Category Archives: Food Illness

USA – Texas E.coli O157:H7 Outbreak

Posted on May 11, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Health investigators in Texas’ Brazos County are looking into eight possible infections of E. coli O157:H7 they suspect may be linked to food.

The Brazos County Health Department has confirmed five of the illnesses, and investigators believe another three patients are infected with the same strain of bacteria.

Two related children under the age of five have been hospitalized at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston for the past week, The Eagle reports. The other six cases are adults and were not hospitalized.

Investigators are still searching for a possible outbreak source, saying that the patients did not eat at the same restaurant.

Leave a comment

Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

Tagged

W.H.O – Report on Campylobacter

Posted on May 7, 2013 by | Leave a comment

WHOCampylobacter

On 9–11 July 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), convened an Expert Consultation on The Global View of Campylobacteriosis, in Utrecht, Netherlands.

The objectives of the Consultation were:

To review the progress made in the past 10 years in understanding and controlling Campylobacteriosis, take note of successful approaches and lessons learned, and identify challenges in controlling Campylobacter from farm to table and in reducing the human health burden and attributable health consequences;

To consider cross-cutting areas, such as food- and waterborne Campylobacteriosis and antimicrobial resistance, taking into account the context of both high-income countries and low- and middleincome countries (LMIC);

To suggest how WHO, FAO and OIE could take action to reduce Campylobacter in the food chain and the burden of foodborne Campylobacteriosis.

Leave a comment

Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Foodborne Illness, outbreak, Pathogen, Poisoning, Research

USA – Restaurant with Hepatitis A

Posted on May 5, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning BulletinClose up 3d render of an influenza-like virus isolated on white

The Southeastern Idaho Public Health Department released a statement today stating that the patrons of Papa Murphy’s in Chubbuck, Idaho may have been exposed to Hepatitis A in April. An employee from the restaurant was diagnosed with the disease on May 2, 2013. There is no evidence of a Hepatitis A outbreak at this time.

Leave a comment

Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Hepatitis A, Pathogen, Toxin, Virus

Tagged , , , ,

USA – Salmonella Sickens 80 – Las Vegas Restaurant

Posted on May 3, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning BulletinSalmonella

The Southern Nevada Health District is investigating a Salmonella outbreak associated with Firefly Tapas Restaurant and Bar at 3900 Paradise Road in Las Vegas. Public health officials believe more than 80 people have been sickened in this outbreak. The health department closed Firefly on April 26, 2013 after reports of illness began coming into the office.

The health department has identified the cause of the outbreak as Salmonella. The symptoms of salmonellosis, the illness associated with a Salmonella infection, include diarrhea, which can be bloody, fever, abdominal cramps, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, and sometimes vomiting. People usually get sick 6 to 72 hours after infection. Investigators do not know what food is the source of the outbreak.

Leave a comment

Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Salmonella

Tagged , , ,

Canada – Whole Salted Fish – Clostridium botulinum

Posted on May 3, 2013 by | 1 comment

Health Canada

Health Canada is reminding Canadians that the consumption of certain whole salted fish products like fesikh, a traditional dish in the Egyptian community, represents an increased risk of botulism.

The fish used to make these specific salted fish dishes are not gutted before the ripening and salting process. This provides an opportunity for Clostridium botulinum bacteria that may be in the gut of the fish to grow and produce the toxins that cause botulism. These toxins are not eliminated by any smoking or drying of the end product. Refrigeration, freezing, washing, and open air or vacuum packaging will not make the fish safe. This applies to whole fish, fillets or parts.

The most recent botulism outbreak in Canada caused by the consumption of fesikh was in 2012. Internationally, the consumption of ungutted salted fish, including fesikh, has been linked to many cases of botulism.

Food contaminated with Clostridium botulinum toxin may not look or smell spoiled. Symptoms of botulism can include nausea and/or vomiting followed by one or more of: double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, dry mouth, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, weakness, respiratory failure and paralysis. In severe cases, death can occur. Symptoms generally begin 12 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food, but they can occur as early as six hours or as late as 10 days after eating.

1 Comment

Posted in CFIA, Clostridium botulinum, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning, Research

Tagged , , , , ,

Research –

Posted on May 1, 2013 by | Leave a comment

HACCP Europa300px-Crassostrea_gigas_p1040848

According to the Centers for Disease Control, about one in six Americans gets food poisoning each year. Additionally, virus infection risks from consumption of raw oysters in the U.S. are estimated to cost around $200 million a year.

To address the issue of health risk from eating raw oysters, Texas A&M University graduate student Chandni Praveen, along with Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist Dr. Suresh Pillai and a team of researchers from other agencies and institutions, studied how electron-beam pasteurization of raw oysters may reduce the possibility of food poisoning through virus.

Other entities involved in the study included the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and University of Texas School of Public Health-El Paso regional campus.

Pillai said that the study showed if a serving size of 12 raw oysters were contaminated with approximately 100 hepatitis A and human noroviruses, an e-beam dose of 5 kGy (kilograys) would achieve a 91 percent reduction of hepatitis A infection risks and a 26 percent reduction of norovirus infection risks. A kilogray is a unit of absorbed energy from ionizing radiation.

Leave a comment

Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Food Virus, Microbiology, Norovirus, Research, Virus

Tagged , ,

Research – Antibiotic-Free Turkey Less Likely to Harbor Resistant Bacteria

Posted on May 1, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Ground turkey from birds raised without antibiotics is less likely to be contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria than conventional ground turkey, according to a new study published by Consumer Reports today.

The group tested 257 samples of raw ground turkey meat and patties, purchased from major retailers nationwide, for Enterococcus, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, and Campylobacter and then looked at what portion of these bacteria were resistant to antibiotics. They found high levels of bacteria overall – 90 percent of samples tested positive for one of the five – and more than half were resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics. But the bugs found in products labeled “no antibiotics,” “organic,” or “raised without antibiotics” were resistant to fewer antibiotics than their conventional counterparts.

Leave a comment

Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, E.coli, Enterococcus, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus

Tagged , , ,

USA – Extended E.coli O121 Outbreak – Farm Rich Products

Posted on April 29, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety NewsE.coli O157

Five more victims in four states were added Friday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to the list of confirmed cases in the rare Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O121 outbreak associated with Farm Rich brand products.

The additional victims—one each in California, Colorado, and Ohio and two in Florida—bring the total number of individuals infected with the outbreak strain of E coli O121 (STEC O121) to 32.

CDC says 35 percent of the victims have required hospitalization and two developed the kidney-damaging hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). No deaths have been reported among the mostly young (81 percent are age 21 or under) victims.

Leave a comment

Posted in CDC, E.coli, E.coli O121, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Methods, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

Tagged ,

Europe – Norovirus Ongoing Outbreak in Frozen Berries Report -Hepatitis A

Posted on April 26, 2013 by | Leave a comment

EurosurvaillanceClose up 3d render of an influenza-like virus isolated on white

A food-borne outbreak of hepatitis A in Denmark was notified to other countries on 1 March 2013. A case–control study identified frozen berries eaten in smoothies as potential vehicle. In the following weeks, Finland, Norway and Sweden also identified an increased number of hepatitis A patients without travel history. Most cases reported having eaten frozen berries at the time of exposure. By 17 April, 71 cases were notified in the four countries. No specific type of berry, brand or origin of berries has yet been identified.

As of 17 April 2013, 36 cases, of whom 15 were confirmed, have been identified in Finland, Norway and Sweden, giving a total of 71 cases in the four countries (Table 1). Finland and Norway have reported confirmed cases with sequence 1 and 2. In Sweden, two of the eight confirmed cases have an HAV IB sequence with 2% difference to sequence 1 and 1% difference to sequence 2 (called sequence 3).
The overall median age for cases and the median age for confirmed cases is 25 years (range: 3–78 years); 43 cases are female. In Norway and Sweden (but not Finland), more women are affected than men. The distribution of cases by month and HAV sequence type is shown in Figure 1. As of 17 April 2013, Sweden is the only country with cases with symptom onset in April. An increased number of travel-related hepatitis A patients in the same time period (Table 1) may be explained in part by patients infected in Egypt [1].

Leave a comment

Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Research, Virus

Tagged , ,

USA – Raw Milk – E.coli O157 Outbreak

Posted on April 26, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety NewsimagesCAZ9J1WP

Health officials in Wisconsin suspect three patients sickened by the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 contracted their illnesses after consuming raw milk, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Raechelle Cline told Food Safety News Thursday.

All three patients reside in Manitowoc County, and they include a three year-old child and his or her mother. Officials are currently testing samples of milk from the suspected dairy and will not identify it unless they prove a connection.

“Raw milk was the most likely commonality we’ve been able to identify,” Cline said. The illnesses occurred in March, and the officials are unaware of any additional cases.

Health institutions such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise against drinking raw milk, as it has not been pasteurized to eliminate potentially harmful pathogens.

Leave a comment

Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall

Tagged ,