Category Archives: Food Illness

ECDC – Salmonella Stanley Outbreak

Posted on July 31, 2012 by | Leave a comment

ECDC

Following an increase in the number of reported human infections with Salmonella entrica serovar Stanley in some European countries, ECDC issued a rapid risk assessment.

Up to 26 July 2012, 60 Salmonella Stanley cases (32 from Hungary, 20 from Belgium, eight from Germany) were reported from EU/EEA countries.

Although most Salmonella Stanley cases are related to travel to south-east Asia, the increase of infections reported in three EU countries in 2012 is not related to international travel. The occurrence of one single PFGE pattern of strains isolated from different countries suggests in fact a common source, which has not yet been identified; potential vehicles might be food, feed, or contact. Investigations are ongoing and it is likely that more cases will be identified. However, the impact on public health across the EU is considered to be limited.

Member States are encouraged to perform PFGE testing on all recent isolates of Salmonella Stanley to increase the possibility of identifying potential vehicles of infection. ECDC will continue to closely monitor this event and will update the risk assessment as soon as new relevant information becomes available.

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Posted in Bacteria, ECDC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Salmonella

Aflatoxin Alerts – Ground Chesnut Flour/Ground Chilli

Posted on July 31, 2012 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Italy Ground Chesnut Flour – Distributed to US/UK/Australia/Germany/Netherlands

RASFF – Austria Ground Chilli from Sri Lanka

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Mycotoxin, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall

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CDC 2011 Foodborne Disease Figures

Posted on July 30, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CDC

The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) conducts active population-based surveillance in ten areas (Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, and selected counties in California, Colorado, and New York) for laboratory-confirmed cases of infection caused by Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Listeria, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC, including STEC O157 and STEC non-O157), Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia.

FoodNet also conducts surveillance for postdiarrheal hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication of STEC infection characterized by renal failure and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, through a network of pediatric nephrologists and infection-control practitioners. Hospital discharge data are reviewed to validate HUS diagnoses and verify the presence of diarrhea in the 21 days before HUS onset. This report contains preliminary postdiarrheal HUS data for 2010, rather than for 2011, because additional time is needed to review hospital records.

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Posted in Bacteria, CDC, Cryptosporidium, E.coli, Eurofins Laboratories, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella, Shigella, STEC

FSA – Update Olives and Botulisum

Posted on July 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FSA 

The Food Standards Agency is warning people not to eat a certain batch of Italian olives sold in jars after one person became ill with botulism poisoning after eating them. The Agency has now received further information from the Italian Authorities confirming that 60 jars of the affected Divini Di Chicco Francesco olives product were distributed to one supplier in the UK.

Divini Di Chicco Francesco olives

The Agency has issued an updated Food Alert for Action. The news story about the original Food Alert for Action, which was issued on 25 July 2012.

The UK supplier has confirmed that the implicated product was distribution to three independent delicatessens in the UK between July 2011 and July 2012. These delicatessens have been visited by the supplier and any remaining stock of the product has been removed from sale.

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Standards Agency, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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Canada – Advisory Alert Shellfish Vibro parahaemolyticus

Posted on July 27, 2012 by | 1 comment

CDC BC 

The BC Centre for Disease Control is reminding the public there’s a risk of illness associated with eating raw or undercooked bivalve shellfish such as oysters, clams, mussels, scallops, and cockles.

 Shellfish may accumulate bacteria(Vibrio parahaemolyticus), viruses (norovirus, hepatitis A), and toxins (paralytic shellfish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning) or other impurities present in the water. Thorough cooking destroys bacteria and viruses, but does not destroy toxins.

 To date in 2012, five cases of locally-acquired Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection have been reported. In 2011, 42 cases of vibrio were reported. These illnesses have been linked to raw shellfish served in restaurants, bought at retail, or self-harvested in communities throughout the province including, Gibsons, Sechelt, Powell River, Ladysmith, Qualicum, Ucluelet, Gabriola Island, Cortes Island and Parksville.

In addition to individual cases, BC has also experienced outbreaks associated with shellfish. In 2010, an outbreak of norovirus from raw oysters affected over 30 people and in 2011 more than 60 people became ill after consuming cooked mussels contaminated with diarrhetic shellfish poisoning.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hepatitis A, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Pathogen, Shellfish, Toxin, Vibrio, Vibrio parahaemolyticus

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Chinese Infant Formula Recall – Aflatoxin

Posted on July 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Reuters

China’s Hunan Ava Dairy Co Ltd said on Monday it will recall baby formula sold under its Nanshan Bywise brand after a cancer-causing agent was found in test samples, the latest blow to the country’s scandal-ridden milk industry struggling to restore consumer confidence.

Five batches of Nanshan Bywise infant milk powder produced between July and December last year failed sample tests for aflatoxin, a toxin produced by a fungus that is widespread in nature

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Microbiology, Moulds, Pathogen

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RASFF and European Alerts – Salmonella/Mould/Entero/Histamine

Posted on July 26, 2012 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Salmonella in Poultry Meat Flour in Germany sourced in the Netherlands

RASFF – Mould in Cheddar Cheese in Denamark sourced in the Netherlands

RASFF – Salmonella in Frozen Chicken in France sourced in Poland

RASFF – Salmonella in Turkey Carcass in France

RASFF – Salmonella/Entero in Feed Protein in Belgium sourced from France.

RASFF – Histamine in Tuna Loins in Italy sourced in France.

French Only – Sprouted Seeds – Salmonella

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Posted in Bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Histamine, Microbiology, Moulds, Pathogen, Pet Food, Salmonella

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HPA – Warning Clostridium boutlinum – Italian Olives

Posted on July 26, 2012 by | Leave a comment

HPA 

Tests carried out by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) identified the toxin that causes botulism in a jar of Italian olives after an Oxfordshire resident was admitted to hospital with botulism poisoning. No further cases have been identified to date.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is now asking people who have bought jars of the implicated olives not to eat them and to contact their local authority environmental health food safety team to arrange collection of the product.

The implicated olives are “Olive Bella Di Cerignola” produced by ‘I Divini’. These are large green olives from the Puglia region of Italy and are packaged in brine in glass jars with a lot number of 161/11 and best before date of 10/06/2014. This type of olive is distributed under a number of different brand names but only the I DIVINI di Chicco Francesco brand is associated with this incident.

The HPA is working with the local authority environmental health department and the Food Standards Agency on the investigation. Botulism is rare in the UK – there have only been 33 recorded cases of food-borne botulism in England and Wales since 1989, with 27 of these linked to a single outbreak.

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Standards Agency, Foodborne Illness, HPA, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen

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CDC – Another Live Chicks Salmonella Outbreak

Posted on July 24, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CDC

  • A total of 37 persons infected with the outbreak strain of SalmonellaHadar have been reported from 11 states.
    • The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Arizona (2), California (1), Colorado (3), Idaho (5), Illinois (2), Oregon (5), Tennessee (2), Texas (1), Utah (5), Washington (9), and Wyoming (2).
    • Eight ill persons have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
    • 37% of ill persons are children 10 years of age or younger.
  • Epidemiologic, laboratory and traceback findings have linked this outbreak of human Salmonella infections to contact with live poultry from Hatchery B in Idaho.

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Posted in Bacteria, CDC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Pet Food, Recall, Salmonella

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USDA – Fresh Ground Beef Recall – Salmonella

Posted on July 23, 2012 by | Leave a comment

USDA

Cargill Meat Solutions, a Wyalusing, Pa., establishment, is recalling 29,339 pounds of fresh ground beef products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

FSIS became aware of the problem during the course of an ongoing investigation of a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis involving 33 case-patients from 7 states (MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VA, VT-preliminary data, subject to change). Working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Vermont Department of Health, New York State Department of Health, and New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, FSIS was able to link illnesses in five case-patients to the ground beef products produced at this establishment based on epidemiologic and traceback investigations, as well as in-store reviews

 

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella, USDA

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