More than 50 people have fallen ill and at least nine have been admitted to hospital after a salmonella outbreak at a newly-opened Dickson restaurant.
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Category Archives: Food Illness
Research – Study Pinpoints Pathogens Causing Biggest Diarrhea Burden in Kids
While many pathogens cause serious diarrhea in children in developing countries, four stand out as culprits in most of the infections, a finding that could drive new prevention strategies, an international research team reported today.
The group spent 3 years in seven developing countries, collecting health information, lab samples, and outcome data on 3,439 youngsters who had moderate-to-severe diarrhea. They published their findings today in an early online release from The Lancet.
On a global scale each year, diarrheal diseases kill about 800,000 children under age 5, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, according to the report.
Though interventions such as rotavirus vaccines are starting to have an impact on deaths and disease incidence, scientific data to guide other strategies to curb the diseases are scarce, especially in regions where child deaths are the highest, the group wrote.
To fill the gap, the team focused their analysis on kids under age 5 who did and didn’t have moderate-to-severe diarrhea in selected cities in Bangladesh, Gambia, India, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, and Pakistan. The study included 13,129 matched controls.
The researchers collected clinical and epidemiologic information, took anthropometric measurements, and took fecal samples to identify pathogens. For each child they made a follow-up home visit 60 days later to assess health status, clinical outcome, and growth measures.
Four pathogens were the most common causes of diarrhea across all sites: rotavirus, Cryptosporidium, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) producing heat-stable toxin (ST), and Shigella, according to the study.
Posted in Bacteria, Cryptosporidium, E.coli, E.coli O103, E.coli O104, E.coli O121, E.coli O145, E.coli O157, E.coli O26, EHEC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hand Washing, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, O103, Pathogen, Research, Shigella, STEC
USA Research- USDA/FDA Report on Listeria in Retail Deli’s
The Draft Interagency Risk Assessment –
Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Delicatessens provides a scientific assessment of the risk of foodborne illness associated with consumption of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods commonly prepared and sold in the delicatessen (deli) of a retail food store and examines how that risk may be impacted by changes to common or recommended practices. This quantitative risk assessment (QRA) was conducted collaboratively by the Department of Health and Human Service (DHHS), Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA/CFSAN), and United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), in consultation with the DHHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and input from industry, academic institutions, and consumer advocacy group stakeholders. The White House Food Safety Work Group identified this risk assessment as a priority. It provides information useful to those responsible for implementing policies, programs and practices that target the prevention of listeriosis in the population.
Posted in Bacteria, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, USDA
Tagged quantitative risk assessment, research, retail food store, science, usda food safety
USA – Las Vegas Firefly Restaurant Salmonella Outbreak – 200 Cases – 20 States – UK and Canada
According to a report just released by the Southern Nevada Health Department, as of May 5, 2013 at least 196 patrons and 4 employees of Firefly who consumed food and/or drinks at Firefly restaurant during April 21-26, 2013 have been determined to be confirmed or probable cases of Salmonella infection. From various surveillance data sources, reports of illness from restaurant patrons who normally reside in twenty states:
Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington and two foreign countries (Canada, United Kingdom).
Illness onset dates occurred within the April 22 to May 1, 2013 time frame. The onset date with the peak number of ill restaurant patrons was April 24, 2013. Because the incubation period for Salmonella is usually 12-36 hours, this might suggest that patrons who ate at Firefly on April 22-23, 2013 had the highest risk of exposure to the pathogen.
According to some there is a call to name this species as Salmonella Firefly – after the restaurant.
Serotyping of the isolates indicated that the outbreak strain was Salmonella (assigned with the antigenic code “I:4,5,12:i:-”.
Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Salmonella
Tagged food poison, incubation period for salmonella, peak number, restaurant patrons, salmonella infection, surveillance data
RASFF Alerts – Aflatoxin – Hazlenuts – Peanuts – Pistachios
RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 2.6; Tot. = 10.5 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted hazelnut kernels from Turkey in Germany
RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 8.84 µg/kg – ppb) in shelled roasted peanuts from China in GB
RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 12.75 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted pistachios from Turkey in Austria
Posted in Aflatoxin, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, Mycotoxin, RASFF, Recall
Tagged aflatoxins, hazelnut, pistachios, ppb, rasff, roasted peanuts
RASFF Alerts – Salmonella in Food – Poultry – Lettuce
RASFF – Salmonella Napoli (present /25g) in radicchio lettuce from Italy in Denmark
RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen poultry meat preparations from Brazil in the Netherlands
RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen poultry meat preparations from Brazil in the Netherlands
RASFF – Salmonella enteritidis (present /25g) in chilled and frozen poultry meat from Poland, with raw material from Slovakia in Poland
USA – E.coli O121 Outbreaks Expands
The E. coli O121 outbreak linked to Farm Rich brand frozen food products has grown again to include 35 people in 19 states. Nine people have been hospitalized in this outbreak, and no deaths have been reported. Two patients have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The outbreak has grown from 32 people since the last update in late April.
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O121, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen
Tagged e coli, frozen food products, hemolytic uremic syndrome, science
USA – Advice “Keep Listeria Out of Your Kitchen”
If you eat food contaminated with bacteria called Listeria, you could get so sick that you have to be hospitalized. And for certain vulnerable people, the illness could be fatal.
Contaminated food can bring Listeria into the home. Unlike most bacteria, Listeria germs can grow and spread in the refrigerator. So if you unknowingly refrigerate Listeria-contaminated food, the germs not only multiply at the cool temperature, they could contaminate your refrigerator and spread to other foods there, increasing the likelihood that you and your family will become sick.
Those most at risk for listeriosis—the illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes—include pregnant women, older adults and people with compromised immune systems and certain chronic medical conditions (such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and transplant patients). In pregnant women, listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and serious illness or death in newborn babies.
Posted in Bacteria, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen
Tagged chronic medical conditions, contaminated food, kidney disease, miscarriage stillbirth, newborn babies
USA – Fruit Juice – Clostridium botulinum
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to consume any juice products or other beverages from Juices Incorporated (aka Juices International and Juices Enterprises) of Brooklyn, N.Y. The company’s carrot and beet juice products have the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which can cause botulism, a serious and potentially fatal foodborne illness. Consumers are warned not to consume these products even if they do not look or smell spoiled.
Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, USDA
Tagged beet juice, clostridium botulinum, food, food and drug administration, juice products
USA – Update Salmonella – Cucumber Outbreak
An outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul linked to imported cucumbers has sickened at least 81 people in 18 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That’s up from the 78 illnesses CDC reported April 25. The number of patients hospitalized as a result of their infections has risen from 14 to 16 since that time.
The updated number of victims, by state, is as follows: Arizona (11), California (28), Colorado (1), Idaho (2), Illinois (3), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (1), Minnesota (9), Nevada (1), New Mexico (2), North Carolina (3), Ohio (3), Oregon (2), South Dakota (2), Texas (6), Virginia (3) and Wisconsin (2).
The first outbreak victim fell ill on January 12 of this year, and the latest known illness onset was April 19. However, health officials note that illnesses with an onset date of April 7 or later may not have been reported yet.
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, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Salmonella
Tagged centers for disease control and prevention, food safety news, research, science
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