Category Archives: Food Illness

Schmallenberg virus – FSA Advice to Consumers

Posted on February 28, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FSA 

The Food Standards Agency is advising the public that, based on current evidence, there is unlikely to be any risk to consumers through the food chain from the virus that is causing abnormalities in livestock.

No illness has been reported to date in humans exposed to animals infected with the Schmallenberg virus, which is thought to be carried by midges. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) have stated the virus is unlikely to cause disease in humans.

Defra is actively monitoring the situation and the FSA is in contact with both Defra and the HPA to keep the issue under review.

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Safety, Food Standards Agency, Food Testing, Food Virus, Schmallenberg virus

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Updated Numbers US/Canadian Sprout and Pita – E.coli O026/Salmonella

Posted on February 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CDC

A total of 14 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O26 have been reported from 6 states. The two new cases have been reported from Michigan. Both new cases reported eating at Jimmy John’s restaurants and consuming sprouts in the 7 days preceding illness.

The Spec

Hamilton Public Health officials have discovered another 12 cases of salmonella illnesses after asking anyone who has eaten at Eat a Pita on Main Street East since Feb. 1 to call them.

Officials declared a salmonella outbreak connected to Eat a Pita after investigating four salmonella cases linked to the restaurant. Eat a Pita has been closed as a result of improper food handling. During a previously scheduled health inspection on Feb. 1, it was found that cooked chicken wasn’t being kept at a high enough temperature.

 

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O26, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella

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Norovirus Four Major US Outbreaks this Winter

Posted on February 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Penn State Blog 

The leading cause of foodborne disease is making its mark this winter. Just this February, Norovirus caused more than 200 attendees at a cheerleader camp in Washington State to become ill. In St. Maarten, a cruise ship returned to port as 31 became ill. In Virginia, an elementary school was closed because so many students were ill. And in New Jersey, more than 400 college students become ill at three universities located in the same county.

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Virus, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall

Canadian Food Recalls – Listeria monocytogenes/E.coli

Posted on February 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CIFA

 The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume the refrigerated cold smoked sockeye salmon trim products described in the link above because the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

CIFA

The public warning issued on February 24, 2012has been expanded to include an additional product and distribution information.

The affected product, Country Morning brand Beef Burgers, is sold frozen, in a 2.27 kg package bearing the UPC 057316 086624 and one of the following codes: 12861 EST 761, 22861 EST 761, 32861 EST 761 or 42861 EST 761.

The Country Morning Beef Burgers product has been distributed to Co-op and TGP grocery stores in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut.

There has been one reported illness associated with the consumption of this product.

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Posted in CIFA, E.coli, E.coli O157, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall

Canada – Four Salmonella Illness – Pita Restaurant

Posted on February 24, 2012 by | 1 comment

The Spec Com

Four cases of salmonella are being investigated by Hamilton’s public health department.Public health says it believes the cases are connected to the Eat a Pita restaurant on Main Street East at Kenilworth Avenue.

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

MRSA – Source From Antibiotic Treated Livestock

Posted on February 22, 2012 by | Leave a comment

mBioSPhere

A strain of MRSA that humans can contract from livestock most likely became drug resistant due to the use of antibiotics on the farm. That’s according to the authors of a study in mBio this week, who looked closely at the genetic relationships among strains of the antibiotic resistant bacterium MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). They discovered that ST398, a type of MRSA found in livestock that can also be passed to humans was originally a human strain, and it developed resistance to antibiotics once it was picked up by farm animals. The finding illustrates a very close link between antibiotic use on the farm and potentially lethal human infections.

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, MRSA, Pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus

Clostridium perfringens Toxin US Ham Product

Posted on February 21, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Bites

21 attendees of a catered lunch from an unliecensed cater in Las Vegas reported diarrhea and vomiting
– Toxin associated with Clostridium perfringens was isolated from some of the attendees
– The pathogen was found in ham and a plate of mixed food that was served at the luncheon
– Microwaves often heat foods unevenly making take the temperature with a tip-sensitive thermometer in multiple spots.

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Posted in Clostridium perfringens, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Toxin

Australia Food Recall – Salad – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on February 20, 2012 by | Leave a comment

NSW

S&B Gourmet Foods (Aust) Pty Ltd is recalling batches of their salad sold in NSW and VIC in IGA, Superbarn, and Thomas Dux supermarkets.

The batches are being recalled because of the presence of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. This bacteria can cause illness especially in pregnant women, children under 5 years, people over 70 years and people with weakened immune systems.

The recalled product is:

  • Salad Servers Chickpeas with Roast Pumpkin Salad in 350g and 500g sealed plastic containers, with ‘use-by’ date 23/02/12

The recall only applies to the above batches of the product and date.

Consumers in the vulnerable groups above should take care to not eat the product.

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

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CIFA – Beef Product Recall – E.coli O157

Posted on February 19, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CIFA

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and New Food Classics are warning the public not to consume certain Country Morning Beef Burgers, and no name Club Pack Beef Steakettes described below, because the products may be contaminated with E. coliO157:H7.

The Country Morning Beef Burgers product has been distributed to COOP and TGP grocery stores in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwest Territories.

There has been one reported illness associated with the consumption of this product.

Food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these bacteria my cause serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea. Some people may have seizures or strokes and some may need blood transfusions and kidney dialysis. Others may live with permanent kidney damage. In severe cases of illness, people may die.

 

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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More E. coli Research

Posted on February 17, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

In the wake of the devastating European E. coli outbreak linked to sprouts that killed at least 50 people and sickened more than 4,000, experts from the European Union and the United States are calling for new research on how to combat toxic strains of E. coli.
 
In November of 2011, 4 months after the outbreak ended, an international group of public health officials, medical professionals, epidemiologists, microbiologists and environmental scientists met to determine what lessons can be drawn from this epidemic. The results of this summit were released Thursday in Eurosurveillance. 
 
The group determined that more needs to be learned about shiga toxin-producing E. colis (STECs) such as E. coli O104:H4, the strain responsible for the European outbreak.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O104, E.coli O157, E.coli O26, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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