Category Archives: Microbiology

RASFF Alert – Mycotoxin T-2/HT-2 – Wheat Flour

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RASFF – T-2 toxin (106.7 µg/kg – ppb) and HT-2 toxin (346 µg/kg – ppb) in wheat flour from Belgium in Belgium

Abstract

T-2 toxin (T2) and HT-2 (HT2) toxin are trichothecenes, which form part of the group of Fusarium mycotoxins. Food and feed samples used to estimate human dietary and animal exposure were reported either as the individual results for T2 and/or, HT2, and/or as the sum of the two. The highest concentrations were reported in oats and oat-containing commodities. Very high levels were reported in a small number of data on specific plant- and herb-based dietary supplements. In humans, the mean chronic dietary exposure to the sum of T2 and HT2 was highest in‘Toddlers’and‘Infants’, with maximum upper bound (UB) estimates of 64.8 and 62.9 ng/kg body weight (bw) per day, respectively.The 95th percentile dietary exposure was highest in‘Infants’with a maximum UB estimate of 146 ng/kgbw per day. UB estimations were on average four fold higher than lower bound (LB) estimations. Average acute exposure ranged from a minimum of 13.4 ng/kg bw per day, estimated in‘Elderly’,up to a maximum of 64.7 ng/kg bw per day estimated in‘Toddlers’. The highest 95th percentile acute dietary exposure was estimated for a dietary survey within the age class‘Infants’(170 ng/kg bw per day).Overall, among processed foods the main contributors were cereal flakes,fine bakery wares and, for acute exposure, also bread and rolls. In the elderly and very elderly, dietary supplements made an important contribution. Exposure to the sum of T2 and HT2 in farm and companion animals varied according to the animal species. Exposures considering mean concentration scenarios varied between 0.03–0.08 (LB–UB)lg/kg bw per day in beef cattle and 1.13–1.47lg/kg bw per day in milking goats. Forhigh concentration scenarios, exposures varied between 0.12–0.16lg/kg bw per day and 2.37–2.58lg/kg bw per day in the same species. In the absence of data, potential modified form were not included.

©2017 European Food Safety Authority.EFSA Journal published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd on behalf of European Food Safety Authority

 

RASFF Alerts – Animal Feed Salmonella – Processed Animal Protein – Rapeseed Meal -Raw Pet Food

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RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Brandenburg (presence /25g) in processed animal protein from the Netherlands in Belgium

RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in rapeseed meal from Germany in Germany

RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in raw pet food from Germany in Germany

USA -Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and Grant’s Farm in St. Louis Looking into Recent Illnesses Among Visitors – STEC E.coli

DHSS 19243

JEFFERSON CITY, MO — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), in collaboration with the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and local health agencies in the St. Louis metro area, is investigating five Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) cases that have visited Grant’s Farm since late May 2019. The investigation is ongoing and is focused on determining the specific risk that may have led to the illnesses.

MDA and DHSS have provided preliminary recommendations to Grant’s Farm to help remind patrons of the importance of handwashing after direct contact with animals. Grant’s Farm also is actively participating in the investigation by allowing animal specimens to be collected by investigators. This is in addition to routine visits from state inspectors to help supervise the health of the animals at the park.

Research – Staph aureus found on 40 percent of cell phones at one university: Study

Outbreak News Today Staph

New research has demonstrated the presence of S. aureus in 40% of the cell phones of students sampled at a university. S. aureus is a common cause of hospital and community-based infections and is currently considered an important pathogen because of its level of antibiotic resistance. The research, conducted at the Western University of São Paulo, Brazil, is presented at ASM Microbe, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

Of the bacteria isolated, 85% were resistant to the antibiotic penicillin and 50% had the ability to adhere to surfaces. In addition, the presence of genes related to adhesion, antimicrobial resistance and toxins were present a high level. Samples were collected from 100 cell phones of students from the Biomedicine (20), Pharmacy (20), Dentistry (20), Nutrition (20), and Nursing (20) courses. The vast majority of the bacteria isolated belonged to students of the nursing course.

Nursing students are very likely to become carriers of S. aureus since clinical practice in hospital settings is part of their coursework and exposure to occupational hazards is inherent to this setting, which could favor the colonization and contamination of the surface of cell devices. Cell phones used in healthcare environments allow for the transmission of bacteria that harbor genes of virulence and resistance, contributing to increasing the infection rates as well as an increase in the morbidity/mortality from these infections.

Research – Occurrence and Levels of Salmonella, Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, and Listeria in Raw Wheat

Journal of Food Protection

ABSTRACT

Wheat flour has been implicated in several outbreaks of foodborne illness in recent years, yet little information is available regarding microbial pathogens in wheat and wheat flour. Information about microbial pathogens in wheat is needed to develop effective methods to prevent foodborne illnesses caused by wheat products. From 2012 to 2014, we conducted a baseline study to determine the prevalence and levels of pathogens in wheat samples taken before milling. A total of 5,176 wheat samples were tested for enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., and L. monocytogenes. Positive samples were assayed for most probable numbers (MPNs), and isolates were fingerprinted by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The rate of detection of each pathogen tested was as follows: Salmonella was in 1.23% of the samples (average level of 0.110 MPN/g), EHECs occurred in 0.44% of the samples (0.039 MPN/g), and Listeria spp. occurred in 0.08% of samples (0.020 MPN/g), but L. monocytogenes was not detected. The PFGE assessment found a high diversity for all organisms. All EHEC PFGE patterns (22 of 22) were unique, and 39 of 47 Salmonella patterns (83%) were unique. These results indicate a diverse background of naturally occurring organisms. These findings suggest that the microbial contamination is coming from diverse sources and provide no evidence in support of a specific pathogen load. Altogether, our surveillance study shows that contamination of wheat with pathogens is clearly evident and poses a foodborne illness risk.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Prevalence of Salmonella and E. coli in raw wheat emphasizes the need to cook wheat products.

  • 3,891 grain samples were tested for E. coli and Salmonella; 1,285 were tested for Listeria.

  • Of wheat berries sampled, 0.44% were positive for E. coli and 1.23% were positive for Salmonella.

  • Salmonella diversity was high, indicating various animal sources that are difficult to prevent.

  • Cooking wheat products is the best preventative measure against foodborne illness from wheat.

New Zealand – The burden of Legionnaires’ disease in New Zealand (LegiNZ): a national surveillance study

The Lancet 

Summary

Background

Legionnaires’ disease is under-diagnosed because of inconsistent use of diagnostic tests and uncertainty about whom to test. We assessed the increase in case detection following large-scale introduction of routine PCR testing of respiratory specimens in New Zealand.

Methods

LegiNZ was a national surveillance study done over 1-year in which active case-finding was used to maximise the identification of cases of Legionnaires’ disease in hospitals. Respiratory specimens from patients of any age with pneumonia, who could provide an eligible lower respiratory specimen, admitted to one of 20 participating hospitals, covering a catchment area of 96% of New Zealand’s population, were routinely tested for legionella by PCR. Additional cases of Legionnaires’ disease in hospital were identified through mandatory notification.

Findings

Between May 21, 2015, and May 20, 2016, 5622 eligible specimens from 4862 patients were tested by PCR. From these, 197 cases of Legionnaires’ disease were detected. An additional 41 cases were identified from notification data, giving 238 cases requiring hospitalisation. The overall incidence of Legionnaires’ disease cases in hospital in the study area was 5·4 per 100 000 people per year, and Legionella longbeachae was the predominant cause, found in 150 (63%) of 238 cases.

Interpretation

The rate of notified disease during the study period was three-times the average over the preceding 3 years. Active case-finding through systematic PCR testing better clarified the regional epidemiology of Legionnaires’ disease and uncovered an otherwise hidden burden of disease. These data inform local Legionnaires’ disease testing strategies, allow targeted antibiotic therapy, and help identify outbreaks and effective prevention strategies. The same approach might have similar benefits if applied elsewhere in the world.

RASFF Alert – Animal Feed – Enterobacteriaceae – Raw Pet Food for Dogs

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RASFF – high count of Enterobacteriaceae (7300 CFU/g) in raw pet food for dogs from the United Kingdom in Croatia

RASFF Alerts – Animal Feed – Salmonella – Rape Seed Meal – Mixed Meat Meal – Soy Feed Material

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RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Kottbus (presence /25g) in rape seed meal from Germany in Finland

RASFF – Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium (presence /25g) in mixed meat meal from the Netherlands in the Netherlands

RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in soy feed material from Hungary in Poland

Information – Management and operation of microbiological containment laboratories

HSA

Scope
1 This publication provides guidance on the general duties under the Health
and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (the HSW Act) and the requirements
under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
(COSHH) as they relate to those who deliberately work with biological
agents that pose a risk to human health, other than genetically modified
organisms (GMOs). It also describes the minimum containment
requirements that implement the minimum standards required by the
European Directive (Directive 2000/54/EC) on the protection of workers
from risks related to exposure to biological agents at work.
2 There is separate guidance covering work with GMOs
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l29.htm and pathogens covered by the
Specified Animal Pathogens Order (SAPO)
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg280.htm which should also be considered
in the context of other work related to biological agents.
3 In addition to COSHH, this guidance provides practical advice on applying
the relevant parts of the Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) for deliberate work with biological agents and
how to assess and control the risks associated with working with biological
agents.
4 This guidance applies to contained use work in all types of laboratories
where biological agents are handled including research, teaching, clinical,
forensic, veterinary and environmental laboratories. It covers both
deliberate work with biological agents and work with material that contains
or may contain biological agents and describes in detail the minimum
containment measures required at containment level 2 (CL2) and 3 (CL3);
and should be used in conjunction with the control measures specified in
Schedule 3, COSHH. Further details on biosafety management in
containment level 4 (CL4) laboratories can be found in the Principles,
Design and Operation of Containment Level 4 Facilities
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/web09.pdf.
5 There are no legal minimum containment requirements under COSHH for
containment level 1 laboratories. However, the practices, safety equipment
and facilities are similar to those for containment level 2, as required by an
assessment of the risks, and these should be used in addition to the more
general COSHH control measures.

 

Research – Vibrio spp. from Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) demonstrating virulence properties and antimicrobial resistance

Wiley Online

Vibrio_vulnificus_01

Image CDC

Abstract

We report the prevalence and characterization of Vibrio spp. isolated from marketed Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) in Korea. A total of 30 isolates including, V. parahaemolyticus (n = 2), V. alginolyticus (n = 9), V. fluvialis (n = 7), V. diabolicus (n = 7), V. anguillarum (n = 4) and V. aestuarianus (n = 1) were isolated and identified. The phenotypic pathogenicity tests demonstrated that, 18 (60%), 21 (70%), 18 (60%), 7 (23%), 22 (73%), 21 (70%), 9 (30%), and 11 (33%) of the isolates were positive for DNase, protease, gelatinase, lipase, phospho‐lipase, amylase, slime production, and haemolysis, respectively. PCR assays revealed the prevalence of toxR, tlh, VAC, vfh, hupO, and VPI genes among the isolates with varying combinations. A close genetic affinity among V. alginolyticus and V. diabolicus strains was observed. Also the virulence genes specific to one Vibrio species were detected among other species as well. In addition, 29/30 (97%) isolates were multidrug resistant, while higher resistance rates were shown for ampicillin, colistin, vancomycin, and cephalothin. The results imply that the scallops in Korean markets harbor Vibrio spp., which are potentially virulent and multidrug resistant, thus their public health implications should not be underrated.

Practical applications

For many decades, vibrios are known for its importance in seafoodborne illnesses. Yesso scallop is the most popular and extensively cultured scallop variety in Korea. Therefore, we sought to assess the marketed fresh Yesso scallops for the prevalence and molecular characterization of Vibrio species. A total of 30 strains were isolated and identified by a series of biochemical tests, subsequent gyrB gene sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. Six Vibrio spp. were identified with V. alginolyticus as the most prevalent. Interestingly, V. alginolyticus was genetically similar to V. diabolicus. Besides, the virulence genes specific to V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus were observed in other species as well. It suggests that the detection of the species‐specific genes does not ensure the correct identification of pathogenic vibrios. Further, the occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus‐specific virulence genes in other Vibrio spp. potentially complicates the correct tracking of V. parahaemolyticus infections. In addition, 73% of these Vibrio spp. isolates showed multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indices higher than 0.2, which signifies their high risk of infection. Collectively, these results provide important evidence that not only the well‐known pathogenic vibrios like V. parahaemolyticus, but also other Vibrio spp. can act alike because of their similar characteristics.