Category Archives: Food Toxin

RASFF Alert – Histamine – Chilled Marinated Anchovy Fillets

Posted on July 19, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

RASFF – histamine (1226.2 mg/kg – ppm) in chilled marinated anchovy fillets from Morocco in France

Posted in food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Histamine, RASFF, Uncategorized

RASFF Alerts – STEC E.coli – Chilled Beef Loins – Chilled Beef

Posted on July 19, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

RASFF – shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli in chilled beef loins from Uruguay in Germany

RASFF – shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli (presence /25g) in chilled beef from Argentina in Italy

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Posted in E.coli, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, RASFF, Shigatoxin, STEC, Uncategorized

RASFF Alert – Bacillus cereus – Dried Black Fungus

Posted on July 19, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

RASFF – enterotoxin producing Bacillus cereus (22000 CFU/g) in dried black fungus from Vietnam in Finland

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Posted in Bacillus cereus, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Uncategorized

UK – England: Health officials warn of E. coli STEC infections in individuals returning from Egypt

Posted on July 18, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

British health officials are advising travelers to Egypt of a number of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections reported in people who traveled to the Hurghada region of Egypt.

There have been 18 cases of STEC in individuals returning from Egypt in 2019, including one case of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS).

E. coli can cause an unpleasant diarrhea illness with stomach cramps and occasionally fever. Most people will recover without the need for medical treatment, but younger and older people may go on to develop complications of the infection, leading to kidney failure. This rare condition is called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which in very rare circumstances can be fatal.

E. coli is caught through ingesting contaminated food or water.

PHE

PHE recommends travellers to the region to:

where possible, avoid eating salads and uncooked vegetables
only eat fruit they can peel
avoid unpasteurised milk, cheese and ice cream
avoid food that has been left uncovered in warm environments and exposed to flies
ensure all meat is cooked thoroughly before you eat it, avoiding any meat that is pink or cold
avoid ice, unless made with filtered or bottled water, and tap water, even when brushing teeth
only drink bottled water or use ice made from bottled/filtered water
wash your hands thoroughly after visiting the toilet, and always before preparing or eating food. Alcohol gel can be helpful (but not entirely effective) when hand washing facilities are not available
when swimming, try and avoid swallowing water where possible and supervise children when swimming.
don’t swim whilst ill

For more information, visit NHS.UK.

This advice also applies to other countries where E. coli infections are common, including Turkey and Spain.

Dr Nick Phin, Deputy Director, National Infection Service, Public Health England, said:

We are aware of people returning from Egypt with E. coli infections, some with a serious kidney complication called haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). We are gathering information about those affected to better understand the cause.

There are simple precautions that travellers can take. These include ensuring meat is cooked thoroughly, not drinking tap water or ice made from tap water and trying to avoid swallowing water when swimming.

Anyone suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting should ensure they keep well hydrated and seek medical advice if their symptoms don’t improve within 48 hours. They should also avoid preparing or serving food while they have symptoms and thoroughly wash their hands after using the toilet to stop the bug being passed to others. Individuals with symptoms after returning from holiday should seek medical advice from their GP or NHS 111.

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Posted in E.coli, food contamination, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, microbial contamination, Microbiology, STEC, STX 1, STX 2, Uncategorized, water microbiology

Hong Kong – Test results of targeted surveillance on coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms in ready-to-eat food all satisfactory

Posted on July 18, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

CFS

Image CDC

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (July 8) announced the results of a recently completed targeted food surveillance project on coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms (including Staphylococcus aureus) in ready-to-eat food. All samples passed the test.

A spokesman for the CFS said that a total of 300 ready-to-eat food samples were collected from different retail outlets (including online retailers) and food factories for testing of coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms this year. The samples included meat, poultry and their products (for example shredded chicken, siu mei and lo mei), salad, sashimi and sushi, dessert, Chinese cold dishes, sandwiches and steamed rice rolls.

The spokesman pointed out that Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterium that can cause food poisoning. It exists widely in the environment and is commonly found in the nasal cavity, throat, hair and skin of healthy individuals. It is also present in large numbers in wounds and infected regions. If food handlers do not observe good personal hygiene, Staphylococcus aureus can pass to foods from them. Foods stored at ambient temperature for a prolonged period will allow the toxin-producing Staphylococcus aureus to multiply and form elaborate enterotoxins which can cause food poisoning. Although most cases of infection are caused by Staphylococcus aureus, other coagulase-positive staphylococci species can also produce enterotoxins which can lead to food poisoning.

Food poisoning caused by coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms is usually associated with foods that require considerable manual handling during preparation and no subsequent cooking is required before consumption. The poisoning risk cannot be eliminated by reheating as enterotoxins produced by coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms cannot be destroyed under normal cooking temperatures. Common symptoms of food poisoning caused by coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms include nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, often accompanied by diarrhoea.

“Despite the fact that test results of the samples were all satisfactory, the trade and the public should not take the risk lightly. They should always maintain good personal, environmental and food hygiene to ensure food safety. To prevent food poisoning caused by coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms, members of the public are reminded to keep perishable foods or leftovers at or below 4 degrees Celsius or above 60 degrees C. The trade should adhere to the Good Manufacturing Practice that cooked food should be cooled from 60 degrees C to 20 degrees C as quickly as possible (within two hours), and from 20 degrees C to 4 degrees C within four hours or less,” the spokesman said.

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Posted in Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Toxin, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Staphylococcus aureus, Uncategorized

USA – Florida reports 10 Vibrio vulnificus cases year-to-date

Posted on July 15, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

Image CDC

Florida state health officials have reported 10 confirmed Vibrio vulnificus cases through July 12, according to the latest data.

Cases have been confirmed in the following counties: Broward, Charlotte, Hillsborough, Manatee, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco and Pinellas (3).

No deaths have been reported.

In 2018, health officials saw 42 confirmed cases and nine fatalities.

People can get infected with Vibrio vulnificus when they eat raw shellfish, particularly oysters. The bacterium is frequently isolated from oysters and other shellfish in warm coastal waters during the summer months. Since it is naturally found in warm marine waters, people with open wounds can be exposed to Vibrio vulnificus through direct contact with seawater. There is no evidence of person-to-person transmission of Vibrio vulnificus.

Vibrio vulnificus can cause disease in those who eat contaminated seafood or have an open wound that is exposed to warm seawater containing the bacteria. Ingestion of Vibrio vulnificus can cause vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Vibrio vulnificus can also cause an infection of the skin when open wounds are exposed to warm seawater; these infections may lead to skin breakdown and ulcers.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Uncategorized, Vibrio, Vibrio vulnificans, Vibrio vulnificus

USA – Red Robin in Westminster Colorado link in E. coli O157 Outbreak

Posted on July 12, 2019 by KSW | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

Three individuals, including one adult and two children, tested positive for the bacteria E. coli O157:H7 with all persons having reported eating at the Red Robin restaurant located at 799 W. 146th Ave in Westminster, Colorado. Tri-County Health Department inspected the restaurant on July 9, 2019, after receiving information about the outbreak from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Two of the three individuals infected were hospitalized, and the investigation is ongoing.