Category Archives: Food Poisoning

Japan – Norovirus Outbreak 118 at a Hotel

Posted on January 2, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Japan Todaynorovirus-2(1)

TOKYO —

Tochigi prefectural health officials announced Monday that 118 guests suffered food poisoning at a hotel in Nikko City earlier this month and that traces of food-borne Norovirus strains had been detected.

According to authorities, the Kinugawa Gyoen Hotel received complaints of gastrointestinal distress from male and female guests ranging in age from two to 80 between Dec 18 and Dec 22. TBS quoted a hotel spokesperson as saying symptoms included vomiting and diarrhea. Among the 118, eight guests and 11 chefs and kitchen staff were discovered to have the Norovirus strain in their systems.

Health officials said no one had to be hospitalized.

According to a hotel spokesperson, the 118 afflicted guests had eaten inside the hotel restaurant, dining on a variety of menu items, ranging from sashimi dishes to hot Japanese-style curries.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Pathogen, Poisoning

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Research – New Norovirus Strain

Posted on January 2, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning BulletinEurofins

Last year at this time we told you about a new strain of norovirus, called GII.4 Sydney that the CDC was tracking. Last week, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services issued a warning about an outbreak in that state.

The CDC has been studying this new strain. They now have information and statistics on the strain, and have analyzed data from outbreaks in five states.

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Posted in CDC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Pathogen, Research

USA – Two Children Ill with HUS – Possible E.coli Infection

Posted on December 30, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning BulletinEcoli Istock

According to WFMY News in North Carolina, two children in Davidson County have been hospitalized with severe, bloody diarrhea and may be suffering from E. coli infections. The cases were reported on Friday, December 27, 2013. The possible cause of these illnesses is not known at this time.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, HUS, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning

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RASFF Alerts – Shellfish Poisoning – ASP -DSP – Mussels

Posted on December 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment

PSP

RASFF –Diarrhoeic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) toxins – okadaic acid (180.5 µg/kg – ppb) in mussels (Mytillus galloprovincialis) from Spain in Italy

RASFF – Azaspiracid Shellfish Poisoning (AZP) toxins – azaspiracid (up to 1225 µg/kg – ppb) in cooked mussels in white wine sauce from the Netherlands, with raw material from Denmark in Switzerland

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Posted in ASP, Bacteria, Dinoflagellates, DSP, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Poisoning, RASFF, Recall, Toxin

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USA – Foster Farms Sickens 416 to Date

Posted on December 20, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning BulletinSalmonella

Salmonella on Foster Farms chicken has sickened at least 416 people in 23 states, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak strains of Salmonella Heidelberg are resistant to several commonly prescribed antibiotics which may be a factor in the 40 percent  hospitalization rate for this outbreak, which is about twice the average.

The company has not issued a recall for the chicken and despite its plans to improve in October conditions at three plants associated with the outbreak, reports of illness continued through the end of November and perhaps beyond, according to the CDC.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Salmonella

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Research – Retail Packed Chicken and Microorganisms

Posted on December 19, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News imagesCAYZ5I84

It won’t all harm you, but some of it might. That’s the caveat in the latest Consumer Reports analysis of tests on raw chicken breasts purchased at retailers nationwide. The analysis found that 97 percent of tested chicken breast samples “harbored bacteria that could make you sick.”

While it is true that the detected bacteria could cause infections if improperly handled, a smaller proportion has the potential to cause foodborne illness in the classic sense.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hand Washing, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

Research – Current Intervention Strategies for the Microbial Safety of Sprouts

Posted on December 16, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Ingenta Connect

Sprouts have gained popularity worldwide due to their nutritional values and health benefits. The fact that their consumption has been associated with numerous outbreaks of foodborne illness threatens the $250 million market that this industry has established in the United States. Therefore, sprout manufacturers have utilized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended application of 20,000 ppm of calcium hypochlorite solution to seeds before germination as a preventative method. Concentrations of up to 200 ppm of chlorine wash are also commonly used on sprouts. However, chlorine-based treatment achieves on average only 1- to 3-log reductions in bacteria and is associated with negative health and environmental issues. The search for alternative strategies has been widespread, involving chemical, biological, physical, and hurdle processes that can achieve up to 7-log reductions in bacteria in some cases. The compilation here of the current scientific data related to these techniques is used to compare their efficacy for ensuring the microbial safety of sprouts and their practicality for commercial producers. Of specific importance for alternative seed and sprout treatments is maintaining the industry-accepted germination rate of 95% and the sensorial attributes of the final product. This review provides an evaluation of suggested decontamination technologies for seeds and sprouts before, during, and after germination and concludes that thermal inactivation of seeds and irradiation of sprouts are the most practical stand-alone microbial safety interventions for sprout production.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O104, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, STEC, Toxin

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Research – Food Poisoning and Online Food Shopping

Posted on December 16, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Liebert Open Access

Food sold over the internet is an emerging business that also presents a concern with regard to food safety. A nationwide foodborne disease outbreak associated with sandwiches purchased from an online shop in July 2010 is reported. Consumers were telephone interviewed with a structured questionnaire and specimens were collected for etiological examination. A total of 886 consumers were successfully contacted and completed the questionnaires; 36.6% had become ill, with a median incubation period of 18 h (range, 6–66 h). The major symptoms included diarrhea (89.2%), abdominal pain (69.8%), fever (47.5%), headache (32.7%), and vomiting (17.3%). Microbiological laboratories isolated Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis, Salmonella Virchow, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from the contaminated sandwiches, Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Virchow from the patients, and Salmonella Enteritidis and Staphylococcus aureus from food handlers. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis genotyping suggested a common origin of Salmonella bacteria recovered from the patients, food, and a food handler. Among the pathogens detected, the symptoms and incubation period indicated that Salmonella, likely of egg origin, was the probable causative agent of the outbreak. This outbreak illustrates the importance of meticulous hygiene practices during food preparation and temperature control during food shipment and the food safety challenges posed by online food–shopping services.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella

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Research – Pathogen Adaptation – Salmonella – Staphylococcus aureus

Posted on December 13, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Science DailyiStock_000012710183Small

Bacteria can evolve rapidly to adapt to environmental change. When the “environment” is the immune response of an infected host, this evolution can turn harmless bacteria into life-threatening pathogens. A study published on December 12 in PLOS Pathogens provides insight into how this happens.

Science Daily

A protein in Salmonella inactivates mast cells — critical players in the body’s fight against bacteria and other pathogens — rendering them unable to protect against bacterial spread in the body, according to researchers at Duke Medicine and Duke-National University of Singapore (Duke-NUS).

Science Daily

Scientists have used a new method to map the response of every salmonella gene to conditions in the human body, providing new insight into how the bacteria triggers infection.

Science Daily

Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have revealed that formerly overlooked sites deep inside the nose may be reservoirs for Staphylococcus aureus, a major bacterial cause of disease.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Hygiene, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella

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USA – Texas – Shigella and Botulism Outbreaks

Posted on December 12, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Shigella BlogShigella_stool

Shigella outbreak continues to hit Grayson County hard. Health Department officials say new cases are being reported every day.

News 12 last reported there were 36 cases just before Thanksgiving. But, in just 13 days that number has jumped to 61 confirmed cases in Grayson County.

A command center has been set up at the Health Department, where they say employees are working to stop Shigella from spreading.

Botulism Blog

On Friday, the Health Department was informed of the first potential case here in Amarillo. They soon began investigating and discovered three other possible cases.

Two of the patients matched the criteria and were given the antitoxin. Doctors say they are slowly improving.

All four patients are adults and are currently hospitalized.

“We’ve got a small group of people who know each other in some manner, we hope that there are no other cases, but we just want to do our due diligence and make sure that we are protecting our community by providing information,” Casie Stoughton who is the Assistant Director of the City of Amarillo Public Health Department.

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Laboratory, Methods, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Shigella

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