Category Archives: Microbiology Investigations

Research – Characterization of Microbiological Quality of Whole and Gutted Baltic Herring

Posted on February 10, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

There is growing interest in Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) and other undervalued, small-sized fish species for human consumption. Gutting or filleting of small-sized fish is impractical; hence, the aim of this study was to explore the suitability of the whole (ungutted) herring for food use. The microbiological quality of commercially fished whole and gutted herring was analysed with culture-dependent methods combined with identification of bacterial isolates with MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry and culture-independent 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Whole and gutted herring had between 2.8 and 5.3 log10 CFU g−1 aerobic mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria and between 2.2 and 5.6 log10 CFU g−1 H₂S-producing bacteria. Enterobacteria counts remained low in all the analysed herring batches. The herring microbiota largely comprised the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria (71.7% to 95.0%). Shewanella, Pseudomonas, and Aeromonas were the most frequently isolated genera among the viable population; however, with the culture-independent approach, Shewanella followed by Psychrobacter were the most abundant genera. In some samples, a high relative abundance of the phylum Epsilonbacteraeota, represented by the genus Arcobacter, was detected. This study reports the bacterial diversity present in Baltic herring and shows that the microbiological quality was acceptable in all the analysed fish batches. View Full-Text

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Posted in Aeromonas, Decontamination Microbial, Enterobacteriaceae, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Pseudomonas, Research, Shewanella

USA – FDA Core Outbreak Table Update – New Listeria monocytogenes Outbreak

Posted on February 10, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FDA

Date
Posted

Ref

Pathogen
 

Product(s)
Linked to
Illnesses
(if any)

Investigation
Status

2/9/

2022

1040

Listeria
monocytogenes

Not Yet Identified

Active

2/2/

2022

1054

Enteroinvasive E. coli
O143:H26

Not Yet Identified

Active

1/10/

2022

1050

E. coli
O121:H19

Romaine

Closed

12/29/

2021

1052

E. coli
O157:H7

Packaged Salad

Active

12/20/

2021

1039

Listeria
monocytogenes

Packaged Salad

Active

12/15/

2021

1048

Listeria
monocytogenes

Packaged Salad

Active

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Posted in E.coli O121, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, FDA, 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, O143:H26, outbreak, STEC, STEC E.coli

Research – Salmonellosis in Australia in 2020: possible impacts of COVID-19 related public health measures

Posted on February 10, 2022 by | Leave a comment

1 Health

kswfoodworld salmonella

Abstract

Background

More than seventy per cent of salmonellosis in Australia is thought to be due to contaminated food. Rates of salmonellosis vary across the Australian states and territories, with the highest rates in the Northern Territory. In 2020, to control coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Australia implemented public health measures including border closures, physical distancing and hygiene advice. This study analyses salmonellosis notification rates in 2020 and considers possible impacts of COVID-19 measures.

Methods

Monthly and annual salmonellosis notifications per 100,000 population, for each of Australia’s eight states and territories for the years 2015 to 2020, were extracted from Australia’s publicly accessible National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. For each jurisdiction, the salmonellosis rate each month in 2020 was compared with the previous 5-year median rate for that calendar month. The possible impacts of COVID-19 public health measures on salmonellosis notifications in the respec-tive states and territories were examined.

Results

The annual Australian salmonellosis notification rate was 27% lower in 2020 than the previous 5-year median. The reduction in salmonellosis rate varied throughout Australia. States and territories with more stringent, more frequent or longer COVID-19 public health measures had generally greater salmonellosis rate reductions. However, Tasmania had a 50% deeper reduction in salmonellosis rate than did the Northern Territory, despite similar restriction levels.

Conclusions

Salmonellosis notifications decreased in Australia during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The reduction in notifications corresponded with the implementation of public health measures. Persistence of high rates in the Northern Territory could indicate the overarching importance of demographic and environmental factors.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research, Salmonella, salmonellosis

Research – Illuminating Human Norovirus: A Perspective on Disinfection of Water and Surfaces Using UVC, Norovirus Model Organisms, and Radiation Safety Considerations

Posted on February 9, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Food Borne Illness - Norovirus -CDC Photo

Abstract

Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are a major cause of gastroenteritis and are associated with high morbidity because of their ability to survive in the environment and small inoculum size required for infection. Norovirus is transmitted through water, food, high touch-surfaces, and human-to-human contact. Ultraviolet Subtype C (UVC) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can disrupt the norovirus transmission chain for water, food, and surfaces. Here, we illuminate considerations to be adhered to when picking norovirus surrogates for disinfection studies and shine light on effective use of UVC for norovirus infection control in water and air and validation for such systems and explore the blind spot of radiation safety considerations when using UVC disinfection strategies. This perspective also discusses the promise of UVC for norovirus mitigation to save and ease life.

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Posted in Antimicrobials, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Norovirus, Research, Technology, UV Microbiology

EU – Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis sequence type (ST)11 infections linked to eggs and egg products

Posted on February 8, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

Abstract

On 2 September 2021, France reported an increase in Salmonella Enteritidis ST11 infections. By 11 January 2022, 272 confirmed cases had been reported in five European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries and the United Kingdom (UK): Denmark (n=3), France (n=216), the Netherlands (n=12), Norway (n=7), Spain (n=22), and the UK (n=12) in 2021. Two deaths were recorded in adult men. Twenty-five cases were hospitalised. Sixty cases reported consumption of eggs/egg products.

Some cases reported in France in 2021 had visited restaurants serving eggs distributed by a common supplier, Spanish Packing Centre A. The eggs originated from three Spanish farms, one testing positive for the outbreak strain. Fresh table eggs from the farms linked to the outbreak were withdrawn and redirected for use in heat-treated egg products. No other countries received eggs from the same farms via Packing Centre A during summer 2021. Therefore, the source of infection for cases in late 2021 and in countries other than Spain and France could not be established.

This 2021 outbreak is linked microbiologically to a historical cross-border outbreak reported by the Netherlands in 2019. Eggs consumed by cases in the Dutch outbreak were traced back to a Spanish farm, but it was not possible to identify an epidemiological link with the 2021 outbreak. This suggests a wide distribution of the outbreak strain that could affect the food supply chain and/or earlier steps in the production chain. There may be multiple heterogeneous sources of S. Enteritidis ST11, and the outbreak strain could also be circulating at other farms, inside or outside Spain.

The risk of new infections caused by the outbreak strain and contaminated eggs remains high in the EU/EEA. It is therefore important to foster cross-sectoral investigations of contaminations in the egg supply chain in countries where S. Enteritidis ST11 has been detected.

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Posted in Death, Decontamination Microbial, 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 outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, outbreak, Research, Salmonella

Canada – How you can help solve a national foodborne illness outbreak investigation

Posted on February 8, 2022 by | Leave a comment

PHAC

PDF

By providing information, you can help identify what has made you and others sick

The outbreak begins

You and multiple others across Canada get sick with symptoms related to foodborne disease (e.g. diarrhea, vomiting).

Collecting information

Laboratory:

You seek medical care and submit a stool sample for testing.

The germ’s genetic fingerprint is compared to that of other germs and is found to be the same, suggesting that others got sick from the same food.

Epidemiologic:

Public health officials interview you about the foods you ate before getting sick. Sharing store loyalty card records and receipts can provide detailed information to investigators about the foods you may have eaten. This can help identify common foods that people ate before becoming sick. You may be contacted again if more information is needed.

Food safety:

Records are reviewed to determine where suspect foods came from, and inspections are conducted to look for ways the germ may have come into contact with the food. Suspect foods are tested to see if the germ found in samples from sick people is also found in the food.

When individuals from multiple provinces or territories are ill, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) investigates these illnesses through a coordinated national outbreak investigation.

Putting it all together

Information gathered from the laboratory, food safety investigation, and sick people are reviewed together. Though not all outbreaks are solved, all of this information combined may lead to the contaminated food being identified.

Public health actions: If a source is identified, PHAC alerts the public to the outbreak through the posting of a Public Health Notice and social media messaging, and a Food Recall Warning may be issued.

Subsequent illnesses are prevented.

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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, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research

Quebec – Notice not to consume chiktay (smoked herring seasoned in oil) sold by the company La Fraîcheur Tropicale

Posted on February 8, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MAPAQ

WARNING TO THE POPULATION

QUEBEC CITY, Feb. 8, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ), in collaboration with the Food Inspection Division of the City of Montreal and the company La Fraîcheur Tropicale, located in 6700, boulevard Joseph-Renaud, in Montreal, warns the public not to consume the product indicated in the table below, because it has not been packaged in such a way as to ensure its harmlessness.

Product name

Format

Affected batch

“CHIKTAY”

Unitary

Units sold until February 3, 2022

The product that is the subject of this warning was offered for sale until February 3, 2022, and only at the establishment mentioned above. The product was packaged in transparent plastic jars and was offered refrigerated. The product does not have a label.

The operator is voluntarily recalling the product in question. It has agreed with MAPAQ and the Food Inspection Division of the City of Montreal to distribute this warning as a precautionary measure. In addition, people who have this product in their possession are advised not to consume it. They must return it to the establishment where they bought it or throw it away. Even if the affected product shows no signs of tampering or suspicious odors, its consumption may represent a health risk. It should be noted that no case of illness associated with the consumption of this food has been reported to MAPAQ to date.

Additional information

The Ministry publishes various information documents concerning food safety. Interested persons can consult them in the “Food Consumption” section of the MAPAQ website: www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/consommation . They also have the possibility of registering online by visiting www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/rappelsfoods to receive, by e-mail, the food recall press releases published by the Ministry. Finally, it is possible to follow “MAPAQfoods” on Twitter at the following address: www.twitter.com/MAPAQfoods .

Chiktay (CNW Group/Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) 

Hazard Classification:  Class 1
Reference Number:  4496

Source:
Media relations
Direction des communications
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries
and Food
Tel. : 418 380-2100, extension 3512
www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca

QuoteView original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2022/07/c6852.html

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations

Argentina – So far in January, Salta registers about 500 cases of Salmonellosis

Posted on February 8, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Salta

The highest percentage was located in the Capital department. 52% of affected individuals are children up to 9 years of age. Prevention lies in the safe handling of food.

In the first 25 days of January, 571 suspected cases of salmonella infection were reported in the province, of which 482 were confirmed, which represents 84% ​​positivity.

Of this amount, the largest proportion of affected individuals corresponds to the age range of 5 to 9 years, with a total of 130. In second place, with 122 cases, are children aged 0 to 4 years. These data show that 52% of the cases correspond to children between 0 and 9 years of age.

Regarding the location of cases, the department with the highest number is Capital, with 366, which means 76% of the total.

Of 23 departments in which the province of Salta is divided, in the period from January 1 to 25, cases of salmonellosis were registered in 19 of them. There were no cases in La Candelaria, Rosario de la Frontera, San Carlos and Los Andes.

According to records of the Epidemiological Surveillance program of the Ministry of Public Health, in 2021 there were 1,930 suspected cases, with 1,748 confirmed (91% positivity).

Prevention Guidelines

The Ministry of Public Health recommends taking precautions when handling food, since salmonellosis occurs through the ingestion of food contaminated with bacteria of the salmonella genus.

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

Research – Boy, 4, Paralyzed Over a Matter of Hours Diagnosed With Rare Disorder – Campylobacter

Posted on February 7, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Newsweek

4-year-old boy from Sydney who went to bed happy and healthy woke up unable to move his legs, telling his mom: “Mummy I can’t feel my legs.”

Oliver Davis’ mother, Bel, took her son to a local doctor who called him an ambulance, beginning the search for the cause of the boy’s sudden and mysterious paralysis, Australia’s 7News reported.

As the next 48 hours progressed, Oliver Davis’ condition worsened, leaving him unable to move from the shoulders down. Five days later he lost his ability to speak and swallow, lost control of his bladder, and had to begin being fed via a feeding tube.

Following a barrage of tests, including an MRI and a lumbar puncture, the 4-year-old was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune disorder that occurs when a person’s own immune system damages their nerves, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis.

The CDC says that several things are known to trigger GBS, two-thirds of people who suffer from the condition have had diarrhea caused by a bacteria called Campylobacter jejuni several weeks before developing symptoms. Infection with this bacteria seems to be one of the most common risk factors of GBS.

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Posted in Campylobacter, Campylobacter jejuni, Decontamination Microbial, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations

ALS Microbiology Training Course

Posted on February 7, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Hi All

I am delivering a Microbiology Course (3 Parts) later in February.

Basic Microbiology Awareness
Series of Webinars delivering technical and practical
information on the main microbiological issues affecting the
food industry.

Course Objectives:
» Develop a greater understanding of Food Microbiology
» Being confident with Environmental Monitoring processes and requirements
and how to assess the microbial risks in food products.
» How the laboratory undertakes testing and interpreting the results.
Who Should Attend:
This course can be used as a refresher for those with some previous training in
Microbiology and / or as an introduction for those working within Technical and
Quality roles in food manufacturing / handling environment.

Part 1 – Introduction to Micro-organisms – 17th February 2022
This part will first of all introduce micro-organisms, their growth and
development requirements before establishing the main micro-organisms that
can affect food production and the difference between foodborne illness and
food poisoning, which could affect the decision-making process within the
production environment.

Part 2 – Factory Testing for Micro-organisms – 24th February 2022
This second part will focus on the best practice in food production environment
to identify and control micro-organisms and how a product microbial risk
assessment approach should be considered.

Part 3 – The Microbiology Laboratory – 3rd March 2022
The third part will cover microbiology laboratory testing, how to interpret the
testing results and the new technologies that will enhance current traditional
microbiology testing.

Flyer and Booking Form

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, food safety training, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations