Category Archives: Illness

US Fresh Fruit Salad (Cantaloupe) – Salmonella

Posted on September 15, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A Minnesota-based company is recalling sits fresh cut fruit products because they contain cantaloupes that may be contaminated with Salmonella.

Cut Fruit Express, Inc. of Inver Grove Heights, MN issued a voluntary recall of products distributed through September 5, 2012, because they were made with cantaloupes recalled by Fresno, CA-based DFI Marketing Thursday after a federal testing program revealed the presence of the bacteria in a sample.
 
The fresh cut fruits subject to this recall were sold in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
 
As many as half a million cantaloupes are included in the DFI recall.
 
Only products with certain use-by dates are subject to this recall, according to the company, however those dates are not currently listed in the recall notice.  
 
Customers with questions are encouraged to call the company at 651-438-8834. 
 
Symptoms of Salmonella infection usually begin between 6 and 48 hours after infection and include fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
 
If you think you may have contracted a Salmonella infection, contact your healthcare provider. 

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

Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Newport Infections Linked to Cantaloupe

Posted on September 14, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CDC

  • A total of 270 persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Typhimurium (240 persons) and SalmonellaNewport (30 persons) have been reported from 26 states.
    • The number of ill persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (16), Arkansas (6), California (2), Florida (1), Georgia (9), Iowa (10), Illinois (26), Indiana (24), Kentucky (70), Massachusetts (2), Maryland (1), Michigan (6), Minnesota (5), Missouri (15), Mississippi (7), Montana (1), New Jersey (2), North Carolina (7), Ohio (6), Oklahoma (1), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (5), Tennessee (8), Texas (2), and Wisconsin (6).
    • The number of ill persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Newport identified in each state is as follows: Illinois (8), Indiana (9), Michigan (1), Missouri (6), Ohio (3), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (2)
    • 101 ill persons have been hospitalized. Three deaths have been reported in Kentucky

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Posted in Bacteria, CDC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Recall, Salmonella

Malaysia – Norovirus Found in Lettuce

Posted on September 14, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Medical Express

University Teknologi MARA researchers conducted a study on Norovirus (NoV) in lettuces. The virus causes outbreaks of Gastroenteritis among children below age 5 in Malaysia.

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Posted in Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Virus, Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, Virus

US – Multi State Listeria Outbreak in Cheese

Posted on September 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Listeria Blog.

Forever Cheese inc. is recalling all Ricotta Salata Frescolina brand, Forever Cheese lot # T9425 and/or production code 441202, from one specific production date due to possible Listeria Monocytogenes contamination, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The cheese was sold to distributors for retailers and restaurants in CA, CO, D.C., FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MT, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, VA, WA between June 20 and August 9, 2012. Products were sold to supermarkets, restaurants and wholesale distributors.

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

Cruise Ship Norovirus Outbreak

Posted on September 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoining Bulletin

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) has issued an investigation update on the Norovirus outbreak on the Dawn Princess cruise ship. The ship of part of the Princess Cruises cruise line.

Voyage dates were August 21 to September 13, 2012. The number of passengers on the ship is 1,778, and crew members is 851. The passengers who reported being ill numbered 114, or 6.41%, and the number of crew who reported being ill numbered 11, or 1.29%. The symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea are consistent with Norovirus infection

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Posted in CDC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hand Washing, Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Pathogen, Virus

US- Chicks and Ducklings Salmonella Cases Increase

Posted on August 22, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The number of people sickened by Salmonella traced to chicks and ducklings from an Ohio mail order hatchery has risen from 123 to 163, according to a report released Monday by the U.S.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   

The illnesses – linked to contact with live baby poultry sold by Mt. Hatchery of Cincinnati, OH – began in March of this year. Three strains of Salmonella – Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Lille and Salmonella Newport – have been associated with animals from the hatchery.

 
The 20 new cases reported since CDC’s last update on July 12 occurred in 10 states, including Illinois (2), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (2), New York (5), North Carolina (1), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (1), Vermont (1) and West Virginia (3).

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

UK – Hospital Sandwiches Report – Listeria

Posted on August 22, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Sun

“HOSPITAL sandwiches were yesterday revealed to have KILLED eight patients.”

The victims died from the listeria bug — which thrives when grub is not chilled properly.

Watchdogs yesterday demanded a crackdown on shoddy handling of food after the grim toll over the past ten years was disclosed by the Health Protection Agency.

Twenty others were also poisoned by listeria but survived.

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

UK Daily Mail – Attack of the Poisoned Lettuces!

Posted on August 20, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Daily Mail Online 

It is there on every packet of salad: ‘wash before eating’. But how many of us will simply rip open the wrapping and empty the contents into a salad bowl, or tear it into a sandwich without a second thought?

Doing so could yield unpleasant results, says the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Government’s advisory body.

Last year, Spanish cucumbers and German beansprouts made headlines worldwide as being possible sources of a deadly outbreak. A variety of the bacterium E.coli that was pathogenic (capable of causing infection) had killed six people and left almost 300 very ill in Germany.

Most of us are aware of the risk of food poisoning from meat and poultry if they’re not properly stored, handled or cooked, but we don’t tend to think of vegetables and fruit as posing a risk to our health.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, Food Hygiene, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

Vibrio Outbreak – Shellfish Areas Closed for the Season

Posted on August 18, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Washington Health

Vibrio bacteria have closed three commercial growing areas and caused 30 confirmed illnesses in Washington this summer, according to the state Department of Health. Totten Inlet near Olympia, North Bay and Dabob Bay in north Hood Canal are closed for the rest of the summer due to these bacteria, which are common in warm weather conditions. Once water temperatures begin to cool in October, these growing areas will reopen.

People get vibriosis from eating raw or undercooked oysters that have Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria in them. Cooking shellfish until the shells just open is not enough to kill Vibrio bacteria. Shellfish should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F for at least 15 seconds. Don’t rinse cooked oysters in seawater, which can re-contaminate them.

Vibriosis symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, and chills. Symptoms usually appear 12-24 hours after eating infected shellfish, and can last two to seven days. Vibriosis can be life-threatening for people with low immunity or chronic liver disease. Also at greater risk are people who take antacids, heart or diabetes medication, or who’ve had antibiotic or cancer treatments recently.

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

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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