A recent study quantifying how electron-beam irradiation reduces the risk from foodborne viruses in lettuce and spinach was published in the February issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Credit: National Center for Electron Beam Research, Texas A&M University.
The study quantified the theoretical health-risk reduction from virus-related foodborne illness through the use of electron-beam irradiation.
THE first of two Princess Cruise Lines ships sailing with scores of passengers suffering from the fast-spreading norovirus have returned to Fort Lauderdale, US.
More than 150 passengers and crew members on board the Crown Princess were infected with the gastrointestinal illness during its seven-day cruise to the southern Caribbean, WFOR-TV reported.
After the ship’s arrival in Fort Lauderdale early Saturday, staff began the arduous task of cleaning the vessel from top to bottom in an attempt to rid it of the virus, which easily spreads through person-to-person contact.
Meanwhile, the Ruby Princess is due to arrive back in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, with nearly 100 passengers and crew sick with the virus.
Ahead of the liners’ next departures, the cruise company sent out an “emergency notification” to passengers alerting them that their trips will be delayed due to the norovirus outbreak.
We investigated an outbreak of non-O157 Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli at a high school in Minnesota, USA, in November 2010. Consuming undercooked venison and not washing hands after handling raw venison were associated with illness. E. coli O103:H2 and non-Shiga toxin–producing E. coli O145:NM were isolated from ill students and venison.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Livno Meats are warning the public not to consume the Dry Sausage described below because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella.
The affected product, Livno Meats Dry Sausage, was sold only from the Livno Meats retail store in Hornby, Ontario. It was sold in two formats as follows:
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Milford Bay Trout Farm Inc. are warning the public not to consume the Smoked Trout Fillet described below because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The affected product, Milford Bay Trout Farm Inc. Smoked Trout Filet, is sold refrigerated in variable weight vacuum packages, bearing Best Before dates February 9, 2012 and February 10, 2012 and lot code 30644-1. There is no UPC on the package. This product has been distributed in Ontario.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
Health Protection Scotland (HPS) said it had recorded 253 positive cases of E.coli during 2011, up from 212 the previous year.
The agency blamed the increase on a UK-wide outbreak believed to have originated from contaminated vegetables. The outbreak, between December 2010 and July 2011, saw 250 cases of E.coli infection throughout England, Wales and Scotland and 74 victims treated in hospital.
The agency blamed the increase on a UK-wide outbreak believed to have originated from contaminated vegetables. The outbreak, between December 2010 and July 2011, saw 250 cases of E. coli infection throughout England, Wales and Scotland and 74 victims treated in hospital.
However, the HPS report also noted that the apparent spike in E. coli between 2010 and 2011 was partly due to the unusually low rate of E. coli infection in 2010.
The report also noted decreases in salmonella and campylobacter.
In 2011, HPS received reports of 736 cases of salmonella infection – a decrease of almost 22% on the 941 reported in 2010.
Cases of campylobacter were also down 3.6% to 6366 last year, although the figure remains “one of the highest on record.”
Salmonella remains a serious cause of food poisoning in the UK and throughout the EU, in part due to its ability to thrive and quickly adapt to the different environments in which it can grow. New research involving a team of IFR scientists, funded by BBSRC, has taken the first detailed look at what Salmonella does when it enters a new environment, which could provide clues to finding new ways of reducing transmission through the food chain and preventing human illness.
The full article discusses lag phase and what happens to the bacteria in that time.
GH Foods SW, a Houston, Texas establishment, is recalling approximately 515 pounds of Cobb salad products. The salads contain eggs that are the subject of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall due to concerns about contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
F&S Produce Company Inc., a Deerfield, N.J. establishment, is recalling approximately 389 pounds of Cobb and spinach salads. The salads contain eggs that are the subject of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall due to concerns about contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
Pennsylvania health officials have updated the number of reported ill in the outbreak of campylobacter linked to Your Family Cow Dairy, located in that state. The ill persons, though, are now found in four states, Pennsylvania (31), Maryland (4), West Virginia (2), and New Jersey (1).
Earlier in the week Maryland officials reported that they had isolated the strain of campylobacter also isolated from ill persons who consumed the milk in two unopened raw milk samples from the homes of customers.
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