Category Archives: Foodborne Illness

Japan – Ecoli O157 in Pickled Cabbage Outbreak – Six Dead

Posted on August 18, 2012 by | 1 comment

EcoliBlog

Sapporo, Japan news services report that four people, including a 4-year-old girl, have been confirmed dead of food poisoning from pickled Chinese cabbage produced by a Sapporo food company. Another two are suspected to have died due to the cabbage.

According to the city health care center, four people have died because of the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria after eating pickled Chinese cabbage produced in late July by Iwai Shokuhin. Three of the four victims were women in their 80s and 100s living in elderly care facilities in the city.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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Ireland – Shellfish Posioning Warning

Posted on August 16, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Irish Times

About a dozen people have become ill with suspected food poisoning in recent weeks after gathering mussels and other shellfish from the shoreline in parts of the west and southwest coast.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) warned locals and holidaymakers visiting these areas of dangers of gathering and consuming wild shellfish growing on the seashore.

It said there had been over 10 reports of illness in Galway, Mayo and Sligo in the past number of weeks. It suspects the reports are linked to harmful algal blooms occurring naturally along these parts of the coast.

Bi-valve shellfish such as mussels, oysters, scallops, cockles and clams should only be purchased from reputable suppliers and not gathered in the wild, the authority said.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, FSAI, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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Cruise Ship Virus Strikes Again – Norovirus

Posted on August 14, 2012 by | 1 comment

Cruise Law News

A puke fest is underway on the Carnival Glory cruise ship, with passengers taking to the message boards at Cruise Critic to comment that passengers are suffering from diarrhea and other norovirus-like symptoms,

The message board states that Carnival prepared a letter to passengers this weekend that passengers on the prior cruise experienced norovirus sickness. Several passengers are stating that the current cruise has been plagued by norovirus as well.  Some comments mention the strong smell of vomit in public areas of the cruise ship.  

One passenger comments that the Centers for Disease control (CDC) came onto the Glory on August 9th.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Pathogen, Virus

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CIFA Recall Smoked Salmon – Clostridium

Posted on August 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CIFA

Reference Number: 7321
Recalling Firm: STELLAR SMOKED SALMON
Date of Recall: 8/7/2012
Recall Classification: 3
Distribution : Ontario
Extent of the Product Distribution : Retail

Product List

Brand Name Common Name Size Codes(s) on Product UPC Reason for Recall:
STELLAR SMOKE SALMON SLICED SMOKED SALMON 125 g All codes None / Aucun Microbiological – Clostridium botulinum

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall

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Finland – Listeria Outbreak

Posted on August 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

NewFood

Ten listeria cases were detected among patients with febrile diarrhoea in the Vaasa city hospital during the month of July. Two more cases were detected in Eastern Finland, one in Juva and one in Mikkeli. No deaths have occurred. The bacterial strains typed were identical which may imply a common source of infection.

Listeria is a food-borne infection. The exposure period in Vaasa is presumably between July 13th and 17th. The food items consumed by the patients have been identified and are now currently under investigation. The identification of the source of the infection for the cases in Eastern Finland has been initiated.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

2011 Scottish Botulism Outbreak Report FSA

Posted on August 10, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FSA

Health Protection Scotland, on behalf of the Incident Management Team, have today published the final report into an outbreak of foodborne botulism in Scotland in November 2011.

This outbreak affected three children from one family in the NHS Forth Valley area. The vehicle of intoxication was found to be a single jar of a commercially produced korma sauce.

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Standards Agency, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

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Staphylococcus aureus in Turkey Dinner – Outbreak

Posted on August 9, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The foodborne illness outbreak that sickened at least 60 recipients of a meal at the Denver Rescue Mission last month has been linked to turkey contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, officials say.
 
According to the Denver Department of Environmental Health, a stool sample from one of the outbreak victims tested positive for Staph, pointing to that bacteria as the cause of illness. This discovery matches up with the fact that victims became ill within an hour after eating. Symptoms of most foodborne illnesses do not appear until several hours or even days or weeks after contact with the pathogen, while the vomiting induced by a Staph infection begins almost immediately.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, Toxin

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Another US Prison Food Borne Illness?

Posted on August 8, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Health department officials Tuesday were all over the maximum security Arkansas prison now known simply as the “Tucker Unit” as almost half its inmates are down with mystery gastrointestinal illnesses.
 
What’s causing the illnesses at the Tucker Unit, with a capacity of 796 prisoners, still was not known with suspect list including both foodborne illnesses and viruses. State health officials have stepped up their work to find the source.
 
“The number of inmates who have displayed symptoms is at 357, which is about what it was yesterday afternoon,” Shea Wilson, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Corrections said. “We hope to hear a determination of what the cause is from the Health Department soon.”
 
About 15 officials from the Arkansas Department of Health were at the prison on Tuesday, interviewing staff and inmates and taking stool samples. Samples of all food served in the prison during the last five days are also being tested.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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Dried Basil Salmonella – Canada, UK, Egypt

Posted on August 7, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CIFA

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Shah Trading Co. Ltd. are warning the public, distributors and food service establishments not to consume, sell, serve or use the Spice Kingdom brand dried Egyptian Basil described below because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella.

 

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella

US – Home Made Prison Alcohol – Botulism

Posted on August 7, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Botulisim Blog

The Arizona Republic reports that four state prison inmates were hospitalized with suspected botulism poisoning Friday after apparently drinking homemade prison alcohol, authorities said.

This is not the first time that prison inmates have been diagnosed with botulism following what is suspected to be an attempt at making homemade alcohol.

In 2011, 12 inmates at the Utah State Prison in Draper developed botulism after drinking a concoction made from fruit, potatoes, bread, water and sugar.

In 2004, four California inmates were hospitalized after contracting botulism from a two-gallon batch of prison-made alcohol.

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

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