More than 100 students of Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE) in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior fell ill due to suspected food poisoning on Tuesday night.
As reported by PTI, the students consumed a paneer (cottage cheese) dish in the mess and the food was being examined.
Posted in Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, Illness
Another child at a Calgary daycare has tested positive for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, a month after an outbreak that infected hundreds at numerous child-care facilities started.
The number of foodborne infections went up in Estonia in 2022 but outbreaks declined, according to the latest figures.
Results of 2022 zoonosis monitoring revealed that Salmonella was mainly detected in chicken and chicken meat products, said the Agriculture and Food Board in Estonia.
Samples taken from animals, food and feed showed the proportion of non-compliant Salmonella samples from food slightly increased, Campylobacter was detected only twice, and the rate of Listeria monocytogenes positives decreased compared to 2021.
Five outbreaks occurred, down from eight in 2021. In 2022, 18 people fell ill and nine needed hospital treatment. Two incidents had six cases each and were from Salmonella Napoli and Salmonella Enteritidis. Three outbreaks had two cases each and were caused by Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Salmonella Minnesota.
Norovirus caused the most outbreaks and illnesses in 2022, according to the Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket).
Overall, there were 337 reports of suspected or confirmed foodborne illnesses to the agency with 2,261 cases of illness. In 303 events, two or more people were infected from the same source. This is up from 251 outbreaks with 1,467 patients in 2021.
In 2022, the number of food poisonings returned to the level seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in outbreaks and illnesses began in late 2021, when several restrictions imposed during the pandemic were lifted.
The number of incidents peaked during the last six months of 2022. This was because of four large outbreaks with more than 100 patients during September and December.
Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Norovirus, outbreak
| Date Posted |
Ref | Pathogen or Cause of Illness |
Product(s) Linked to Illnesses (if any) |
Total Case Count |
Status |
| 10/4/
2023 |
1190 | Salmonella Thompson |
Not Yet Identified |
64 | Active |
| 8/30/
2023 |
1179 | Salmonella Newport |
Not Yet Identified |
11 | Active |
| 8/9/
2023 |
1172 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Ice Cream | See Advisory |
Active |
Microbial and Chemical spoilage of food for special medical purposes from the UK in Malta
Posted in Food Chemistry, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Spoilage, microbial contamination, RASFF
We report a case of Bacillus subtilis variant natto bacteremia from a gastrointestinal perforation in a patient who ingested natto. Genotypic methods showed the bacteria in a blood sample and the ingested natto were the same strains. Older or immunocompromised patients could be at risk for bacteremia from ingesting natto.
Bacillus subtilis is a gram-positive, rod-shaped, spore-forming bacterium with low pathogenicity (1). B. subtilis isolated from clinical specimens is sometimes considered a contaminant (2). However, a few cases of bacteremia caused by B. subtilis have been reported in Japan (3–6). We report a case of B. subtilis variant natto bacteremia and peritonitis caused by ingestion of natto, a traditional fermented food in Japan that is prepared by adding B. subtilis var. natto culture to soybeans and fermenting them.
A 65-year-old man with metastatic colorectal cancer was admitted to Oita University Hospital (Oita, Japan) with fever and perianal pain. Approximately 2 months before admission, he began chemotherapy with bevacizumab and modified oxaliplatin plus leucovorin plus 5-fluorouracilm (FOLFOX6). Six days before admission, on day 4 after the third course of chemotherapy, he experienced perianal pain. He had a history of diabetes mellitus and a custom of eating natto.
This report summarises the number, demographics and clinical outcomes of confirmed cases of listeriosis in England and Wales in 2020:
A total 124 cases of listeriosis were reported in England and Wales.
Incidence rates of listeriosis were highest in people aged 80 years and over.
Overall, the crude incidence of listeriosis was lower in men than women, but reported cases among men aged 60 to 69 were 4 times higher than in women aged 60 to 69.
Pregnancy associated infections accounted for a fifth of all reported cases and, a 34.8% of pregnancy-associated cases resulted in stillbirth or miscarriage.
Among non-pregnancy associated cases of listeriosis, death was reported for 29 cases (29.3%), of whom 17 (17.2%) were known to have listeriosis recorded as a cause of death on the death certificate.
Incidence of listeriosis varied geographically, with the lowest incidence in the North West (0.15 per 100,000 population) and the highest in the East Midlands (0.27 per 100,0000 population).
There were 2 listeriosis outbreaks investigated in England, including a national outbreak associated with smoked salmon.
Listeriosis is a foodborne disease caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. These bacteria are widely distributed in the environment and infection usually occurs after consumption of contaminated raw, chilled, or ready-to-eat foods, and can cause sporadic infection and outbreaks of disease. People with listeriosis have been reported to develop symptoms between 1 to 70 days after consuming food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Compared to other foodborne pathogens, infections in humans are relatively rare, with 2,621 confirmed cases of listeriosis reported across 28 EU member states in 2019, and a median of 160 cases in England and Wales each year (2010 to 2019). However, listeriosis can cause severe clinical outcomes in vulnerable groups, including those aged over 60 years, pregnant women and their unborn or newborn babies, and people with impaired immunity. In these groups, listeriosis can present as infection of the bloodstream or brain. Due to the severity of infection and high case fatality rate, listeriosis is an important public health concern.
National surveillance of listeriosis in England and Wales has been undertaken since 1992. This report summarises the number, demographics and clinical outcomes of confirmed cases of listeriosis in England and Wales reported in 2020.
Chicago’s Department of Public Health has confirmed 55 Salmonella infections stemming from the outbreak at an Avondale taqueria, Carniceria Guanajuato, up from 20 last week.
At least 17 people have been hospitalized as of Sept. 30.
An investigation into the source of the bacteria is ongoing. The restaurant remains closed as owners work with public officials to bring the eatery up to safety standards.
Carniceria Guanajuato was inspected Sept. 8 after reports of food poisoning. City health inspectors found raw beef and raw shelled eggs stored above ready-to-eat lettuce and improper storage of hot and cold foods, among other violations.
Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella
Salmonella and Yersinia infections went up in Spain in 2022, based on the latest figures.
A total of 8,777 Salmonella infections were reported, as well as 39 imported cases. In the previous year, 6,156 infections and four imported cases were recorded.
Salmonellosis affected men slightly more than women. The age group with the highest incidences were those younger than 5 years old, according to data from the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE).
The main Salmonella serotype identified was Typhimurium, with 708 cases, followed by Enteritidis, with 630 cases. A clear seasonal pattern was observed for both, with cases increasing during the warmest months of the year and reaching a peak in August.
In 2022, there were 1,015 cases of yersiniosis reported as well as three imported infections. This is up from 744 cases in 2021.
Illness mainly affected children, with the highest incidence reported in those younger than 5. Males were more often sick than females.
In all cases with information on the species, Yersinia enterocolitica was identified in 779 cases, and there were two cases of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. The median age of Yersinia enterocolitica cases was 16, while the two Yersinia pseudotuberculosis cases were 47 and 48 years old.
FoodWorld 