Category Archives: Microbial growth

Research – Italy sees most HUS cases for decades – STEC E.coli

Posted on March 6, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Italy has reported the highest annual total of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) cases since records began.

From January to December 2022, 91 cases were recorded. This is the most observed in a single year since the start of surveillance in 1988. HUS is a severe complication associated with E. coli infection that causes kidney failure and can result in lifelong, serious health problems and death.

The number is still lower than in France, which recorded 128 HUS cases in 2021. This was the lowest figure since 2017 and was down from 167 in 2020. Data for 2022 is not yet available but a rise is expected due to an outbreak linked to Nestlé Buitoni Fraîch’Up brand frozen pizzas.

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Posted in Bacterial Toxin, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Toxin, Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome, HUS, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, STEC, STEC E.coli

India- Manipur: 500 hospitalised after suspected food poisoning in Kangpokpi

Posted on March 6, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Nenow

Imphal: At least 500 people, most of them children and women, were hospitalised on Sunday after suspected food poisoning in the Chalwa Kuki villa area of Manipur‘s Kangpokpi district.

According to preliminary reports from health officials, around 1000 villagers had taken part in a grand feast as part of a local ritual and traditional festival at around 6.30 pm on Saturday.

Seventy individuals taken ill were given injections and life-saving drugs.

Two medical camps have also been opened to treat the patients. The cause of the food poisoning is still being investigated.

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Posted in Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Poisoning

Research – Survey shows Germans underestimate the risk of raw foods

Posted on March 6, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

People in Germany often eat raw or unheated food and are not fully aware of the related risks, according to a survey.

Findings come from a special edition of the consumer monitor by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) that focused on raw foods.

“The health risks of raw foods are often underestimated. Diseases can be avoided with simple kitchen hygiene rules. Sensitive groups of people in particular should only eat raw animal food that has been sufficiently heated,” said Andreas Hensel, BfR president.

The survey of 1,004 people in September 2022 aimed to find out which food groups are eaten raw and how often, how Germans assessed their benefits and health risks, and which pathogens are associated with which foods.

Many respondents did not feel well informed about the health risk of raw flour but more people were comfortable with hygiene recommendations and storage advice for raw food.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

Greece – Catered food linked to school outbreak in Greece – Clostridium perfringens

Posted on March 6, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A suspected Clostridium perfringens outbreak affected 30 people in Greece in 2021, according to a study.

In May 2021, several gastroenteritis cases were reported among students and staff of a high school on a Greek island. Daily hot lunches were delivered by a catering company and consumed in classrooms.

In late May, the Hellenic National Public Health Organization was informed by a regional unit of the Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) about a cluster of gastroenteritis cases among 12 to 18-year-old students and teachers. The school is in a small town on a remote north-eastern Aegean Greek island, which had limited capacity for specific laboratory testing.

Study Link

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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, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Poisoning

New Zealand – Sick for days: Consumers report food poisoning after eating hummus – Salmonella

Posted on March 6, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Stuff NZ

Hummus products subject to a recall due to salmonella contamination concerns could have been on shelves for weeks.

And while the Ministry for Primary Industries has not had any reports of illness, some consumers say they have been affected.

Have you been affected? Contact brianna.mcilraith@stuff.co.nz

Shaina Petersen said she became unwell on Monday and had eaten some of the affected hummus at the weekend.

She went to the doctor on Thursday and was tested but had not yet received the results. “The doctor said given my symptoms I’m a probable case. My symptoms have been flu-like with fatigue, chills, aches, headache, nausea and diarrhoea but with painful stomach cramping, loss of appetite and a curdling feeling.”

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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 outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella

USA – Ruby Princess: More than 200 sickened on the Princess Cruises voyage

Posted on March 6, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

Federal health officials are reporting that some 219 passengers and crew suffered with symptoms of  vomiting and diarrhea during a recent Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess voyage (RU305P  from February 26–March 5, 2023).

To date, the etiology of the illness has not been discovered.

In response to the outbreak, Princess Cruises and the crew aboard the ship reported the following actions:

  • Increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to the ship’s outbreak prevention and response plan.
  • Collected stool specimens from gastrointestinal illness cases to send to the CDC lab for pathogenic identification.

Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) epidemiologists and environmental health officers will board the ship in Galveston, Texas, on March 5 to conduct a formal outbreak investigation.

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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

Research- Development of an Extraction Method to Detect Hepatitis A Virus, Hepatitis E Virus, and Noroviruses in Fish Products

Posted on March 5, 2023 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Hepatitis E virus capsid structure. HEV infection causes viral hepatitis. Atomic-level structure.

Abstract

Viruses are a leading cause of foodborne disease worldwide. Hepatitis viruses (hepatitis A (HAV) and hepatitis E (HEV)) and human norovirus are recognized as the main viruses of public health concern in food hygiene. ISO 15216 approved procedures are not validated for detection of HAV and human norovirus in foodstuffs, such as fishes, leading to an inability to ensure the safety of these products. This study aimed to provide a rapid and sensitive method for detecting these targets in fish products. An existing method that includes proteinase K treatment was selected for further validation using artificially contaminated fish products, according to the recent international standard ISO 16140-4. Recovery efficiencies in pure RNA extracts of viruses ranged from 0.2% to 66.2% for HAV, 4.0% to 100.0% for HEV, 2.2% to 100.0% for norovirus GI, and 0.2% to 12.5% for norovirus GII. LOD50 values were between 144 and 8.4 × 104 genome copies/g for HAV and HEV, and 104 and 2.0 × 103 copies/g for norovirus GI and norovirus GII, respectively. LOD95 values were between 3.2 × 103 and 3.6 × 105 genome copies/g for HAV and HEV, and between 8.8 × 103 and 4.4 × 104 genome copies/g for norovirus GI and norovirus GII, respectively. The method developed here was successfully validated in various fish products and can be applied for routine diagnostic needs.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Norovirus, Virus

EU – Risk Ranking of Chemical and Microbiological Hazards in Foods ‐ Research Project and International Workshop

Posted on March 5, 2023 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to improve the ability to perform risk ranking of current chemical and microbiological hazards in foods. The work was performed in three work packages (WPs) comprising an overview of chemical and microbiological risk assessment (WP1), development of methods for risk ranking (WP2), and the organisation of an international workshop (WP3). The developmental work consisted of 1) a method for chemical hazards that was also adapted for newer toxicological effect data, and 2) an exposure model applicable to both types of hazards in its design. Conclusions at the workshop included that risk ranking fundamentally would provide added support to risk management and risk communication. Both probability and severity of a health effect was regarded to be relevant to incorporate in the metric used for risk ranking. Measures of health burden were regarded as useful by many participants but there was no consensus on the most preferable metric. The value of other metrics, including less data intensive ones, was also noted. While risk ranking should be based on risk assessment principles, management aspects would ultimately need to be considered on top of this. Participants were positive to a joint framework for both chemical and microbiological hazards, but several challenges were identified. In the face of a general lack of desired data it was regarded to be important to make efficient use of the available information, and it may be advantageous if methods are compatible with different sets of evidence. It is recommended that the common metric for risk ranking is further resolved in terms of what aspects it should account for, the usefulness of particular or different metrics, as well as the concept of a tiered approach. Development of an overarching guidance for risk ranking addressing the many types of rankings possible is proposed.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Hazard, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

Research – Microbial Load of Fresh Blueberries Harvested by Different Methods

Posted on March 4, 2023 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Abstract

Currently, more and more growers are transitioning to the use of over-the-row machine harvesters for harvesting fresh market blueberries. This study assessed the microbial load of fresh blueberries harvested by different methods. Samples (n = 336) of ‘Draper’ and ‘Liberty’ northern highbush blueberries, which were harvested using a conventional over-the-row machine harvester, a modified machine harvester prototype, ungloved but sanitized hands, and hands wearing sterile gloves were collected from a blueberry farm near Lynden, WA, in the Pacific Northwest at 9 am, 12 noon, and 3 pm on four different harvest days during the 2019 harvest season. Eight replicates of each sample were collected at each sampling point and evaluated for the populations of total aerobes (TA), total yeasts and molds (YM), and total coliforms (TC), as well as for the incidence of fecal coliforms and enterococci. The harvest method was a significant factor (p < 0.05) influencing the TA and TC counts, the harvest time was a significant factor influencing the YM counts, while the blueberry cultivar was an insignificant (p > 0.05) factor for all three indicator microorganisms. These results suggest that effective harvester cleaning methods should be developed to prevent fresh blueberry contamination by microorganisms. This research will likely benefit blueberry and other fresh fruit producers.

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Posted in Coliforms, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Mould/Mold, Moulds, TVC, Yeasts

Research – Nanoparticle Coatings on Glass Surfaces to Prevent Pseudomonas fluorescens AR 11 Biofilm Formation

Posted on March 4, 2023 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Abstract

Microbial colonization of surfaces is a sanitary and industrial issue for many applications, leading to product contamination and human infections. When microorganisms closely interact with a surface, they start to produce an exo-polysaccaridic matrix to adhere to and protect themselves from adverse environmental conditions. This type of structure is called a biofilm. The aim of our work is to investigate novel technologies able to prevent biofilm formation by surface coatings. We coated glass surfaces with melanin-ZnO2, melanin-TiO2, and TiO2 hybrid nanoparticles. The functionalization was performed using cold plasma to activate glass-substrate-coated surfaces, that were characterized by performing water and soybean oil wetting tests. A quantitative characterization of the antibiofilm properties was done using Pseudomonas fluorescens AR 11 as a model organism. Biofilm morphologies were observed using confocal laser scanning microscopy and image analysis techniques were used to obtain quantitative morphological parameters. The results highlight the efficacy of the proposed surface coating to prevent biofilm formation. Melanin-TiO2 proved to be the most efficient among the particles investigated. Our results can be a valuable support for future implementation of the technique proposed here in an extended range of applications that may include further testing on other strains and other support materials.

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Posted in Biofilm, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Pseudomonas, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Research