Category Archives: Foodborne Illness

USA – Chicken Quesadilla – E.coli O121

Posted on March 29, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Ecoli BlogEcoli Istock

Rich Products Corporation, a Buffalo, NY firm, is recalling approximately 196,222 pounds of frozen chicken quesadilla and various other heat treated, not fully cooked frozen mini meals and snack items because they may be contaminated with E. coli O121, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was notified of a multistate investigation of E. coli O121 illnesses on March 19, 2013. Food samples were collected from an ill individual in New York as part of this investigation, and tested by the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Laboratory. At present, the cluster includes 24 cases in 15 states. A sample of a Farm Rich frozen chicken mini quesadilla product from a New York case tested positive for the outbreak strain of E. coli O121. Eight cases in Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia report consuming Farm Rich products. FSIS is continuing to work with federal and state public health partners on this investigation, including the New York State Department of Health, New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O121, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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USA – Hawaii – E.coli O157 Outbreak

Posted on March 29, 2013 by | 1 comment

Food Poisoning Journal

Lisa Kubota of Hawaii News Now reports that investigators with the Hawaii Department of Health are looking into at least nine people have now become ill from E. coli O157:H7.  The confirmed cases consist of three adults and six children. All of them live on Oahu except for a Canadian visitor who spent time on Oahu, but was later diagnosed on the Big Island. Officials are having trouble pinpointing the source of the infections.

Oahu healthcare providers recently received a letter from health officials warning them to be on the lookout for E. coli O157:H7. Around the same time, Dr. James Ireland saw a 67-year-old patient with symptoms like severe diarrhea and abdominal cramps.  Ireland said the man is now recovering after being hospitalized. There have been a total of 11 cases so far this year, including two unrelated to the current cluster. There were 20 last year, 9 the previous year, and 29 in 2010.

According to the state, three of the children in this latest group developed a life-threatening complication called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome.

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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, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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Research – Cranberry Antimicrobial – Multiple PCR for Pathogens

Posted on March 27, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

The antimicrobial properties of the American cranberry were studied against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus to determine the effects on growth inhibition, membrane permeability, and injury. Cranberry powder was separated using a C-18 Sep-Pak cartridge into sugars plus organic acids (F1), monomeric phenolics (F2), and anthocyanins plus proanthocyanidins (F3). Fraction 3 was further separated into anthocyanins (F4) and proanthocyanidins (F5) using an LH-20 Sephadex column. Each fraction was diluted in the brain heart infusion (BHI) broth to determine the minimum inhibitory/bactericidal concentrations (MIC/MBC). L. monocytogenes was the most susceptible to cranberry fraction treatment with the lowest MIC/MBC for each treatment, followed by E. coli O157:H7 and L. rhamnosus. Membrane permeability and potential was studied using LIVE/DEAD viability assay and using Bis (1, 3-dibutylbarbituric acid) trimethine oxonol (DiBAC4), respectively. L. rhamnosus demonstrated the highest permeability followed by E. coli O157:H7, and L. monocytogenes. L. rhamnosus demonstrated the highest recovery followed by E. coli O157:H7, and L. monocytogenes. Each cranberry fraction demonstrated membrane hyperpolarization at their native pH, while F2, F3, and F5 demonstrated membrane depolarization at neutral pH. With this knowledge cranberry compounds may be used to prevent maladies and potentially substitute for synthetic preservatives and antibiotics.

Science Direct

We developed a rapid and reliable technique for simultaneous detection of Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes that can be used in food products. Magnetic nano-beads (MNBs) based immunomagnetic separation (IMS) was used to separate the target bacterial cells while multiplex PCR (mPCR) was used to amplify the target genes. To detect only the viable bacteria, propidium monoazide (PMA) was applied to selectively suppress the DNA detection from dead cells. The results showed the detection limit of IMS-PMA-mPCR assay was about 102 CFU/ml (1.2 × 102 CFU/ml for S. Typhimurium, 4.0 × 102 CFU/ml for E. coli O157:H7 and 5.4 × 102 CFU/ml for L. monocytogenes) in pure culture and 103 CFU/g (5.1 × 103 CFU/g for S. Typhimurium, 7.5 × 103 CFU/g for E. coli O157:H7 and 8.4 × 103 CFU/g for L. monocytogenes) in spiking food products samples (lettuce, tomato and ground beef). This report has demonstrated for the first time, the effective use of rapid and reliable IMS combined with PMA treatment and mPCR assay for simultaneous detection of viable S. Typhimurium, E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes in spiked food samples. It is anticipated that the present approach will be applicable to simultaneous detection of the three target microorganisms for practical use.

 

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella

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USA Research – Microbiology of RTE Foods In University Canteens – Control of Pathogens on Fresh Cut Fruit

Posted on March 27, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct –

During a 10-year inspection survey (2001–2010), a microbiological study of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods and ready-to-bake frozen pastries from 15 canteens of the university campus was undertaken to determine their microbiological quality. The cumulative study revealed that the aerobic colony counts for the RTE product groups were as follows: from 106 to 108 CFU/g for 50% of sandwiches; under the detection limit (<10 CFU/g) for 88.6% of oven baked pastries; <105 CFU/g for 86.5% of desserts oven baked; from 103 to 109 CFU/g for desserts with dairy cream. The highest mean Enterobacteriaceae counts were recorded for desserts with dairy cream. The highest percentages of foodborne pathogens were: 20% Listeria monocytogenes and 12.5% Staphylococcus aureus in desserts with dairy cream; 17.5% Salmonella spp. and 8.5% presumptive Escherichia coli O157 in sandwiches; 14.6% Bacillus cereus in oven baked pastries. Aerobic colony counts were in the range 107–108 CFU/g for 48.8% of frozen pastries; whereas Enterobacteriaceae counts between 103 and 104 CFU/g were detected in 35.3%. Foodborne pathogens prevalences for frozen pastries were as follows: B. cereus, 31.8%; Salmonella spp., 28.6%; presumptive E. coli O157, 25%; S. aureus, 8.7%; L. monocytogenes, 8.7%. Improved sanitary conditions in the processing plants and precautionary measures are necessary for consumer protection.

Science Direct

The consumption of fresh-cut fruit has substantially risen over the last few years, leading to an increase in the number of outbreaks associated with fruit. Moreover, consumers are currently demanding wholesome, fresh-like, safe foods without added chemicals. As a response, the aim of this study was to determine if the naturally occurring microorganisms on fruit are “competitive with” or “antagonistic to” potentially encountered pathogens. Of the 97 and 107 isolates tested by co-inoculation with Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Listeria innocua on fresh-cut apple and peach, respectively, and stored at 20 °C, seven showed a strong antagonistic capacity (more than 1-log unit reduction). One of the isolates, CPA-7, achieved the best reduction values (from 2.8 to 5.9-log units) and was the only isolate able to inhibit E. coli O157:H7 at refrigeration temperatures on both fruits. Therefore, CPA-7 was selected for further assays. Dose-response assays showed that CPA-7 should be present in at least the same amount as the pathogen to adequately reduce the numbers of the pathogen. From the results obtained in in vitro assays, competition seemed to be CPA-7’s mode of action against E. coli O157:H7. The CPA-7 strain was identified as Pseudomonas graminis. Thus, the results support the potential use of CPA-7 as a bioprotective agent against foodborne pathogens in minimally processed fruit.

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Posted in Bacillus, Bacillus cereus, Bacteria, E.coli, Food Hygiene, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen, Pseudomonas, Research, Salmonella

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India – 200 Ill at Temple Festival

Posted on March 27, 2013 by | Leave a comment

The Hindu

About 2,000 people take meal during temple festivities in Pamarru mandal

Around two hundred people from five villages in Pamarru mandal were taken ill after they consumed contaminated food during a religious ceremony on Sunday afternoon. Most of the victims were children and had symptoms of diarrhoea vomiting sensation.

While there were no casualties, three major medical camps were organised on Monday around Pamarru to screen people from all the villages.

On being informed about the rising number of cases by midnight, the Medical and Health Department staff set up three camps late on Sunday. District Epidemic Rapid Response Team also began identifying new cases among others who had consumed the food. An estimated 2,000 people had taken the meal during Lord Venkateswara ‘kalyanam’ festivities at Parishepalli village temple in Pamarru mandal. The apparent cause for food poisoning was mixing of contaminated water in the curd .

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

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Research – Pathogen Tracking Data Base – Clostridium perfringens spores

Posted on March 27, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct –

Investigation of foodborne diseases requires the capture and analysis of time-sensitive information on microbial pathogens that is derived from multiple analytical methods and sources. The web-based Pathogen-annotated Tracking Resource Network (PATRN) system (www.patrn.net) was developed to address the data aggregation, analysis, and communication needs important to the global food safety community for the investigation of foodborne disease. PATRN incorporates a standard vocabulary for describing isolate metadata and provides a representational schema for a prototypic data exchange standard using a novel data loading wizard for aggregation of assay and attribution information. PATRN currently houses expert-curated, high-quality “foundational datasets” consisting of published experimental results from conventional assays and next generation analysis platforms for isolates of Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio and Cronobacter species. A suite of computational tools for data mining, clustering, and graphical representation is available. Within PATRN, the public curated data repository is complemented by a secure private workspace for user-driven analyses, and for sharing data among collaborators. To demonstrate the data curation, loading wizard features, and analytical capabilities of PATRN, three use-case scenarios are presented. Use-case scenario one is a comparison of the distribution and prevalence of plasmid-encoded virulence factor genes among 249 Cronobacter strains with similar attributes to that of nine Cronobacter isolates from recent cases obtained between March and October, 2010–2011. To highlight PATRN’s data management and trend finding tools, analysis of datasets, stored in PATRN as part of an ongoing surveillance project to identify the predominant molecular serogroups among Cronobacter sakazakii isolates observed in the USA is shown. Use-case scenario two demonstrates the secure workspace available for private users to upload and analyze sensitive data, and for collating cross-platform datasets to identify and validate congruent datapoints. SNP datasets from WGS assemblies and pan-genome microarrays are analyzed in a combinatorial fashion to determine relatedness of 33 Salmonella enterica strains to six strains collected as part of an outbreak investigation. Use-case scenario three utilizes published surveillance results that describe the incidence and sources of O157:H7 E. coli isolates associated with a produce pre-harvest surveillance study that occurred during 2002–2006. In summary, PATRN is a web-based integrated platform containing tools for the management, analysis and visualization of data about foodborne pathogens.

Science Direct –

The contamination of enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens spores on food contact surfaces posses a serious concern to food industry due to their high resistance to various preservation methods typically applied to control foodborne pathogens. In this study, we aimed to develop an strategy to inactivate C. perfringens spores on stainless steel (SS) surfaces by inducing spore germination and killing of germinated spores with commonly used disinfectants. The mixture of l-Asparagine and KCl (AK) induced maximum spore germination for all tested C. perfringens food poisoning (FP) and non-foodborne (NFB) isolates. Incubation temperature had a major impact on C. perfringens spore germination, with 40 °C induced higher germination than room temperature (RT) (20 ± 2 °C). In spore suspension, the implementation of AK-induced germination step prior to treatment with disinfectants significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the inactivation of spores of FP strain SM101. However, under similar conditions, no significant spore inactivation was observed with NFB strain NB16. Interestingly, while the spores of FP isolates were able to germinate with AK upon their adhesion to SS chips, no significant germination was observed with spores of NFB isolates. Consequently, the incorporation of AK-induced germination step prior to decontamination of SS chips with disinfectants significantly (p < 0.05) inactivated the spores of FP isolates. Collectively, our current results showed that triggering spore germination considerably increased sporicidal activity of the commonly used disinfectants against C. perfringens FP spores attached to SS chips. These findings should help in developing an effective strategy to inactivate C. perfringens spores adhered to food contact surfaces.

 

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium perfringens, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Spores

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UK – FSA – HPA – Cryptosporidum 2012 Outbreak

Posted on March 20, 2013 by | 2 comments

FSA763px-Cryptosporidium_parvum_01

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) today published findings of an investigation into an outbreak of Cryptosporidium infection that affected around 300 people in England and Scotland in May 2012.

The Food Standards Agency was part of the outbreak control team, led by the HPA, and gathered information on the production and distribution of salad vegetables to help identify the likely source of the outbreak.

The full HPA statement can be read via this HPA link

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Posted in Cryptosporidium, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Standards Agency, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, HPA, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Water

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Research – Norovirus Shedding

Posted on March 19, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Cambridge Journals OnlineNorovirus

Norovirus is a common cause of gastroenteritis in all ages. Typical infections cause viral shedding periods of days to weeks, but some individuals can shed for months or years. Most norovirus risk models do not include these long-shedding individuals, and may therefore underestimate risk. We reviewed the literature for norovirus-shedding duration data and stratified these data into two distributions: regular shedding (mean 14–16 days) and long shedding (mean 105–136 days). These distributions were used to inform a norovirus transmission model that predicts the impact of long shedders. Our transmission model predicts that this subpopulation increases the outbreak potential (measured by the reproductive number) by 50–80%, the probability of an outbreak by 33%, the severity of transmission (measured by the attack rate) by 20%, and transmission duration by 100%. Characterizing and understanding shedding duration heterogeneity can provide insights into community transmission that can be useful in mitigating norovirus risk.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hand Washing, Hygiene, Illness, Methods, Microbiology, Norovirus, Pathogen, Research

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New Zealand – Fresh Fish Recall – Histamine Poisoning

Posted on March 14, 2013 by | Leave a comment

New Zealand Herald

Foodstuffs has recalled a batch of its fresh trevally fillets after they are suspected to have given two people histamine poisoning.

According to the Ministry for Primary Industries website, histamine, or scombroid, poisoning is due to a buildup of toxins that occurs when certain types of fish, including kahawai, mackerel, tuna, bonito and butterfly kingfish, have not been chilled adequately.

Symptoms can include tingling and burning around the mouth, facial flushing, diarrhoea, skin rash, nausea, abdominal cramps and vomiting, and can last for 12 hours.

Foodstuffs has initiated a voluntary recall of their in-store processed trevally fish fillets sold before March 6 and with a best before date up to March 7.

A spokeswoman said two people had potentially contracted histamine poisoning as a result.

Affected products were sold in New World, Pak’nSave and Four Square stores throughout the Upper North Island.

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Posted in Allergic Reaction, Food Hygiene, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Histamine, Microbiology, Recall

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UK -HPA -Burger Vans – Ecoli Contamination

Posted on March 14, 2013 by | Leave a comment

ITV News

HPA Report

Research from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has revealed that food, water, chopping boards, cleaning cloths and security wristbands sampled from mobile and outdoor food vendors were contaminated with a range of bacteria including E.coli.

The bacteria, which originates from human or animal faeces is usually an indicator of either poor hygiene, undercooking or cross-contamination in the kitchen.

The events where samples were taken included 50 concerts or music festivals, 20 sports events, 39 carnivals, fetes and fairs and 44 ‘other’ events.

8% of food samples were of an unsatisfactory quality with a further 1% containing potentially hazardous levels of bacteria.

Water samples tested revealed that 27% contained unacceptable levels of coliform bacteria which can be found in the environment in soil, water and on plants and may also be a sign of faecal contamination.

E.coli and/or enterococci bacteria (of faecal origin) were found in 8%.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hand Washing, HPA, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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