Four children are hospitalised; a total of five confirmed with E. coli – as many as seventeen sick
Oregon Public Health officials today report test results of samples taken from Foundation Farm cows, manure and surfaces as well as raw milk from a farm customer are positive for E. coli O157.
The samples came from leftover milk recovered from one household, rectal swabs from two of four cows, and multiple manure and other environmental samples collected at the farm.
Town and Country Foods Inc., a Greene, Maine establishment, is recalling approximately 2,057 pounds of ground and tenderised beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The problem was discovered through company lab testing which confirmed a positive result for E.coli O157:H7. The company did not hold product pending test results, resulting in this recall. FSIS and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.
It will be interesting to see if in the future both in the USA and UK if more testing for STEC E.coli will result in raw meat withdrawals.
An epidemiologist with the Columbia-Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services in central Missouri has confirmed with Food Safety News that three cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection in Boone County share raw milk as a common potential source of contamination.
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall, STEC
Tagged science
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is investigating an increase in cases of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in Central Missouri during late March and early April, 2012. Five cases of E. coli O157:H7 have been identified during this time period. Two of the cases, a two-year old child and a seventeen-month old child, reportedly have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe, life-threatening condition that may result in permanent kidney damage in some of those who survive.
The investigation is ongoing and the source of the infections has not been identified.
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.
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
French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has declared that the rise in Campylobacter and E.coli cases in Europe was “directly related” to an alleged increase in ritual slaughterings, which she called a “sanitary bomb”.
Ahead of the petting farm season, the HPA is reminding people, especially those with responsibility for young children, to enjoy their farm visits safely by ensuring good hand hygiene after touching farm animals or their surroundings.
Outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness associated with contact with farm animals peak in the spring and summer as this coincides with schools holidays when visits to petting farms tend to be more popular, although outbreaks can occur at other times.
The route of transmission in these illnesses, which include the infections E. coli O157 and Cryptosporidium, is direct contact with animals in petting and feeding areas as well as contact with the droppings of animals on contaminated surfaces around farms.
University of Alberta researcher Christina Engels has discovered how to extract a compound from mustard seeds that can protect against food spoilage.
Engels recovered a particular compound—sinapic acid—from mustard seed meal, which shows antibacterial effects against such strains as Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes, all of which can cause grave illness and death in humans. Canada is the world’s largest exporter of mustard seed.
The ripeness of fruit could determine how food-poisoning bacteria grow on them, according to scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology’s Spring Conference in Dublin this week. Their work could lead to new strategies to improve food safety, bringing many health and economic benefits.
A wide range of fresh produce has been linked to outbreaks of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica including melons, jalapeño and serrano peppers, basil, lettuce, horseradish sprouts and tomatoes. Researchers at Imperial College London are looking at how these bacterial pathogens latch onto fruits and vegetables and establish themselves in the first place.
Sysco Seattle Inc. is recalling approximately 16,800 pounds of ground beef patties distributed to restaurants in Colorado, Arizona, Texas and Washington because of possible E. coli contamination according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The producer, New Food Classics of Burlington, Ontario, notified Sysco Seattle of the possible contamination earlier this month.
The following products are subject to recall:
•10 lb. boxes of PRIME RIB BEEF PATTIES 8 oz, with product code 55317, and production code 11 NO 22.
•10 lb. boxes of PRIME RIB BEEF PATTIES 71g, with product code 55391 and bearing a production code of 11 SE 01 or 12 JA 04.
FoodWorld 