Upgrade works have been carried out on a North Kerry treatment plant, which serves an area that’s been under a boil water notice for four weeks.
The notice for the Ardfert North (Ballyheigue) Public Water Supply was put in place on October 11th due to the detection of cryptosporidium in the public water supply.
Irish Water says 3,500 people are impacted by this boil water notice, which remains in place.
Food safety practices evolve as new technology and knowledge of the pathogens that spread foodborne illnesses becomes available.
In recent years, researchers have increasingly focused efforts on biofilm and its ability to thrive in nature and in food production and processing facilities. Biofilm is formed by a pathogen — or more often, a mixture of different pathogens — that builds a protective layer using extracellular polymeric substances (EPS).
A majority of foodborne illnesses can be traced to pathogens housed in biofilms, according to food safety research. Academics and food trade associations have stepped up efforts in recent years to learn more about biofilm, which naturally fights efforts to sanitize food contact surfaces in processing and manufacturing facilities.
Recent studies have looked at products and practices to eradicate or control biofilms in different segments of the food industry, from produce to meat processing and poultry farms.
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YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. The number of the apparent food poisoning victims at a Yerevan pizzeria reached 98, the health ministry said Saturday.
15 patrons of the Tashir Pizza restaurant – which operates more than 20 pizza shops in Yerevan – sought medical attention for “gastrointestinal infection” on November 5. The number of the food poisoning victims then increased, prompting Tashir Pizza to shut down all restaurants until further notice.
On November 6, the health ministry said 53 people – including 13 children – are hospitalized at the National Center of Infectious Diseases. Another 32 – including 1 child – are being treated at the Armenia Republican Medical Center, and 11 more at the Mikayelyan Institute of Surgery, and 2 at the Martuni Medical Center. All patients were patrons at various locations of Tashir Pizza.
Pathogenic Legionella species grow optimally inside free-living amoebae to concentrations that increase risks to those who are exposed. The aim of this study was to screen a complete drinking water system and cooling towers for the occurrence of Acanthamoeba spp. and Naegleria fowleri and their cooccurrence with Legionella pneumophila, Legionella anisa, Legionella micdadei, Legionella bozemanii, and Legionella longbeachae. A total of 42 large-volume water samples, including 12 from the reservoir (water source), 24 from two buildings (influents to the buildings and exposure sites (taps)), and six cooling towers were collected and analyzed using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). N. fowleri cooccurred with L. micdadei in 76 (32/42) of the water samples. In the building water system, the concentrations of N. fowleri and L. micdadei ranged from 1.5 to 1.6 Log10 gene copies (GC)/100 mL, but the concentrations of species increased in the cooling towers. The data obtained in this study illustrate the ecology of pathogenic Legionella species in taps and cooling towers. Investigating Legionella’s ecology in drinking and industrial waters will hopefully lead to better control of these pathogenic species in drinking water supply systems and cooling towers. View Full-Text
MethodsData were collected from 30 of 31 provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) in the mainland of China, excluding Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region, via the National Foodborne Disease Outbreaks Surveillance System. The number and proportion of outbreaks, illnesses, hospitalizations, deaths by setting, pathogen-food category pairs and etiology were calculated.
ResultsIn 2020, 7,073 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported, resulting in 37,454 illnesses and 143 deaths. Among the identified pathogens, microbial pathogens were the most common confirmed etiology, accounting for 41.7% of illnesses. Poisonous mushrooms caused the largest proportion of outbreaks (58.0%) and deaths (57.6%). For venues where foodborne disease outbreaks occur, household had the highest number of outbreaks (4,140) and deaths (128), and catering service locations caused the largest proportion of illnesses (59.9%). Outbreaks occurring between June and September accounted for 62.8% of total outbreaks.
ConclusionsFoodborne disease outbreaks mainly occurred in households. Microbial pathogens remained the top cause of outbreak-associated illnesses. Poisonous mushrooms were ranked the top cause of deaths in private homes in China. The supervision and management of food safety and health education should be strengthened to reduce the burden of foodborne diseases. Publicity should be increased to reduce the incidence of mushroom poisonings in families, and supervision and management of food should be strengthened to reduce microbial contamination.
Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne disease, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research, Uncategorized
A simple stomach bug could do a lot of damage. There are 100 million neurons scattered along the gastrointestinal tract — directly in the line of fire — that can be stamped out by gut infections, potentially leading to long-term GI disease.
But there may be an upside to enteric infection. A new study finds that mice infected with bacteria or parasites develop a unique form of tolerance quite unlike the textbook immune response. The research, published in Cell, describes how gut macrophages respond to prior insult by shielding enteric neurons, preventing them from dying off when future pathogens strike. These findings may ultimately have clinical implications for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, which have been linked to the runaway death of intestinal neurons.
“We’re describing a sort of innate memory that persists after the primary infection is gone,” says Rockefeller’s Daniel Mucida. “This tolerance does not exist to kill future pathogens, but to deal with the damage that infection causes — preserving the number of neurons in the intestine.”
Biofilm, which is a cluster of pathogens encased in a protective matrix, is a common enemy across diverse food manufacturing industries.
From dairy, produce, meat, poultry, ready-to-eat deli foods and other products, biofilm is a concern at the farm level and at processing and manufacturing plants.
The protective layers generated by pathogens that create the biofilm, known as extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), resist sanitation efforts and are adept at spreading in moist environments, through a process known as “seeding dispersal.” According to Sterilex Industries, which offers products to treat biofilms and the pathogens they harbor, seeding dispersal is similar to a dandelion releasing seeds to encourage species growth.
Although forming biofilm is a natural process that pathogens — including those commonly leading to foodborne illness outbreaks, such as Shiga-toxin producing E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella — use to survive, industry food safety plans and government regulations don’t necessarily focus on biofilm and how to eradicate it.
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has launched a campaign to lower the risk of exposure to norovirus when dining out.
Ahead of Christmas, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) is focusing on how staff in professional kitchens, in cafés, canteens, restaurants and delicatessens can help to curb norovirus infections, which the agency said normally peak toward the end of the year.
Chefs and kitchen staff should stay home from work if they have symptoms of norovirus infection or have just had the disease. People can be infectious before feeling sick and at least 48 hours after having recovered.
Niels Ladefoged Nielsen, a consultant at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, said norovirus is extremely contagious, and there have been times when a single mistake in a professional kitchen has affected a large number of guests.
Nielsen said while the message of not cooking for others while feeling unwell is aimed at food professionals, it also applies to people at home in their own kitchen, and when preparing or serving food for family or friends.
Almost half of the population of Co Longford is subject to a boil water notice which was issued on Thursday.
It comes after the cryptosporidium barrier at a treatment plant was compromised following a deterioration in the raw water quality of the lake source, Irish Water said.
Following consultation with the HSE, Irish Water and Longford County Council decided to issue a boil water notice for the area supplied by the Longford Central Public Water Supply to protect public health.
The population impacted by this notice is approximately 17,500 people. The areas affected include all customers in Longford Town, Newtown Forbes, Balinalee, part of Edgeworthstown, part of Drumlish, part of Killashee and surrounding areas.
Experts from Irish Water and Longford County Council are assessing the situation with a view to having the notice lifted as quickly as possible. In the meantime, all customers of this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice.
A shellfish growing area has reopened for shellfish harvesting after a Camyboacter outbreak closed the pond two months ago.
Potter Pond is located in South Kingstown, RI, and was under investigation by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), and Rhode Island of Environmental Management (DEM).
Potter Pond had been closed to shellfish harvesting because of bacterial contamination that was detected in early September. A RIDOH investigation indicated that eight people became ill after consuming raw shellfish harvested from Potter Pond and that the illnesses were because of Campylobacter bacterial contamination. The Campylobacter contamination has been linked to flocks of birds aggregating near shellfish growing areas.
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