Category Archives: foodborne outbreak

USA – FDA Coe Investigation Table Update

Posted on August 18, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • An outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 (ref# 1081) in an unidentified product was added to the table and FDA has initiated a traceback investigation. CDC has issued an Investigation Notice.
  • An outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg (ref# 1087) in an unidentified product was added to the table.
  • An outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium (ref# 1095) in an unidentified product was added to the table and traceback has been initiated.
  • For the outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup (ref# 1075) in an unidentified product, the outbreak has ended.
  • For the outbreak of Cyclospora in an unidentified product (ref# 1084), the case count has increased from 77 to 98.
  • For the outbreak of hepatitis A illnesses linked to fresh strawberries (ref# 1066), the FDA investigation has closed and the outbreak is over.
Date
Posted		 Ref
 Pathogen
Product(s)
Linked to
Illnesses
(if any)		 Total
Case Count
Status
8/17/

2022

 1081 E. coli
O157:H7		 Not Yet Identified See CDC Investigation Notice Active
8/17/

2022

 1087 Salmonella
Senftenberg		 Not Yet Identified 19 Active
8/17/

2022

 1095 Salmonella
Typhimurium		 Not Yet Identified 44 Active
8/3/

2022

 1080 Cyclospora Not Yet Identified 6 Active
7/27/

2022

 1084 Cyclospora Not Yet Identified 98 Active
6/29/

2022

 1076 Not Yet Identified Frozen Food See Outbreak
Advisory		 Active
6/22/

2022

 1075 Salmonella
Braenderup		 Not Yet Identified 74 Active
6/22/

2022

 1072 Salmonella
Paratyphi B var. L(+) tartrate+		 Not Identified 14 Closed
6/15/

2022

 1070 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Not Identified 12 Closed
6/8/

2022

 1068 E. coli
O157:H7		 Not Identified 10 Closed
6/1/

2022

 1066 Hepatitis A Virus Strawberries See Outbreak
Advisory		 Closed
5/25/

2022

 1067 Salmonella 
Senftenberg		 Peanut Butter See Outbreak Advisory Closed
4/20/

2022

 1064 Not Yet
Identified		 Dry Cereal 558 adverse
event reports		 Active
4/13/

2022

 1057 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Ice Cream See Outbreak Advisory Active
3/30/

2022

 1060 None
Identified		 Meal Replacement
Drink		 6 adverse
event reports		 Closed
3/16/

2022

 1055 Salmonella
Saintpaul		 Not Identified 60 Closed
2/17/

2022

 1056 Cronobacter
sakazakii		 Powdered
Infant
Formula		 See
Advisory		 Active (IMG)
2/9/

2022

 1040 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Not Identified 20 Closed
2/2/

2022

 1054 Enteroinvasive
E. coli
O143:H26		 Not
Identified		 16 Closed
1/10/

2022

 1050 E. coli
O121:H19		 Romaine 4 Closed

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Posted in Cronobacter sakazakii, Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, E.coli O121, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Hepatitis A, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, O143:H26, outbreak, Salmonella

USA – With E. coli Outbreaks in Ohio and Michigan, what do you need to know?

Posted on August 17, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

With at least 18 ill in Ohio and nearly 100 ill in Michigan – not yet clear if the outbreaks from the two states are linked – the public is looking for information about this potentially deadly pathogen.

Read all about it at the link above

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, 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, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

Guatemala -Cheese behind 40 illnesses in Guatemala

Posted on August 17, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Public health officials in Guatemala have issued a warning as 40 people fell sick after eating dairy products.

The Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance reported the food poisoning of 41 people after eating artisanal cheese in the town of Ciudad Vieja, in the department of Sacatepéquez.

The first cases were detected on Aug. 9. People with a history of consuming fresh cheese were treated for abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.

Authorities advised local people to avoid consuming dairy products without knowing the origin and to check the label of the product to ensure it is made with pasteurized milk. These preventative steps should be in place at least until the investigations are completed to determine the origin of the current outbreak to stop more people from getting sick.

They also recommended that the public reinforce hygiene practices such as handwashing, the correct preparation, handling and storage of food, and to seek treatment if they feel unwell.

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

USA – Mystery Wood County E. coli Outbreak sickens 16 with 6 hospitalized

Posted on August 16, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

According to 24 News, 16 people in Wood County have come down with E. coli in the past week, prompting the health department to begin investigating. From 2016 to 2020 the county only saw 27 cases altogether.

“Even a case or two is something we want to identify and respond to quickly so that if it is, in fact, something that could spread to others we have a chance to stop it,” said Benjamin Robison, the health commissioner for the Wood County Health Department.

Those who have fallen ill range from ages 13 to 60 years old and those who contract the virus can experience different levels of sickness and gastrointestinal symptoms.

The Wood County Health Department has sent lab samples to the Ohio Department of Health to learn whether or not the illnesses are connected. Results, and more information, are expected early next week.

“We are doing a comprehensive investigation to understand what the cause of this was. Until we know whether these diseases are being caused by the same strain, we really have to wait to understand what our next steps are going to be,” Robison said.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

USA – Mystery Ottawa County E. coli outbreak now reports 12 with two hospitalized with Kidney complications

Posted on August 16, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

Wood TV 8 reports that the Ottawa County Health Department is warning about an E. coli outbreak in the community.

As of Friday, there are 12 shiga toxin E. coli cases in Ottawa County, the health department said.

The shiga toxin producing E. coli is often associated with foodborne outbreaks. Symptoms include diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, vomiting and a low-grade fever.

“It’s a bacteria that can have some serious complications in some folks, particularly kids,” said Derel Glashower of the Ottawa County Health Department.

Five of the 12 infected individuals in the county have been hospitalized — two of them are children. Glashower said two have serious kidney complications.

The big concern is the significant number of E. coli infections that the county is seeing this year. Glashower said that on average, the county sees two to three cases each August.

The health department said it is working to see if there are any common denominators in the cases.

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Posted in E.coli, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

Denmark – Health and Economic Burden of Seven Foodborne Diseases in Denmark, 2019

Posted on August 15, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Mary Anne Liebert

We ranked seven foodborne pathogens in Denmark on the basis of their health and economic impact on society in 2019. We estimated burden of disease of infections with Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes, norovirus, and hepatitis A virus in terms of incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALY), and economic burden in terms of direct and indirect health costs. These seven pathogens accounted for 268,372 cases, 98 deaths, and 3121 DALYs, and led to a total expenditure of 434 million Euro in 1 year in a country with 5.8 million citizens. Foodborne infections by Campylobacter, Salmonella, and norovirus caused the most DALYs, whereas Campylobacter, and norovirus and STEC had the higher costs. A combination of disease burden and cost of illness estimates is useful to inform policymaking and establish food safety priorities at the national level.

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Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Death, food bourne outbreak, food death, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning Death, Food Virus Death, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Norovirus, outbreak, Research, Salmonella, STEC, STEC E.coli, Yersinia, yersinia enterocolitica

Research – An 11-Year Analysis of Bacterial Foodborne Disease Outbreaks in Zhejiang Province, China

Posted on August 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Background: Foodborne diseases are a growing public health problem and contribute significantly to the global burden of disease and mortality. Bacteria are the most common foodborne pathogens. We aimed to explore characteristics of bacterial foodborne disease outbreaks (FBDOs) in Zhejiang Province and to provide data support for foodborne disease prevention and control. Methods: Descriptive statistical methods were used to analyze the data reported by centers for disease control (CDCs) at all levels in Zhejiang Province through Foodborne Disease Outbreaks Surveillance System (FDOSS) during 2010–2020. Results: CDCs in Zhejiang Province reported 517 bacterial FBDOs in 11 years, resulting in 7031 cases, 911 hospitalizations, and 3 deaths. Vibrio parahaemolyticus had the highest number of outbreaks, accounting for 58.41% of the total bacterial outbreaks, followed by Salmonella (18.38%). In all settings, restaurants (37.14%), staff canteens (11.99%), and households (11.80%) were responsible for the large number of outbreaks. Aquatic products (42.08%), meat and meat products (23.56%), cereals (10.81%), and flour products (9.27%) were the most common single foods reported. Further analysis showed that the settings and food vehicles of outbreaks caused by different pathogens were different. Conclusions: Bacterial outbreaks are the most common type of FBDOs in Zhejiang Province. By analyzing the epidemiological characteristics of common pathogenic bacteria, we can identify the etiology, food, and setting that the government needs to focus on, and issue relevant targeted policies to reduce the number of FBDOs. View Full-Text

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

Norway – Outbreak of Salmonella in Norway probably linked to watermelon

Posted on August 12, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Matportalen

The Institute of Public Health has discovered a national outbreak caused by the gastrointestinal bacterium monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium. So far, infection has been detected in 18 people. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority cooperates with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the Norwegian Veterinary Institute on the outbreak. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is now working to trace the relevant watermelons.

– We consider it highly unlikely that melons associated with the outbreak are still on the market, says senior adviser Catherine Signe Svindland at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.

According to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, all 13 people who have been interviewed so far have eaten watermelon in the last few days before they fell ill. Most of the people fell ill in the period from the end of June to the middle of July 2022 and whole watermelon has a shelf life of 3-4 weeks.

– Melon grows on the ground in countries with a warm climate. There have previously been many outbreaks of salmonella from various types of melon. Bacteria grow very well in the melon flesh because melon has a neutral PH compared to other fruits, a lot of sugar and a high water content. If there is a wound through the skin, bacteria can enter the pulp, grow and become very numerous. Bacteria can also enter the pulp from the skin when you split the melon. If you buy ready-cut melon, feel free to ask the shop about their routines, says senior advisor Catherine Signe Svindland at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has the following advice on safe handling of melons:

  • Do not use melons with damage to the skin that goes into the pulp.
  • Wash the melon well and dry it with paper before cutting it into pieces.
  • Wash your hands and equipment thoroughly with soap and water after handling melon.
  • Sliced ​​melon should be kept cool.

Read more at the Institute of Public Health: Outbreak of Salmonella in Norway probably linked to watermelon (fhi.no)

Read more at the Veterinary Institute: Outbreak of salmonella probably linked to watermelon (vetinst.no)

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, food safety training, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Salmonella

USA – STEC E. coli Outbreak in Michigan seems to be brewing – at least 9 cases reported

Posted on August 12, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

The Ottawa County Department of Public Health is alerting the public to increasing cases of shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) infections in the community. The Department is currently monitoring 9 cases of STEC, which is significantly higher than the typical number of cases reported at this time of the year. The Department is working with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to investigate possible links between the cases. Four of the 9 cases have been hospitalized for their symptoms.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Poisoning, STEC, STEC E.coli

USA – FDA Core Investigation Table Update

Posted on August 11, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • For the outbreak of Cyclospora in an unidentified food (ref # 1084) the total case count has increased from 60 to 77.
Date
Posted		 Ref Pathogen or
Cause of Illness
 Product(s)
Linked to
Illnesses
(if any)		 Total
Case Count		 Status
8/3/

2022

 1080 Cyclospora Not Yet Identified 6 Active
7/27/

2022

 1084 Cyclospora Not Yet Identified 77 Active
6/29/

2022

 1076 Not Yet Identified Frozen Food See Outbreak
Advisory		 Active
6/22/

2022

 1075 Salmonella
Braenderup		 Not Yet Identified 74 Active
6/22/

2022

 1072 Salmonella
Paratyphi B var. L(+) tartrate+		 Not Identified 14 Closed
6/15/

2022

 1070 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Not Identified 12 Closed
6/8/

2022

 1068 E. coli
O157:H7		 Not Identified 10 Closed
6/1/

2022

 1066 Hepatitis A Virus Strawberries See Outbreak
Advisory		 Active
5/25/

2022

 1067 Salmonella 
Senftenberg		 Peanut Butter See Outbreak Advisory Closed
4/20/

2022

 1064 Not Yet
Identified		 Dry Cereal 558 adverse
event reports		 Active
4/13/

2022

 1057 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Ice Cream See Outbreak Advisory Active
3/30/

2022

 1060 None
Identified		 Meal Replacement
Drink		 6 adverse
event reports		 Closed
3/16/

2022

 1055 Salmonella
Saintpaul		 Not Identified 60 Closed
2/17/

2022

 1056 Cronobacter
sakazakii		 Powdered
Infant
Formula		 See
Advisory		 Active (IMG)
2/9/

2022

 1040 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Not Identified 20 Closed
2/2/

2022

 1054 Enteroinvasive
E. coli
O143:H26		 Not
Identified		 16 Closed
1/10/

2022

 1050 E. coli
O121:H19		 Romaine 4 Closed

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Posted in Cronobacter sakazakii, Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, E.coli O121, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Hepatitis A, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, O143:H26, outbreak, Salmonella