Category Archives: Microbiology

USA – FDA Two Recalls – Dog Treats/Food – Salmonella

FDA

Diggin’ Your Dog™ announced today that they are voluntarily withdrawing one lot of its Strippin’ Chicks™ Pet Treats produced on 8-30-12 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The sample was obtained in Colorado and the company has accounted for its distribution in Colorado of this lot.

No other Diggin’ Your Dog™ products, lots, or production dates are affected.

The lot being voluntarily withdrawn is: Strippin’ Chicks™ Pet Treats 5 oz Bag. Lot Code 250322 Use By Date: 2-23-14.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Animals with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some animals will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy animals can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your animals have consumed the recalled product and have these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

FDA

Steve’s Real Food of Murray, Utah is recalling its 5 lb. bags of “Turducken
Canine Diet – 8oz. Patties due to potential contamination of
Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there
is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they
have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.

RASFF Alerts – Listeria monocytogenes

RASFF -Listeria monocytogenes (presence /25g) in frozen smoked bacon from Belgium distributed to Russia

RASFF– Listeria monocytogenes (present /25g) in smoked salmon from the United States in Austria

RASFF Alerts – E.coli – Clams and Mussels

RASFF – Too high count of Escherichia coli (1400 MPN/100g) in clams (Veneus Gallina) from Italy in Italy

RASFF – Too high count of Escherichia coli (790 MPN/100g) in mussels ((Mytilus galloprovincialis) from Spain in Italy

RASFF – too high count of Escherichia coli (1300 MPN/100g) in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from Spain in Italy

 

RASFF Alerts – Salmonella – Frozen Chicken – Paan Leaves – Beef

RASFF – Salmonella infantis (presence /25g) in frozen beef trimmings from Poland in Sweden

RASFF – Salmonella Heidelberg (presence /25g) and Salmonella Minnesota (presence /25g) in frozen chicken drumettes from Brazil in Spain

RASFF – Salmonella Minnesota (presence /25g) in frozen chicken from Brazil in Spain

RASFF – Salmonella spp. (present /25g) in paan leaves (betel/pan) from Bangladesh

RASFF – Salmonella Heidelberg (presence /25g) and Salmonella Minnesota (presence /25g) in frozen chicken cuts and offals from Brazil in Spain.

RASFF – Mycotoxin – Ochratoxin – Aflatoxin – Alerts – Turkey – Nuts – Kenya

RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 9.21 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted pistachios from Turkey in Austria

RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 16.5 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey in Austria

RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 3.9; Tot. = 14.1 µg/kg – ppb) in hazelnut kernels from Turkey in Austria

RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 12.2; Tot. = 12.2 µg/kg – ppb) in coated peanuts from Turkey in Italy

RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 19.2; Tot. = 20.5 / B1 = 13.2; Tot. = 14 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachio kernels from Turkey, with raw material from Syria in Italy

RASFF – Ochratoxin A (39 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted coffee from Kenya in Finland

RASFF – Ochratoxin A (10 µg/kg – ppb) in milling rye in bulk from Latvia, via Lithuania in Finland

European and RASFF Alerts – Aflatoxin – Salmonella – Moulds – STEC E.coli – Norovirus – Listeria monocytogenes

RASFF – Aflatoxins in Maize Feed in Germany sourced in Romania via Belgium

RASFF – Salmonella in Dried Whole Green Peppers in Germany via India

RASFF – Listeria in Frozen Raw Milk Sheep Cheese in France

RASFF – Aflatoxins in Red Hot Chilli Pepper Powder in Switzerland sourced in Turkey

RASFF– Salmonella in Frozen Beef in Sweden sourced in Ireland

RASFF – Moulds in Unsalted Butter in Greece sourced in France

RASFF – Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli in Smoked Sausage in Austria

RASFF – Norovirus (G I & GII) in Oysters in France

Germany – Listeria monocytogenes in Palatine liver dumplings in Germany

Research – Various Studies on Product Microbial Decontamination – Salmonella – E.coli O157 – Clostridium

Wiley Online – Essential Oils Inactivation of Salmonella on Cherry Tomato’s

Wiley Online – The Efficacy of Satureja khuzistanica Essential Oil Treatment in Reducing Escherichia coli O157:H7 Load on Alfalfa Seeds Prior to Sprouting

Ingenta Connect – Commercial Thermal Process for Inactivating Salmonella Poona on Surfaces of Whole Fresh Cantaloupes

Ingenta Connect – Dynamic Effects of Free Chlorine Concentration, Organic Load, and Exposure Time on the Inactivation of Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli

Ingenta Connect – Effect of Packaging Systems and Pressure Fluids on Inactivation of Clostridium botulinum Spores by Combined High Pressure and Thermal Processing

 

Research – Salmonella/Listeria/Airborne Contamination – Poultry

IngentaConnect– Frequency of Salmonell and Listeria on Chicken Eggs

IngentaConnect– Airborne Contamination in Poultry Slaughter Houses

Germany – Fungus Found in Raw Milk – Aflatoxin

The LocalAspergillus WM

High levels of a cancer-causing fungus has been found in raw milk from a western German farm. The authorities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) suspect contaminated cow feed from Serbia.

Before being pasteurised, milk from the farm had twice as much aflatoxin – produced by the Aspergillus species of mould – than national standards allow.

There was a possibility that the contaminated raw milk had already been sent to dairies for processing, the state Consumer Protection Ministry said. Until the milk has levels below 50 nanogrammes of aflatoxin per kilogramme of milk it may not be sold. Current levels were around 100 nanogrammes.

Milk from cows which have ingested aflatoxin – one of the strongest naturally occurring carcinogens – is “particularly dangerous,” said Udo Paschedag from Lower Saxony’s Agriculture Ministry.

 

Australia- Gastroenteritis Linked to Swimming Pool Water

Courier Mail

Victoria’s chief health officer Dr Rosemary Lester said there has been a three-fold increase in gastro cases after hot weather sparked people seeking to cool off at public swimming pools.

She urged those who have had diarrhoea not to go into a swimming pool for at least 14 days after symptoms had stopped for fear of passing on the bug.

Dr Lester said the cryptosporidium gastro parasite could not be killed by normal levels of chlorination.

“Cryptosporidiosis is typically caused by swallowing contaminated water, household contact with a case and contact with farm animals,” she said.

Authorities are working with swimming pool owners to implement extra measures to kill the parasite.

Symptoms included watery diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vomiting, Dr Lester said.

Dr Lester urged sufferers to shower before swimming to avoid infecting others, with children and the elderly particularly at risk.

There were 155 Victorian cases of gastro caused by the cryptosporidium parasite last month, three times the February average of 53.