Category Archives: Food Microbiology Blog

Germany – Different types of cheese from Käserei Studer AG – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on August 21, 2023 by | Leave a comment

LMW

Product image The sharp Maxx.PNG

Manufacturer (distributor):

Käserei Studer AG, Romanshornerstrasse 253 in 8580 Hefenhofen Sales via various retail chains (counter goods)

Reason for warning:

It cannot be ruled out that the products are contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. This can lead to serious health problems, especially in risk groups such as the elderly or immunocompromised people, pregnant women and their unborn children.

Packaging Unit:

Sliced ​​cheese (counter goods)

Durability:

all MHD

Lot identification:

all batches

Additional Information:

Further information can be found in the attached press release and the attached Q&A for consumers of Käserei Studer AG.

Click to access Pressemitteilung.pdf

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria in Cheese, Listeria monocytogenes

Catalonia – Alert for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in smoked salmon from Spain

Posted on August 21, 2023 by | Leave a comment

ACSA

Smoked salmon

The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition has learned, through the Coordinated System for Rapid Information Exchange (SCIRI) , of an alert notification sent by the health authorities of the Community of Madrid regarding the presence of Listeria monocytogene in salmon smoked.

The information included here is the result of the self-monitoring of the company itself, which has communicated the incident to the competent authorities, in compliance with the legislation and in order not to make unsafe food available to the population.

The data of the product involved are:

  • Product name: SMOKED SALMON HOST C/PE
  • Brand Name: JOALPESCA
  • Appearance of the product: packed in plates of 1-1.5 kilos  
  • Batch number: E675C1528 3
  • Barcode: 2249134 011409 
  • Expiration date: 08/14/2023
  • Unit Weight: 1 – 1.5kg
  • Temperature: refrigerated

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Posted in ACSA, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria Smoked Fish

USA – Listeria Outbreak Linked to Ice Cream

Posted on August 21, 2023 by | Leave a comment

CDC

Fast Facts
  • Illnesses: 2
  • Hospitalizations: 2
  • Deaths: 0
  • States: 2
  • Recall: Yes
  • Investigation status: Active

Various types of ice cream in small cups.

Recalled Food

“Soft Serve On The Go” Ice Cream Cups

  • Flavors include:
    • Vanilla chocolate
    • Caramel
    • Parve vanilla chocolate
    • Peanut butter lite
    • Razzle
    • Sorbet strawberry mango
  • Sold nationwide at many types of stores, including:
    • Grocery stores
    • Convenience stores
    • Canteens
  • Distributed by Real Kosher Ice Cream to businesses and institutions, including:
    • Long-term care facilities
    • Nursing homes
    • Schools
    • Camps
  • Distributed internationally to:
    • Belgium
    • Brazil
    • Canada
    • Mexico
    • United Kingdom

On August 9, Real Kosher Ice Cream recalled all flavors of their “Soft Serve On The Go” ice cream cups.

Listeria was found in a “Soft Serve On The Go” ice cream cup collected from a sick person’s freezer, and laboratory scientists are working to determine if it is the outbreak strain of Listeria.

What You Should Do
  • Do not eat “Soft Serve On The Go” ice cream cups.
    • Check your freezers. Listeria can survive at freezing temperatures.
    • Throw them away or return them to where you bought them for a refund.
    • If you have any questions, contact the company at 845-668-4346 or info@softserveonthego.com (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5 pm EST).
  • Call a healthcare provider right away if you have these symptoms after eating the ice cream:
    • Pregnant people usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.
    • People who are not pregnant usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. They may also get a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.
What Businesses and Institutions Should Do
  • Businesses and institutions, including long-term care facilities, hospitals, school, and camps, should not sell or serve “Soft Serve On The Go” ice cream cups.
    • Many of your patients or clients could be at higher risk for Listeria illness (65 years or older, have a weakened immune system, or are pregnant).

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Posted in CDC, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria Ice Cream, Listeria monocytogenes

UK – St Pierre is recalling 6 Pains Au Chocolat because of the possible presence of mould

Posted on August 21, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Gov UK

St Pierre is recalling 6 Pains Au Chocolat because of the possible presence of mould.

Product details

St Pierre 6 Pains Au Chocolat
Pack size 6 pack
Best before 17 September 2023, 25 September 2023 and 01 October 2023

Risk statement

The possible presence of mould may make the product unsafe to eat.

Action taken by the company

St Pierre is recalling the above product and has issued point-of-sale notices to their customers. These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product. Please see the attached notice.

Customer notice: St Pierre is recalling its St Pierre 6 Pains Au Chocolat (175.26 KB)

Our advice to consumers

If you have bought any of the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to your nearest store for a full refund. You do not need your receipt. If you would like any further information please contact: enquiries@stpierregroupe.com

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, food safety training, Food Spoilage, Food Testing, fsa, Moulds

UK – Iceland Foods recalls Cathedral City Cheese & Ham Gratin because of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on August 21, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Gov UK

Iceland is recalling Cathedral City Cheese & Ham Gratin because Listeria monocytogenes has been found in the product.

Product details

Cathedral City Cheese & Ham Gratin
Pack size 400g
Best before 02 May 2024

Risk statement

The product listed above is contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes which can cause illness if consumed.

Symptoms caused by this organism can be similar to flu and include high temperature, muscle ache or pain, chills, feeling or being sick and diarrhoea. Some people are more vulnerable to listeria infections, including those over 65 years of age, pregnant women and their unborn babies, babies less than one month old and people with weakened immune systems.

Action taken by the company

Iceland Foods is recalling the above product and has issued point-of-sale notices to their customers. These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product. Please see the attached notices.

Customer notice: Iceland Cathedral City ham and cheese gratin (315.41 KB)

Our advice to consumers

If you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund (with or without a receipt). For more information contact Iceland customer care on 0800 328 0800.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria in Cheese, Listeria monocytogenes

Research – First Report of Aeromonas veronii as an Emerging Bacterial Pathogen of Farmed Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Brazil

Posted on August 19, 2023 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Abstract

Brazil is one of the world’s leading producers of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. However, the industry faces a major challenge in terms of infectious diseases, as at least five new pathogens have been formally described in the last five years. Aeromonas species are Gram-negative anaerobic bacteria that are often described as fish pathogens causing Motile Aeromonas Septicemia (MAS). In late December 2022, an epidemic outbreak was reported in farmed Nile tilapia in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, characterized by clinical signs and gross pathology suggestive of MAS. The objective of this study was to isolate, identify, and characterize in vitro and in vivo the causative agent of this epidemic outbreak. The bacterial isolates were identified as Aeromonas veronii based on the homology of 16S rRNA (99.9%), gyrB (98.9%), and the rpoB gene (99.1%). A. veronii showed susceptibility only to florfenicol, while it was resistant to the other three antimicrobials tested, oxytetracycline, enrofloxacin, and amoxicillin. The lowest florfenicol concentration capable of inhibiting bacterial growth was ≤0.5 µg/mL. The phenotypic resistance of the A. veronii isolate observed for quinolones and tetracycline was genetically confirmed by the presence of the qnrS2 (colE plasmid) and tetA antibiotic-resistant genes, respectively. A. veronii isolate was highly pathogenic in juvenile Nile tilapia tested in vivo, showing a mortality rate ranging from 3 to 100% in the lowest (1.2 × 104) and highest (1.2 × 108) bacterial dose groups, respectively. To our knowledge, this study would constitute the first report of highly pathogenic and multidrug-resistant A. veronii associated with outbreaks and high mortality rates in tilapia farmed in commercial net cages in Brazil.

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Posted in Aeromonas, Contaminated water, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, water microbiology

Research – Campylobacter Trends Show Decreasing Incidence, Rising Resistance Since 2012

Posted on August 16, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Infectious Disease Advisor

Researchers conducted a study to estimate trends in the incidence of Campylobacter infection in the United States over time. Data on laboratory-confirmed Campylobacter diagnoses at 10 sites were collected from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network between 1996 and 2019. Data on antimicrobial susceptibility were collected from the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System from 2005 to 2018. Campylobacter jejuni and C coli isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility via broth microdilution. The incidence of Campylobacter infection was estimated after adjustments for sex, age, and the use of culture-independent diagnostic testing.

The researchers used a pooled chi-squared statistic to compare changes (2005-2016 vs 2017-2018) in the percentage of ciprofloxacin-, erythromycin-, and extensively drug-resistant isolates. They also used multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between AMR and clinical outcomes.

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Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

Research – Impact of climate change on foodborne infections and intoxications

Posted on August 15, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Health Monitoring

Temperature, precipitation, humidity, and soil properties are important environmental factors that influence the spread and survival of zoonotic pathogens. Changes in these environmental factors as a result of climate change, such as permanently elevated ambient temperatures, in-creasing precipitation, but also water scarcity, may contribute to the spread and survival of pathogens.

Climate change may thus exert an increasing influence on more than half of all infectious diseases. This is not only true for already existing, i. e. endemic, infectious agents; climatic changes also favour the establishment of novel infectious agents (emergence) as well as the return of pathogens sup-pressed in the past (re-emergence). For example, in the
future, agriculture may have to rely more frequently on treated wastewater due to water scarcity, which will be ex- acerbated by climate change. This poses a number of risks
to food safety, including contamination of irrigated produce by various types of pathogens.

This review addresses hazards to human health posed by the most important foodborne bacteria, parasites and marine biotoxins in Germany and presents recommendations for reducing the risks. For example, the risk of all infections discussed here can be reduced by observing good hygiene during food preparation (kitchen hygiene) and adherence to cold chains.

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Posted in Climate change, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Temperature Abuse, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

Research – 12 Mistakes You Might Be Making When Defrosting Meat

Posted on August 15, 2023 by | Leave a comment

The Daily Meal

Storing meat can be pretty tricky. As a perishable substance, meat doesn’t last long once you get it home from the store, and some types, like chicken pieces or ground beef, may only have a day or two in your refrigerator before they start to spoil. To take advantage of the affordability of buying meat in bulk, turn to your freezer

But handling meat — defrosted or otherwise — can be a tricky business. Meat can be a host for multiple different kinds of bacteria, including E. coli, Salmonella, and Bacillus cereus, all of which can cause food poisoning.

Read More at the link above

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Posted in Bacillus, Bacillus cereus, Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, food safety training, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Salmonella

Research – Invasive listeriosis in Finland: surveillance and cluster investigations, 2011–2021

Posted on August 14, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Cambridge Org

Abstract

Foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes may cause serious, life-threatening disease in susceptible persons. We combined data from Finnish national listeriosis surveillance, patient interview responses, and laboratory data of patient samples and compared them to listeria findings from food and food production plants collected as part of outbreak investigations during 2011–2021. The incidence of invasive listeriosis in Finland (1.3/100000 in 2021) is higher than the EU average (0.5/100000 in 2021), and most cases are observed in the elderly with a predisposing condition. Many cases reported consuming high-risk foods as well as improper food storage. Since ongoing patient interviews and whole genome sequencing were introduced, several listeriosis outbreaks were detected and food sources identified. Recommendations about high-risk foods for listeriosis and proper food storage should be better communicated to susceptible people. In Finland, patient interviews and typing and comparing listeria isolates in foods and patient samples are crucial in solving outbreaks and determining measures to control invasive listeriosis.

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Posted in Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk