It won’t all harm you, but some of it might. That’s the caveat in the latest Consumer Reports analysis of tests on raw chicken breasts purchased at retailers nationwide. The analysis found that 97 percent of tested chicken breast samples “harbored bacteria that could make you sick.”
While it is true that the detected bacteria could cause infections if improperly handled, a smaller proportion has the potential to cause foodborne illness in the classic sense.
Food sold over the internet is an emerging business that also presents a concern with regard to food safety. A nationwide foodborne disease outbreak associated with sandwiches purchased from an online shop in July 2010 is reported. Consumers were telephone interviewed with a structured questionnaire and specimens were collected for etiological examination. A total of 886 consumers were successfully contacted and completed the questionnaires; 36.6% had become ill, with a median incubation period of 18 h (range, 6–66 h). The major symptoms included diarrhea (89.2%), abdominal pain (69.8%), fever (47.5%), headache (32.7%), and vomiting (17.3%). Microbiological laboratories isolated Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis, Salmonella Virchow, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from the contaminated sandwiches, Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Virchow from the patients, and Salmonella Enteritidis and Staphylococcus aureus from food handlers. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis genotyping suggested a common origin of Salmonella bacteria recovered from the patients, food, and a food handler. Among the pathogens detected, the symptoms and incubation period indicated that Salmonella, likely of egg origin, was the probable causative agent of the outbreak. This outbreak illustrates the importance of meticulous hygiene practices during food preparation and temperature control during food shipment and the food safety challenges posed by online food–shopping services.
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella
Tagged food handler, food handlers, Food Safety, salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella Virchow, staphylococcus aureus
Shigella outbreak continues to hit Grayson County hard. Health Department officials say new cases are being reported every day.
News 12 last reported there were 36 cases just before Thanksgiving. But, in just 13 days that number has jumped to 61 confirmed cases in Grayson County.
A command center has been set up at the Health Department, where they say employees are working to stop Shigella from spreading.
On Friday, the Health Department was informed of the first potential case here in Amarillo. They soon began investigating and discovered three other possible cases.
Two of the patients matched the criteria and were given the antitoxin. Doctors say they are slowly improving.
All four patients are adults and are currently hospitalized.
“We’ve got a small group of people who know each other in some manner, we hope that there are no other cases, but we just want to do our due diligence and make sure that we are protecting our community by providing information,” Casie Stoughton who is the Assistant Director of the City of Amarillo Public Health Department.
Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Laboratory, Methods, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Shigella
Tagged Health Department
Vibrio outbreak associated with eating raw oysters and raw clams has sickened at least 104 people in 13 states over the last six months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Six people have been hospitalized.
Public health investigators have traced the source of some of these illnesses to shellfish harvest areas in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia. Massachusetts issued a recall of oysters, Connecticut issued a recall of oysters and clams. Implicated harvest areas in Virginia were closed in July and remain closed. In Massachusetts, they were closed in August and remain closed. In New York they were closed in June and reopened in mid-September. In Connecticut, they were closed in August and reopened in mid-September.
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Laboratory, Methods, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Vibrio
Tagged centers for disease control and prevention, Connecticut, Food Poisoning Bulletin Vibrio, Massachusetts, raw clams, raw oysters
Following reports of illness in the UK and as a precaution while investigations are taking place, Marks & Spencer are removing from sale and recalling the following own brand products:
Mussels in Garlic – All date codes- Unique Product Code 00604819 and 00929189 Mussels in White – Wine All date codes- Unique Product Code 00720618 Mussels and Clams – All date codes- Unique Product Code 00667104
Consumers are advised not these products. Any customers in possession of these products can return them to their nearest store where a full refund will be given.
No other M&S products are affected.
Twenty-two pre-school children have developed symptoms of shiga-toxin producing E. coli, with 12 confirmed and three hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome.
As for the child discharged yesterday, he went back home with family in the
As yet, there is no word on the source of the outbreak.
An NHS investigation has failed to find the source of a salmonella outbreak that hit Dundee toddlers.
Eight youngsters from the city’s Technotots nursery were struck down with salmonella, with NHS Tayside’s health protection team and city council environmental health officers launching a “wide-ranging” investigation.
However, they were unable to confirm where the Brunel Road nursery’s outbreak stemmed from.
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH)’s report of its investigation of an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak in which 94 ill persons were identified was released today.
FoodWorld 