| Date Posted |
Ref | Pathogen or Cause of Illness |
Product(s) Linked to Illnesses (if any) |
Total Case Count |
Status |
| 2/15/2023 | 1123 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Not Yet Identified |
See CDC Investigation Notice |
Active |
| 12/28/2022 | 1137 | Salmonella Typhimurium |
Alfalfa Sprouts | See Outbreak Advisory |
Active |
| 11/9/2022 | 1127 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Enoki Mushrooms |
See Outbreak Advisory |
Active |
Posted in FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria Enoki Mushrooms, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella, Salmonella in Sprouts
Public Health Wales (PHW) has confirmed a food poisoning outbreak believed to have been caused by the shigella bacteria. The infection can cause diarrhoea, a fever, and stomach cramps.
The infection, called shigellosis, is not life-threatening but can result in hospitalisation. Symptoms typically begin one to two days after being infected by the virus and can last up to seven days.
The outbreak in Abergavenny is said to be linked to a restaurant in the town, Wales Online reports. One person claims their family and friends have been put through “horrendous sickness” as a result of contracting shigella on February 12.
Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Shigella, Shigella flexneri, Shigella Sonnei
Shirdi: A fun day for the school kids who had gone to Shirdi on a picnic trip turned tragic after at least 100 children had to be admitted to a hospital after they showed symptoms of food poisoning.
Posted in Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Poisoning
Luncheon Star, a subsidiary of fast food chain Café de Coral, said on Thursday it will suspend its lunchbox service for schools on Monday and Tuesday next week following reports of students falling ill after consuming food provided by the company.
Reports suggested that up to 100,000 students from some 200 schools will be affected by the move.
Luncheon Star said in a statement it will review its operation and disinfect its food factories, while the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said it has inspected the firm’s factories in Sha Tin and Yuen Long and has launched a prosecution regarding alleged improper maintenance at the latter.
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Poisoning
Employees at Big Olaf Creamery, the Florida-based creamery behind a multistate listeria outbreak last year, had nowhere to wash their hands before they entered the production room, according to an investigation conducted by the Food and Drug Administration. The outbreak killed at least one person and hospitalized 27 others across 11 states.
“It was observed that there was no handwash sink outside of the production area for employees to wash and sanitize hands before entering the production room,” the FDA wrote.
Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Hygiene, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak
The Lactalis group and the Celia Laiterie company were indicted on Thursday, February 16, for aggravated deception and involuntary injuries in the investigation into the salmonella contamination of infant milk which affected dozens of infants at the end of 2017, announced the group in a press release. The two companies are placed under judicial supervision with a bond of 300,000 euros each, according to the group.
A total of 53 identified infants had been affected by salmonellosis in France at the end of 2017 after consuming a product for children, mainly of the Milumel or Picot brand, from the Craon factory, located in Mayenne.
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
Largest ever recall of chocolate products in global history, just before Easter 2022, prevented thousands of extra cases; a total of 455 cases of Salmonella Typhimurium found in 17 countries; UK had most cases with 128.
Like any other manufactured food product, chocolate can be contaminated if key ingredients or processes break down. In a presentation in a pre-ECCMID day for this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2023, Copenhagen, 15-19 April), Dr Johanna Takkinen, Principal Expert for Food- and Waterborne Diseases at the European Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden, will discuss the drama as the story unfolded, and the lessons learned from an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium in Kinder Chocolate Eggs traced to a Belgian chocolate factory.
”If not for clear and co-ordinated action across Europe and beyond, there may have been many thousands more children falling ill, and potentially many deaths,” says Dr Takkinen.
Authorities in the UK (the UK Health Security Agency [UKHSA]) first raised the alarm in ECDC-hosted alert platform EpiPulse on 17 February 2022, reporting a cluster of 18 children reported ill with monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium infections since January 2022. Of these, seven were hospitalised and five of the seven had bloody diarrhoea, a serious symptom. “Preliminary interviews of first cases indicated Kinder chocolate products as a possible vehicle of infection. Several countries then began reporting an increasing number of infections with strains the same as the UK outbreak,” explains Dr Takkinen. By 18 February, France had reported its first 2 cases, and by 18 March 59 cases were reported in five countries.
Late in March 2022, ECDC coordinated a teleconference with affected countries when four non-human monophasic S. Typhimurium isolates, genetically close to the human isolates, were identified in a public database. Within a week, these isolates were confirmed originating from one particular Belgian chocolate factory. Prior to this, identifying which factory or factories were involved was difficult since there are four factories within the European Union that produce Kinder chocolate in large quantities. This new microbiological evidence allowed the various agencies to focus their investigations on one factory.
Meanwhile, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK* and the Food Safety Authority (FSA) in Ireland and the UK FSA decided to recall, on April 2**, certain Kinder Chocolate products (including Kinder Surprise Eggs). On April 8 authorities, now confident the factory was identified, ordered that chocolate factory (Ferrero) closed, and two days later had issued a global recall of products from the factory. The alert reached 130 countries, and in addition to the 401 cases* identified in the EU and UK combined (the UK had the most cases, with 128), further cases were identified in Switzerland (49) and Canada (4) and the USA (1) – giving a global total of 455 cases in 17 countries. The ECDC and EFSA also published Rapid Outbreak Assessments to keep the public updated.
For link to Dr Takkinen’s slides, click here
*For the ECDC update showing case numbers from different countries, click here
**For the Food Standards Agency (UK) notice on this, original published April 2, 2022, click here
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 in Chocolate, UKHSA
Approximately 120 food poisoning cases have been reported in Jerash, including two children, according to Roya’s correspondent Wednesday.
The Jodan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) had shut down a fast food restaurant in Jerash Tuesday, as a precaution, after a significant number of people reported feeling ill after eating from that restaurant.
Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Poisoning
The number of people sick in a Salmonella outbreak in Sweden traced to eggs has gone up again to nearly 80.
The Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten) said 76 people were sick, which is up from 48 in a previous update.
Patients from 16 different regions have been confirmed as infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis.
Sick people include 36 women and 40 men who fell ill between early December 2022 and the end of January 2023. They are one to 91 years old with a median age of 35.
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 in Eggs
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