Nearly 50 people are part of an outbreak of E. coli infections in Scotland, which has closed five nurseries.
E. coli has been confirmed in three nurseries, while another two are shut as investigations and testing are carried out.
A total of 47 cases have been confirmed. Officials previously said E. coli O157 had sickened a number of young people in the East Lothian area. Some patients were hospitalized but most people had mild symptoms and did not require hospital treatment.
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Research
York Region Public Health is investigating an incident that left several people seriously ill and in hospital after dining at a restaurant in Markham over the weekend.
York Region’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Barry Pakes, tells CityNews that the eatery currently being investigated is Delight Restaurant & BBQ at Markham Road and Castlemore.
Dr. Pakes said the restaurant had been closed, noting that staff and owners are cooperating with the public health unit. It’s unclear how many patrons fell ill after eating at the restaurant.
“At this time, we cannot confirm the number of individuals hospitalized or the potential cause of the severe illness,” Dr. Pakes said.
The public health unit advised that anyone who ate food from Delight Restaurant & BBQ on Saturday, August 27, or Sunday, August 28, who is experiencing symptoms should seek medical attention.
“This includes individuals who had dine-in, takeout and delivery; please throw out any leftovers or takeout from the restaurant,” Dr. Pakes said.
“Individuals can also contact Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653 Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. to report their symptoms.”
Posted in Bacillus, Bacillus cereus, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Research
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), Food Standards Scotland (FSS), and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are reinforcing their advice to vulnerable groups of consumers in relation to the risks of Listeria monocytogenes infection linked to ready to eat smoked fish.
The advice to those who are over 65, pregnant or have weakened immune systems is that they should ensure that ready to eat smoked fish is thoroughly cooked before they eat it. ‘Ready to eat smoked fish’ refers to chilled smoked fish products that would not normally be cooked at home before being eaten.
This is because of an ongoing outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes which is particularly unsafe for those who are susceptible to Listeria infection.
The investigation has identified 14 linked cases of listeriosis since 2020, with eight of these since January 2022. Cases have been identified in England and Scotland. The majority of these individuals reported eating ready to eat smoked fish. One case has been a pregnant woman.
Listeriosis is a form of food poisoning caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Most people who are affected get mild gastroenteritis which subsides in a few days.
However, certain individuals are particularly at risk of severe illness such as meningitis and life-threatening sepsis. These include those over the age of 65, those with certain underlying conditions such as cancer, liver and kidney failure or who are taking medications which can weaken the immune system. Listeriosis in pregnancy can cause miscarriages and severe sepsis or meningitis in new-born babies.
While the risks to the general public of becoming seriously ill due to Listeria are very low, we need people who are vulnerable – specifically those over 65, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems – to be aware of the ongoing risks of consuming ready to eat smoked fish.
If anyone from these groups is eating ready to eat smoked fish, we are reminding them of the advice to ensure that it is thoroughly cooked before they eat it including when served as part of a dish.
People can also further reduce the risk by keeping chilled ready to eat smoked fish cold (5⁰C or below), always using products by their use-by date, following the storage instructions on the label, and cooking it until it is piping hot right through.
Most people won’t have any symptoms of the infection or will only experience mild symptoms such as abdominal pain or diarrhoea, which usually pass within a few days without the need for treatment.
However, some people are at higher risk of much more serious illness, including those over 65, people who are pregnant or new-born babies, and those with weakened immune systems including people undergoing immunosuppressive treatment, and people with chronic liver or kidney disease.
In light of this ongoing outbreak, we are advising pregnant and vulnerable people to only eat ready to eat smoked fish that has been thoroughly cooked to reduce the risk of listeriosis. If you have any concerns about your health please speak to your midwife, GP or hospital specialist team.
Listeria is a bacterium that causes an illness called listeriosis. It is widespread in the environment and once a food product has been contaminated it can grow on food at standard refrigeration temperatures. It can be destroyed by thorough cooking. It is of most concern in chilled, ready to eat foods that are not normally cooked before being eaten, such as smoked fish. The full list risky foods associated with listeriosis is available on the NHS website: Listeriosis page.
The risk of listeriosis is particularly high but not completely limited to individuals above 65 years of age, those with cancer, organ transplants, patients taking steroids, patients undergoing immunosuppressive or cytotoxic treatment including biologics and chemotherapy, people who are pregnant and their unborn or new-born babies, those with uncontrolled HIV infection, uncontrolled diabetes, chronic liver or kidney disease, people with an alcohol dependency and those with iron overload.
More information can be found on the Listeria guidance page on the FSA website.
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, fsa, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Parasite, Protozoan, Research, Toxoplasma gondii, Toxoplasmosis
In the latest update posted by the CDC on August 19th, 37 cases of E. coli O157:H7 infections were reported in the states of Ohio (19), Michigan (15), Indiana (1), and Pennsylvania (2). However, experts believe the actual number of infections to be much higher than 100, with estimates of at least 200 cases. Most notably, despite the CDC reporting 15 of the 37 cases occurring in Michigan, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has reported 43 confirmed E. coli O157 infections. In total, the MDHHS received 98 reports of E. coli infections in August from Michigan residents. For reference, Michigan officials only received 20 reports of E. coli infections during the same time period in 2021. The 43 Michigan E. coli O157 infections have been confirmed to match the same strain of E. coli as the Wendy’s outbreak strain and all cases match the illness onset date of late July through early August. Michigan health officials are currently testing at least 55 additional E. coli infections to determine if they are also connected to the Wendy’s outbreak.
In Ohio, officials in Wood Country are testing samples from 22 residents with E. coli infections and have so far confirmed 9 of the cases to have stemmed from the same strain of E. coli bacteria. Experts believe that the true number of cases involved in the Wendy’s outbreak is much higher than reported and expect to see an increase of reported cases in the days to come.
Posted in E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, 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, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, STEC, STEC E.coli
ZAGREB, 28 August, 2022 – Montenegrin inspectors on Sunday closed the Loza Hotel in Budva after about 100 guests staying at the hotel on Saturday sought medical help due to symptoms of food poisoning.
Among the tourists, most of whom are from European countries, are 12 Croatians who were admitted to the “Danilo I” hospital in Cetinje.
The public RTCG broadcaster said on Sunday that their condition is good and that they should be released later in the day.
Inspection Directorate head Ana Vujošević said that this was the eighth time in the past few months that the Loza Hotel was being closed, noting that the hotel had reopened illegally on the previous seven occasions, which qualifies as a criminal offence.
The Montenegrin Public Health Institute said earlier that samples had been taken in all hotel areas to determine the cause of poisoning.
Most of the guests staying at the hotel have been transferred to other hotels in Budva, with the Montenegrin Ministry of Economy and Tourism covering the cost of their stay there.
Local officials late on Saturday night confirmed that around 100 tourists, most of whom were from Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Croatia, had sought medical assistance in hospitals in Kotor, Bar, and Cetinje due to gastrointestinal problems.
Health Minister Dragoslav Šćekić said in a Twitter post that Montenegrin health institutions had promptly provided the patients with the necessary medical care.
Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Poisoning
Frozen foods have rarely been linked to Listeria monocytogenes illness. We describe an outbreak investigation prompted both by hospital clustering of illnesses and product testing.
We identified outbreak-associated listeriosis cases using whole-genome sequencing (WGS), product testing results, and epidemiologic linkage to cases in the same Kansas hospital. We reviewed hospital medical and dietary records, product invoices, and molecular subtyping results. Federal and state officials tested product and environmental samples for L. monocytogenes.
Kansas officials were investigating five cases of listeriosis at a single hospital when, simultaneously, unrelated sampling for a study in South Carolina identified L. monocytogenes in Company A ice cream products made in Texas. Isolates from four patients and Company A products were closely related by WGS, and the four patients with known exposures had consumed milkshakes made with Company A ice cream while hospitalized. Further testing identified L. monocytogenes in ice cream produced in a second Company A production facility in Oklahoma; these isolates were closely related by WGS to those from five patients in three other states. These ten illnesses, involving three deaths, occurred from 2010 through 2015. Company A ultimately recalled all products.
In this U.S. outbreak of listeriosis linked to a widely distributed brand of ice cream, WGS and product sampling helped link cases spanning five years to two production facilities, indicating longstanding contamination. Comprehensive sanitation controls and environmental and product testing for L. monocytogenes, with regulatory over
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, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Research
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently introduced a new webpage to help reduce Salmonella in poultry. The webpage was created as part of an effort by FSIS to reduce Salmonella illnesses by 25 percent nationwide.
FSIS is continuously gathering the data and information necessary to support future action. The new webpage will offer updated news, information, and resources on Salmonella in poultry as it is collected. Along with the webpage, FSIS opened a dedicated email address for all inquiries related to Salmonella in poultry: salmonella@usda.gov.
Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, FSIS, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Research, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken, USDA
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