Category Archives: foodborne outbreak

USA – Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Seafood (October 2022) – FDA’s investigation is complete. CDC declares outbreak over

Posted on December 15, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Litchfield infections linked to fresh, raw salmon supplied to restaurants in California and Arizona by Mariscos Bahia, Inc. 

As of December 14, 2022, CDC announced that the outbreak is over. CDC reports a total of 39 illnesses in four states. The last illness onset was October 23, 2022.

As part of this investigation, FDA and the California Department of Public Health conducted a joint inspection at Mariscos Bahia, Inc., Pico Rivera, CA and collected environmental samples from the facility. Multiple samples collected from the firm came back positive for Salmonella. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) indicated the Salmonella detected in at least one of the swabs from the facility matched the strain causing illnesses in this outbreak. The epidemiological evidence indicated that ill people consumed fresh, raw salmon processed at this firm; however, the presence of Salmonella in the processing environment also indicated that additional types of fish processed in the same area of the facility could have been contaminated.

On October 20, 2022, Mariscos Bahia, Inc., Pico Rivera, CA initiated a voluntary recall. Recalled products included fresh, raw salmon along with all other types of fresh fish processed in the same area as the salmon which included fresh, raw halibut, Chilean seabass, tuna, and swordfish.

Recommendation

According to Mariscos Bahia, Inc., seafood was only sold directly to restaurants in California and Arizona and would not be available for purchase by consumers in retail stores. The firm contacted direct restaurant customers that received recalled product. Recalled seafood was sold fresh and is now past shelf-life unless it was frozen after purchase.

Restaurants who might have purchased or received recalled fresh, raw salmon, halibut, Chilean seabass, tuna, or swordfish from Mariscos Bahia, Inc. (Pico Rivera, CA, and Phoenix, AZ) between June 14 – October 17, 2022, should check their freezers and throw away recalled product. Restaurants should also be sure to wash and sanitize locations where recalled fish from Mariscos Bahia, Inc. were stored or prepared.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

FSA – Foodborne Outbreaks – Story Map

Posted on December 13, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

EFSA

A foodborne outbreak can be defined as “an incident in which two or more people develop the same disease or infection following the consumption of a common contaminated food”. Most of the agents implicated in foodborne outbreaks are zoonotic agents*. The severity of the disease varies in humans, with effects ranging from mild to serious illness and even death ( WHO, food safety ).

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

EFSA – Foodborne Outbreaks – Dashboard

Posted on December 13, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

EFSA

The EFSA dashboard on foodborne outbreaks is a graphical user interface that allows for searching and querying the large amount of data on foodborne outbreaks collected by EFSA from the European Union Member States and other reporting countries based on the Zoonoses Directive 2003/99/EC. In the online EFSA dashboard, the foodborne outbreak data (since 2015) and related statistics can be displayed interactively using charts, graphs, and maps. The main statistics can also be visualised (and downloaded) in a tabular format. The present user guide describes the content and functionalities of the dashboard on foodborne outbreaks and provides detailed indications to make full use of this visualisation tool.

Updates on versioning

Version 1 includes the user guide of the foodborne outbreaks dashboard

Version 2 includes user guides both on foodborne outbreaks as well as on zoonotic agents.

Consequently the title of the records has been updated to match the content.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

Research – Unwelcome gifts: food poisoning unwrapped

Posted on December 13, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

EFSA

Are you looking forward to the holiday season to savour the finest traditional dishes with your friends and loved ones? The second episode of our podcast “Science on the menu” is the perfect soundtrack. Valentina Rizzi, Head of EFSA’s Biological Monitoring team, walks us through the risks linked to food contamination and the rules we should follow to make sure the food we prepare and eat is safe. We will also discuss how EFSA deals with foodborne outbreaks in Europe in collaboration with other European institutions, such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). If after this second episode you would like to know more on foodborne outbreaks, visit our dedicated story map and the interactive dashboard. If you are curious about the work of ECDC, listen to their podcast “ECDC: On Air”

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Posted in EFSA, food bourne outbreak, Food Poisoning, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak

Research – Zoonotic diseases and foodborne outbreaks on the rise, but still below pre-pandemic levels

Posted on December 13, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

EFSA

In 2021 there was an overall increase in reported cases of zoonotic diseases and foodborne outbreaks compared to the previous year, but levels are still well below those of the pre-pandemic years, reveals the latest annual EU One Health zoonosis report released by EFSA and ECDC.

The general drop compared to pre-pandemic years in reported cases and outbreaks is probably linked to COVID-19 control measures, which were still in place in 2021. Among the few exceptions are the number of cases for yersiniosis and those of foodborne listeriosis outbreaks, which exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

Most foodborne outbreaks (773) were caused by Salmonella, which accounted for 19.3% of the total. Foodborne outbreaks differ from overall reported disease cases in that they are events in which at least two people contract the same illness from the same contaminated food. The most common sources of salmonellosis outbreaks were eggs, egg products, and “mixed foods”, which are meals composed of various ingredients.

The number of outbreaks caused by Listeria monocytogenes (23) was the highest ever reported. This might be linked to the increased use of whole genome sequencing techniques, which allow scientists to better detect and define outbreaks.

The report also covers overall reported zoonotic disease cases, which are not necessarily linked to outbreaks. Campylobacteriosis remains the most frequently reported zoonosis, with the number of reported cases increasing to 127,840 compared to 120,946 in 2020. Meat from chicken and turkeys was the most common source. Salmonellosis was the second most reported zoonotic disease, affecting 60,050 people compared to 52,702 in 2020. The next commonly reported diseases were yersiniosis (6,789 cases), infections caused by Shigatoxin-producing E. coli (6,084 cases), and listeriosis (2,183 cases).

The report also includes data on Mycobacterium bovis/caprae,Brucella, Trichinella, Echinococcus, Toxoplasma gondii, rabies, Q fever, West Nile virus infections and tularaemia.

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Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, ECDC, food bourne outbreak, Food Pathogen, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak, Pathogen, pathogenic, Salmonella, STEC, STEC E.coli, Whole Genomic Sequencing

USA – Dozens have gotten sick from oysters — including in Florida. Publix issues a warning

Posted on December 12, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

Miami Herald

Oysters harvested in Texas are making dozens of people sick to their stomach in Texas and as far as Florida and Louisiana. Health departments and Publix are warning the public. The Texas Department of State Health Services recalled oysters, both in shell and shucked, that were harvested in the southeastern Galveston Bay area from Nov. 17 through Dec. 7. It has caused a few dozen cases of gastrointestinal illness in Texas, Florida and Louisiana among those who’ve eaten them. Symptoms include fever, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, chills and headache. There have been no reports of hospitalization.

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USA – Unnamed Pathogen sickens dozens and prompts recall of Galveston Bay Oysters

Posted on December 12, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

The Texas Department of State Health Services has ordered a recall of all oysters harvested in the TX 1 area of south eastern Galveston Bay after reports of a few dozen cases of gastrointestinal illness among people who ate oysters from those waters. The recall includes oysters in the shell and shucked oysters harvested in the area from Nov. 17 through Dec. 7.

Consumers who purchased Texas oysters since Nov. 17 should check the packaging to see if they were harvested in TX 1. If the oysters were unpackaged, they should contact the seller to find the source. Restaurants should contact their distributor for information on the source of their oysters. Any oysters from TX 1 should be discarded.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, gastroenteritis, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, outbreak

Norway/Sweden – Salmonella outbreak grows and spreads to Sweden

Posted on December 12, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A Salmonella outbreak initially reported in Norway has grown and now is also affecting Sweden.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said 58 people are sick in the Salmonella Agona outbreak and 23 had been hospitalized. This is up from 31 sick and 13 hospitalizations.

In Sweden, 26 people have been affected, according to the Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten).

An investigation to find the source is ongoing with FHI, local officials, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet), and the Veterinary Institute. The cause is believed to be an imported food product distributed across the country and also in Sweden.

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USA- Update – Outbreak Investigation of Listeria monocytogenes: Brie and Camembert Soft Cheese Products (September 2022)

Posted on December 12, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

FDA

The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, investigated a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to Brie and Camembert soft cheese products, including baked Brie cheeses, manufactured by Old Europe Cheese, Inc. of Benton Harbor, MI, and sold at various retailers under multiple labels and brands.

As of December 9, 2022, CDC announced that the outbreak is over with a total of six illnesses in six states.

On September 30, 2022, Old Europe Cheese, Inc. voluntarily recalled multiple brands of Brie and Camembert cheeses produced at their Michigan facility and on October 5, 2022 expanded their recall to include multiple brands of baked Brie products. On November 4, 2022, the firm’s recall notification was updated to include an expanded list of retail establishments that received recalled bulk Brie and Camembert cheese from Old Europe Cheese, Inc. The list of recalled products and stores that potentially sold these products is available below and on the firm’s recall.

Recommendation

Recalled products are no longer available for sale, but the recalled baked Brie products may have been sold frozen or purchased and later frozen by consumers, so consumers should check their freezers for any recalled Old Europe Cheese, Inc. products, including baked brie, with Best By Dates ranging from September 28, 2022, to December 14, 2022. If you have recalled frozen Old Europe Cheese products in your freezer, do not eat or serve them and throw them away.

Follow FDA’s safe handling and cleaning advice and use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination, including retailers who repackaged bulk recalled cheese. Listeria can survive in refrigerated temperatures and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.

Case Count Map Provided by CDC

CDC Case Count for the Outbreak Investigation of Listeria monocytogenes from Brie and Camembert Soft Cheese Products (as of 10/6/2022)

Case Counts

Total Illnesses: 6
Hospitalizations: 5
Deaths: 0
Last illness onset: August 5, 2022
States with Cases: CA, GA, MA, MI, NJ, TX
Product Distribution: Nationwide