Category Archives: Food Illness

USA – Outbreak of E. coli Infections – Latest Outbreak Information

Posted on April 8, 2019 by | Leave a comment

CDC

Latest Outbreak Information
Illustration of a megaphone.
At A Glance
  • As of April 4, 2019, 72 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 have been reported from five states.
    • Eight people have been hospitalized. No cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or deaths have been reported.
  • This investigation is still ongoing and a specific food item, grocery store, or restaurant chain has not been identified as the source of infections.
  • CDC is not recommending that consumers avoid any particular food at this time. Restaurants and retailers are not advised to avoid serving or selling any particular food.
  • This is a rapidly evolving investigation. We will update our advice if a source is identified.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O103, food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, STEC, STX 1, STX 2, Uncategorized

USA – Kentucky E. coli O103 Outbreak Rises to 44 Sick, TN, OH, GA Included

Posted on April 5, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The Kentucky E. coli O103 outbreak has now risen to 44 sick, as of April 3, 2019, according to news reports. Six people have been hospitalized in this outbreak, but there is no mention if any have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure that can cause strokes. And there are 20 pending cases that are not yet lab-confirmed.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O103, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Uncategorized

Research – Pregnant Women and Toxoplasma

Posted on April 3, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning News  Toxoplasma

Pregnant Women and Toxoplasma: Causes, Dangers, and Treatment

According to the Center for Disease Control, “toxoplasmosis is considered to be a leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness in the United States” (CDC) – by most counts, the second most-deadly food borne pathogen. Toxoplasmosis is an infection attributed to Toxoplasma gondii, a single-celled parasite that is the third-highest cause of food borne hospitalizations. Although over 40 million people in the United States are affected (22.5% of US residents over the age of 12 have had Toxoplasma), few ever experience symptoms because a healthy immune systems typically keep the parasites at bay.

In some third-world countries, 95% of the population has contracted Toxoplasmosis.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Testing, Toxoplasma gondii, Toxoplasmosis, Uncategorized

France -Four dead after suspected food poisoning at French retirement home

Posted on April 2, 2019 by | Leave a comment

France 24

Four residents at a retirement home in southern France have died and over a dozen others were sickened in a suspected case of food poisoning, officials said Monday.

Twenty-two people at the Cheneraie residence in Lherm, a town south of Toulouse, began showing symptoms including vomiting after dinner on Sunday, police said in a statement.

Fifteen of the 82 residents at the site remained in serious condition.

The meals involved have been kept for analysis, the regional health agency said, and residents were being questioned about what they ate.

“We suspect food poisoning because these events occurred after the meal,” deputy prosecutor Marie-Paule Demiguel told BFM television, adding that the kitchens at the residence would also be investigated.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Uncategorized

Ghana – Vegetable sauce cause of food poisoning at Archbishop Porters SHS: official

Posted on April 1, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Pulse.com

About 60 students of the school were rushed to the Holy Child Hospital after complaining of stomach pains whiles some had diarrhea.

Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Sylvester Fameye, said 15 students had to be admitted due to their condition while others were treated and discharged.

On the cause of the food poison, Famye said the students bought and ate a refrigerated vegetable sauce.

“From the history we took, they bought vegetable sauce that was stored in a refrigerator by one seller in the school,” the medical superintendent said.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Uncategorized

Singapore- Food poisoning cases jump to 238 as Plan Student Care Centre and 5 more PCF Sparkletots centres hit

Posted on April 1, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Asia One

SINGAPORE – Children and staff at five more PCF Sparkletots pre-schools have reported symptoms of food poisoning, bringing the total number of cases to 222 as of 4pm on Thursday (March 28).

The 12 PCF pre-schools and Plan Student Care Centre were all served by Kate’s Catering, which has been suspended.

Of those affected, 14 remain in hospital but are in stable condition, while 11 have been discharged.

Food handlers were sent for stool screening, and food and environmental samples were taken for testing as part of the investigations.

When contacted by ST, a spokesman for Kate’s Catering said it was working with the respective authorities.

In its update on Friday (March 29), MOH said that food poisoning or food-borne illness often causes vomiting and diarrhoea which may lead to dehydration, especially in young children and the elderly.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Uncategorized

USA – E. coli O103 Outbreak in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana

Posted on April 1, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

CDC E.coli

Image CDC

The E. coli O103 outbreak originally announced in Kentucky yesterday  apparently also has sickened people living in Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana, according to news reports. Twenty confirmed cases are in Kentucky, and one each in the other states for a total of 23 ill. Most of the illnesses occurred between March 5 and 25, 2019.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O103, eae, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, STEC, STX 1, STX 2, Uncategorized

Research – Prevalence and Numbers of Listeria monocytogenes in Various Ready-to-Eat Foods over a 5-Year Period in Estonia

Posted on March 31, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

The prevalence and numbers of Listeria monocytogenes in various categories of ready-to-eat (RTE) food products taken from retail outlets and food industries over a 5-year period are presented. A total of 30,016 RTE food samples were analyzed for L. monocytogenes prevalence, and 3.6% were found to be positive. The highest prevalence was found for RTE fish and fish products (11.6%), especially for lightly salted and cold-smoked fish products. The overall prevalence of L. monocytogenes in other food categories was low, within the range of 0 to 3.9%. In addition, 14,342 RTE food samples were analyzed to determine the numbers of L. monocytogenes. A food safety criterion of 100 CFU/g was exceeded for 0.3% of RTE food samples. Samples most often exceeding the legal safety limit were from the RTE salted and cold-smoked fish product categories. High prevalence, 28.6 and 26.5%, respectively, and high numbers of L. monocytogenes among salted fish and cold-smoked fish products indicate a risk of listeriosis, especially for susceptible risk groups. The results of the current study can be used at both the national and the international levels to update the perception of the L. monocytogenes risk deriving from RTE foods.

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Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Uncategorized

USA – Kentucky E. coli O103 Outbreak Linked to Fast Food Consumption

Posted on March 29, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

An E. coli O103 outbreak in Kentucky has been linked to fast food consumption, according to a release from the Kentucky Department for Public Health. The Kentucky E. coli outbreak has sickened at least 19 people. Those illnesses have been confirmed by the Kentucky Department of Public Health. The release is intended for doctors and lab providers, so they are alert to patients who present with acute diarrheal illness

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O103, eae, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, STEC, STX 1, STX 2, Uncategorized

Europe – ECDC – Multi-country cluster of Listeria monocytogenes ST1247 in five EU countries

Posted on March 27, 2019 by | Leave a comment

ECDC

CDC has identified a microbiological link between an outbreak of nine Listeria monocytogenes ST1247 cases in Denmark and nine additional cases reported between 2014 and 2018 in Estonia (2 cases) Finland (2), France (1) and Sweden (4).

ECDC has identified a microbiological link between an outbreak of nine Listeria monocytogenes ST1247 cases in Denmark and nine additional cases reported between 2014 and 2018 in Estonia (2 cases) Finland (2), France (1) and Sweden (4).  In Denmark, the outbreak investigation is led by Statens Serum Institut (SSI), the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the DTU Food Institute.

Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis performed at the national level and by ECDC found all isolates from the 18 cases within two allelic differences from each other (core genome MLST using Moura scheme, 1540 of 1748 loci detected in all 18 isolates). The latest case was reported in Denmark in February 2019 (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Distribution of Listeria monocytogenes isolates by country and time of reporting 2014-2019 (n=18)

Figure 1: Distribution of Listeria monocytogenes isolates by country and time of reporting 2014-2019 (n=18)

A large-scale study led by ECDC on whole genome sequencing shows that most listeria outbreaks such as this one remain undetected. The study, published in 2018, suggests that more than half of the severe listeriosis cases in the European Union belong to clusters, many of which are not being picked up fast enough by the current surveillance system.

Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis, which primarily affects pregnant women, newborns, and adults with a weakened immune system. Listeriosis is a relatively rare but potentially severe food-borne disease that has been reported in increasing numbers in the EU/EEA countries since 2008. In 2016, 2 536 cases were reported, including 247 deaths.

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, listeriosis, MLST, Uncategorized, Whole Genomic Sequencing