Category Archives: foodborne outbreak

USA – CDC Investigation Notice: CDC Investigates New Listeria Outbreak

Posted on July 4, 2022 by | Leave a comment

CDC

A CDC Investigation Notice regarding a multistate outbreak of Listeria infections has been posted: Listeria Outbreak | CDC.Listeria Outbreak | CDC

Key points:

  • 23 people infected with the outbreak strain have been reported from 10 states. Nearly all the people live in or traveled to Florida about a month before they got sick, although the significance of this is not yet known.
  • 22 people have been hospitalized and one death has been reported from Illinois.
  • Five people got sick during their pregnancy, and one illness resulted in a fetal loss.
  • A specific food item has not yet been identified as the source of this outbreak.
  • Pregnant people and their newborns, adults aged 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe Listeria
  • CDC is advising people at high risk who have symptoms of a Listeria infection, especially those who have recently traveled to Florida, to talk to their healthcare provider. Healthcare providers should report listeriosis illnesses to their health department. This information may help investigators solve this outbreak.

About Listeria:

  • Listeria can cause severe illness (known as invasive listeriosis) when the bacteria spread beyond the gut to other parts of the body.
  • Pregnant people typically experience only fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, Listeria infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
  • People who are not pregnant may experience headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, in addition to fever and muscle aches.
  • Symptoms of severe illness usually start within two weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 70 days after.

If you have questions about cases in a particular state, please call that state’s health department.

Thank you,

CDC News Media Branch
404-639-3286
media@cdc.gov

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

Spain – Seven face charges in deadly Listeria outbreak in Spain

Posted on July 4, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Seven people are set to stand trial as part of Spain’s largest ever Listeria outbreak, which occurred in 2019.

A judge in a court in Seville this week decided to continue proceedings against seven defendants for offences including alleged crimes against public health and injury to a fetus resulting in abortion. At the conclusion of an investigation into the outbreak, Pilar Ordóñez also considered that Seville Council could be held civilly liable, this means it would have to pay compensation if convicted.

The outbreak from “La Mecha” brand chilled roasted pork produced by Magrudis affected almost 250 people. During the health alert between mid-August and mid-October 2019, four people died and there were six abortions.

Those investigated are José Antonio Marín Ponce, administrator of Magrudis; his wife, Encarnación Rodríguez Jiménez, responsible for production and the company’s self-control system; their children Sandro José and Mario Marín Rodríguez as well as a local veterinary inspector and two other people. Action against another four people has been stopped.

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Posted in 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, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Research

USA – FDA Core Outbreak Table

Posted on June 30, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FDA

Date
Posted		 Ref Pathogen or
Cause of Illness
 Product(s)
Linked to
Illnesses
(if any)		 Total
Case Count
Status
6/29/

2022

 1076 Not Yet Identified Frozen Food 107 adverse event reports Active
6/22/

2022

 1075 Salmonella
Braenderup		 Not Yet Identified 42 Active
6/22/

2022

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

2022

 1070 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Not Yet Identified 12 Active
6/8/

2022

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

2022

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

2022

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

2022

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

2022

 1057 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Not Yet
Identified		 22 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, 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 outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Hepatitis A, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, O143:H26, outbreak, Salmonella

China – 200 kindergarten children suffered symptoms of food poisoning, parents want investigation

Posted on June 27, 2022 by | Leave a comment

The BL

According to a report by China Economic Weekly on June 24, nearly 200 children at the “Jiedibao Wanke Golden Joy City Kindergarten” in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, suffered symptoms of food poisoning on June 17 and needed medical attention. Some remained hospitalized for a week.

As reported by Chinanews.com, a Lianhu District Education Bureau staff member said that the illness was initially determined to be caused by a salmonella infection but should await official confirmation.

According to Wang, a parent of one child, more than 200 children at Jiedibao Wanke Kindergarten developed different degrees of food poisoning. The symptoms were high fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. In the most severe cases, blood in the stool and coma.

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

Nepal – Nepalese cholera outbreak: Kathmandu bans Panipuri

Posted on June 27, 2022 by | Leave a comment

World Akkam

Kathmandu, June 26: Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, is currently facing another outbreak of cholera. As of Sunday, at least 12 people have been infected with the disease, and authorities are struggling to contain the outbreak.

Cases of cholera have been found in several parts of the city, and health authorities have not yet identified the source. It was found that the water sources in many areas contained Vibrio cholerae.

Meanwhile, Kathmandu’s affiliated city, Lalitpur, has banned the sale of Panipuri and chat from Sunday for fear of cholera.

Lalitpur Metropolitan City (LMC) has decided to stop selling and distributing Panipuri and Chatpate in big cities from Saturday. LMC has banned the sale of Panipuri and Chapati, claiming that Vibrio cholerae was found in the water used in Panipuri.

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Posted in Contaminated water, 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, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Vibrio, Vibrio cholera, vibrio cholerae, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

USA – Is TikTox, Twitter and Reddit the new FDA and CDC as it relates to the Daily Harvest mystery?

Posted on June 27, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

A lot of people say they have had liver complication and have had their gallbladders removed.

A number of people say they got sick after eating different Daily Harvest products, most commonly the recalled Leek and Lentil meals.

Doctors seem to have very few answers as to what is causing their illnesses.

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/foryou?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1 — TIkTok user posts about illness after eating Daily Harvest.

Twitter:

“I ate the Daily Harvest Lentil + Leek crumbles. I was lucky I didn’t end in the ER. I felt really sick: fever, headache, stomach ache, nausea and severe bouts of vomiting. I was not able to eat. I spent 2 days in bed recovering. Daily Harvest response is a joke” — @sandrav_nyc, June 23 (Twitter)

Reddit posts:

“Two weeks ago I tried the crumbles for the first time. That night, I had debilitating stomach pain, like nothing I had ever felt before. It was so bad I had to go to the ER as a last ditch effort to alleviate and manage the pain. After a CT scan, IV, meds, and a week on a bland diet I thought perhaps it was some sort of bug.

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

Research – Temporal changes in the proportion of Salmonella outbreaks associated with twelve food commodity groups in the United States

Posted on June 26, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Cambridge Org

kswfoodworld Salmonella

Abstract

Using data from twenty years of Salmonella foodborne outbreaks, this study investigates significant trends in the proportion of outbreaks associated with twelve broad commodity groups. Outbreak counts are demonstrated to have a stronger trend signal than outbreak illness counts.

The number of outbreaks with an identified food vehicle increased significantly between 1998 and 2000. This was followed by a 10-year period when the number of outbreaks decreased. The number of outbreaks increased significantly between 2010 and 2014 and then remained unchanged for the remainder of the study period.

During the period of 1998 through 2017, the proportion of outbreaks for three commodities groups, consisting of eggs, pork, and seeded vegetables, changed significantly. No significant changes were observed in the remaining nine commodity groups. Simple approximations are derived to highlight the effect of dependencies between outbreak proportions and a consumption analysis for meat and poultry is used to enhance the limited interpretability of the changes in these proportions.

Given commodity-specific approaches to verifying food safety and promoting pathogen reduction, regulatory agencies benefit from analyses that elucidate illness trends attributable to the products under their jurisdiction. Results from this trend analysis can be used to inform the development and assessment of new pathogen reduction programs in the United States.

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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, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Research, Salmonella

Denmark – Denmark hit by a trio of Listeria outbreaks with unknown sources; eight deaths reported

Posted on June 24, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

AdobeStock_195439963

Officials in Denmark are investigating three separate Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks that have affected almost 30 people with eight deaths reported.

The Statens Serum Institut, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) and DTU Food Institute are trying to find the sources of these outbreaks.

One had already been reported but the Statens Serum Institut has updated the number of people sick. This incident has affected nine people, all of them have been hospitalized and four have died. Five cases are men and four are women.

Patients range from 33 to 93 years old and all had an underlying disease or other immune system issue prior to infection that made them particularly vulnerable, such as meningitis or sepsis. Eight are from the Hovedstaden region of the country. Sample dates range from May 13 to June 6, 2022.

Whole genome sequencing found the strains were closely related and of the sequence type (ST) 37.

Speaking earlier in June, Nikolas Hove from Fødevarestyrelsen said it was rare to see so many Listeria infections in such a short period of time and officials were working to find out which foods were the cause of illness, so the outbreak could be stopped.

Fødevarestyrelsen has written to a number of large industry organizations calling for their members to sharpen in-house monitoring of Listeria. If they find the bacterium in the environment or products, they can have it typed for free at Fødevarestyrelsen’s laboratory.

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Posted in 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, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

USA – FDA Investigating Another Infant Death Potentially Related to Abbott Baby Formula

Posted on June 24, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety Tech

On Wednesday, June 22, the FDA announced that it was investigating the death of an infant that occurred in January 2022 and is potentially related to Abbott baby formula. In a statement, the FDA said that it was notified of the death through a consumer complaint received on June 10, 2022. “The agency has initiated an investigation, given that the complaint referenced that the infant had consumed an Abbott product. However, the investigation of this most recent consumer complaint is in its preliminary stages and the agency will provide an update as it learns more,” the statement read.

The FDA has previously reported its review of complaints related to nine infant deaths. Two were found to be associated with the Abbott Nutrition Sturgis plant investigation. However, the FDA notes that, despite extensive investigation, the evidence does not rule in or rule out a definitive link between these infant deaths and the product produced at Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, Michigan-based plant.

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Posted in Cronobacter sakazakii, cross contamination, 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, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

USA – Outbreak Investigation of Hepatitis A Virus: Strawberries (May 2022)

Posted on June 24, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FDA

The FDA, along with CDC, and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A infections in the United States linked to fresh organic strawberries. These potentially contaminated strawberries were imported from Baja California, a state in northern Mexico, and branded as FreshKampo and HEB by a common supplier; they were purchased between March 5, 2022, and April 15, 2022. The Public Health Agency of CanadaExternal Link Disclaimer and the Canadian Food Inspection AgencyExternal Link Disclaimer are also investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A. Imported FreshKampo brand fresh organic strawberries have been identified as the likely source of the outbreak in Canada.

Currently, these imported fresh organic strawberries are past shelf life and are not available for purchase in stores. People who purchased these fresh organic strawberries between March 5, 2022, and April 15, 2022, and then froze those strawberries for later consumption, should not eat them. If you are unsure of what brand you purchased, when you purchased your strawberries, or where you purchased them from prior to freezing them, the strawberries should be thrown away.

The downstream product removal conducted by Urban Remedy and reported on June 10, 2022, is now considered a market withdrawal. It has been determined that the product was not made using implicated strawberries.

This investigation is ongoing and this advisory will be updated as more information becomes available.

Recommendation

Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not sell, serve, or eat any fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo or HEB if purchased between March 5, 2022, and April 15, 2022. People who purchased the fresh strawberries and then froze those strawberries for later consumption should not eat them. They should be thrown away. Currently, the potentially contaminated product is past its shelf life. If you are unsure of what brand you purchased, when you purchased your strawberries, or where you purchased them from prior to freezing them, the strawberries should be thrown away.

If consumers purchased fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo or HEB between March 5, 2022, and April 15, 2022, ate those berries in the last two weeks, and have not been vaccinated against hepatitis A, they should immediately consult with their healthcare professional to determine whether post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is needed. PEP is recommended for unvaccinated people who have been exposed to hepatitis A virus in the last two weeks because vaccination can prevent a hepatitis A infection if given within 14 days of exposure. Those with evidence of previous hepatitis A vaccination or previous hepatitis A infection do not require PEP.

Contact your healthcare provider if you think you may have symptoms of a hepatitis A infection after eating these fresh organic strawberries, or if you believe that you have eaten these strawberries in the last two weeks.

Product Images

Outbreak Investigation of Hepatitis A Virus: Strawberries (May 2022) - Sample Product Images

Case Counts

Total U.S. Illnesses: 18 (including 1 probable case)
Hospitalizations: 13 (including 1 probable case)
Deaths: 0
Last illness onset: May 6, 2022
States with Cases: CA (16), MN (1), ND (1)
Product Distribution: Nationwide

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Posted in FDA, 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