HEALTH officials are still trying to work out the source of the salmonella infection that has hospitalised four Tasmanian cricketers and an umpire.
The Tigers suspect food they ate in Adelaide on the final day of their Sheffield Shield match against South Australia last Friday was the mostly likely source of the poisoning.
But South Australia officials deny they are responsible.
On June 20, 2011, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security notified the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) of an Indiana fire station that reported gastrointestinal illness among a substantial percentage of their workers, causing missed workdays and one hospitalization as a result of cryptosporidiosis. All ill firefighters had responded to a barn fire in Michigan, 15 miles from the Michigan-Indiana border on June 6.
On June 6, 2011, a fire occurred in a barn housing approximately 240 week-old calves. A total of 34 firefighters responded from three Michigan fire stations and one Indiana fire station. Local hydrant water and on site swimming pond water were used to extinguish the fire. Investigators hypothesized that exposures to calves or contaminated drinking water were potential infection sources.
The incident was investigated with the following findings, the following public health recommendations were issued: 1) discontinue swimming in the pond, 2) practice thorough hygiene to reduce fecal contamination and fecal-oral exposures, and 3) decontaminate firefighting equipment properly. No additional primary or secondary cases associated with this exposure have been reported. The findings highlight a novel work-related disease exposure for firefighters and the need for public education regarding cryptosporidiosis prevention.
Posted in CDC, Cryptosporidium, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Water
A Staffordshire primary school has been closed due to an outbreak of E. coli. Three cases have been confirmed and all pupils at Friarswood Primary School in Newcastle-under-Lyme are being tested, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said. The E. coli O157 bacteria usually causes diarrhoea, it added.
Staffordshire County Council said it is believed the infection was brought into the school from an outside source. A thorough clean is now under way.
The school will reopen when it safe to do so, the council added.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest reported there were 38 pathogen outbreaks resistant to at least one antibiotic between 1973 and 2011. Of those, 45 percent occurred between 2000 and 2011, but the group could not determine whether increased use of antibiotics played a role in the increase.
While the data did not make the link between antibiotics use in food animals and increased incidents of antibiotic-resistant strains of pathogens, CSPI did.
University of Aberdeen scientists bought raw chicken livers from a typical range of supermarkets and butchers over a two-year period and, after testing in the lab, discovered the bug Campylobacter in 81% of them.
In a study published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology the researchers also reveal that 56% of the types of Campylobacter found in contaminated chicken livers matched the 10 most common strains of the bug found in people with Campylobacter poisoning
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and G. Dion Foods are warning the public not to consume the Dion brand curry powder described below because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella. The affected product, Dion brand Organic Curry powder is sold in 36 g packages bearing lot code 02B01G and UPC 6 20383 02007 7. This product has been distributed in Quebec and Ontario.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
After the 2011 outbreak of E.coli O104 :H4 in Europe this study investigated the theory that cattle could be the reservoir for the organism but non of the cattle tested showed positive for the markers they searched for.
More than 150 people fell ill due to food poisoning after consuming meals at a marriage function in Taufapur village of the district, police said today. The incident took place last night when more than 300 people ate food at the marriage party .
District health officials visited the site and food samples were sent for the testing.
FoodWorld 