaks that occurred from 1998 through 2017 and for which each confirmed or suspected implicated food fell into a single food category. The method relies most heavily on the most recent five years of outbreak data (2013 – 2017). Foods are categorized using a scheme IFSAC created to classify foods into 17 categories that closely align with the U.S. food regulatory agencies’ classification needs.
FoodWorld 