Category Archives: Food Illness

Japanese Food Poisoning Statistics – Higher than Government Statistics

Posted on March 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Mainichi Daily News

The actual number of bacteria-related foodborne illness incidents in Japan could be hundreds of times more than what official government statistics show, a recent report indicates.

The report, compiled by a Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare study group comprised of researchers, estimates that the actual number of bacteria-related food poisoning incidents between 2005 and 2009 ranged from 36 to 715 times more than those described in official government statistics.

The study group estimates that in 2006, for example, there were a total of 1,641,396 “Campylobacter” bacteria-related food poisoning incidents — some 715 times more than the 2,297 cases reported by the health ministry for the same year. Furthermore, in all studied time periods, the actual cases of food poisoning related to the same bacteria type — which is usually found in raw meat — are estimated at over 400 times more than those described in official governmental statistics.

Leave a comment

Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

Pakistan – 50 Nurses Hospitalised – Food Poisoning

Posted on March 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The News

As many as 47 student nurses and eight staff nurses have been hospitalised with acute food poisoning at the Benazir Bhutto Hospital during last 24 hours reportedly after eating food at the nursing hostel.

Leave a comment

Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

Risk Factors for Mortality in non-Pregnancy-Related Listeriosis

Posted on March 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Cambridge Journals

We examined non-pregnancy-related listeriosis cases in England and Wales reported to the Health Protection Agency between 1990 and 2009 (n=1864) using unconditional multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify factors independently associated with mortality. A subset analysis of cases between 2005 and 2009 (n=694) investigated the additional effect of antibiotic therapy on survival. In these cases particular malignancies, alcoholism, cardiovascular disease, increasing age, and treatment to reduce gastric acid secretion were positively associated with mortality. The absence of a concurrent condition and presence of autoimmune disease had a protective effect. The subset analysis identified illness in winter or spring as a risk factor and antibiotic therapy as a protective factor for mortality. The impact of antibiotic therapy, seasonality and reduced gastric acid status on survival should be further investigated. Policy-makers and clinicians need to more broadly advise those at risk of contracting this disease and dying as a consequence.

Leave a comment

Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen

Canada – Further Charcuterie La Tour Eiffel – Recalled

Posted on March 4, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

On February 22, 2012 Charcuterie La Tour Eiffel recalled Parisian Cooked Ham because it may have been contaminated with what the recall said were “dangerous bacteria or parasites.”

Another recall was issued Wednesday for more products from the same company. This time, the recall was issued because the products may be contaminated with Clostridium perfingens. This bacteria can cause serious illness. The products were supplied to retailers, hotels, restaurants, and institutions in Quebec.

Leave a comment

Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium perfringens, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, outbreak, Parasite, Pathogen, Recall

Tagged ,

India – 50 Children Ill with Food Poisoning

Posted on March 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Hindu

Over 50 children and a few adults had suffered food poisoning suspected to been caused from taking ice-cream outside a shrine at Kiliyalam in Kinanur-Karindalam village near here.

It is suspected that the food poisoning could have been caused either after taking ice-cream from the make-shift stall outside the temple premises or due to the food taken from the temple as part of the festivities.

The Health Department officials here have taken the samples of ice-cream and the food prepared in the shrine sent for examination to ascertain the exact cause of the food poisoning, police said, adding that a case would be registered after obtaining the results of the food and ice-cream samples.

Leave a comment

Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Testing, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

Tagged

Hamburg EHEC E.coli O157 – Four More Cases

Posted on March 1, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Four new EHEC illnesses have occurred in Hamburg. Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) had been found in an 11 boy and a 3-year old kindergarten child. Also two women aged  68 and 88  in the borough Altona were diagnosed early last week with the same organism.

The two infected children are from Blankenese and were taken ill last week. The boy may have visited also the same school as a six-year girl who had died about two weeks ago.

EHEC serotype O157 was isolated from the girl that had died.

Leave a comment

Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen

Tagged

Shigella – US Child Care Center

Posted on February 29, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Shigella Blog

According to press reports, two Maplewood Elementary School children have been infected with shigellosis, the illness caused by Shigella infection.  The Marion County Health Department contacted Maplewood officials on Wednesday, informing them that two students had contracted the illness; the school district launched an immediate review and response.

Shigella Blog Preventing the Spread of Shigella

Leave a comment

Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Shigella

HPS – Norovirus – Rotavirus- Cryptosporidium and Giardia Report 2011

Posted on February 29, 2012 by | Leave a comment

HPA 

The Health Protection Agency Scotlan (HPA) has released its 2011 report into the incidence of viral and protozoal reported infections 2011.

There were 1668 laboratory reports of Norovirus (NV) to HPS in 2011, a marked decrease of 1441 (46.3%) on 2010 when there were 3109 reports.

There were 1465 laboratory reports of Rotavirus to HPS in 2011, a decrease of 326 (18.2%) compared to 2010 when there were 1791 reports.

A total of 442 isolates of Cryptosporidium sp. were reported to HPS in 2011. This compares with 584 in 2010, a statistically significant decrease of 24%.

A total of 194 isolates of Giardia sp. were reported to HPS in 2011.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in Cryptosporidium, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Virus, Giardia, HPA, Microbiology, Rotavirus

Tagged ,

Pathogenic potential of Escherichia coli O26

Posted on February 29, 2012 by | Leave a comment

HPS

E. coli O26 and O157 have similar overall prevalences in cattle in Scotland, but in humans, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O26 (STEC O26) infections are fewer and clinically less severe than E. coli O157 infections. To investigate this discrepancy, E. coli O26 isolates from cattle and humans in Scotland and continental Europe were genotyped. The genetic background of some strains from Scotland was closely related to that of strains causing severe infections in Europe. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling found an association between haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) and multilocus sequence type 21 strains and confirmed the role of stx2 in severe human disease.

Full Report

Leave a comment

Posted in E.coli, E.coli O26, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen

Italian Kindergarten – Children Ill with Salmonellosis

Posted on February 28, 2012 by | Leave a comment

BarfBlog

Three cases of salmonellosis were found in three children attending the Parish Kindergarten in the Centrol per la Famiglia of Cassinone in Seriate, Italy. They belong to the spring group, consisting of children between 2- and 3-years-old.

A boy of two-and-a-half years began showing symptoms Friday and by Sunday, had to be hospitalized.

Lab testing prompted a salmonellosis diagnosis, as in the case of two other children from the kindergarten who have been hospitalized at the Pesenti Fenaroli hospital in Alzano.

Leave a comment

Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella