Category Archives: Microbiology

US Dole Fresh Vegetables Third Recall this Year – Listeria

Posted on July 3, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FDA

Dole Fresh Vegetables is voluntarily recalling 1,077 cases of bagged salads. The products being recalled are Kroger Fresh Selections Greener Supreme coded N158 211B 1613 KR04 with Use-by date of June 19 and UPC 11110 91039, Kroger Fresh Selections Leafy Romaine coded N158 111B KR11 with Use-by date of June 19 and UPC 11110 91046 and Wal Mart Marketside Leafy Romaine coded N158111B with Use-by date of June19 and UPC code 81131 02781 due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes. Dole Fresh Vegetables is coordinating closely with regulatory officials. No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, FDA, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen

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US – Vibrio Outbreak – Raw Undercooked Shellfish

Posted on July 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin 

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has announced there is an outbreak of Vibriosis in eastern Missouri. The illnesses are caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which is usually associated with eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters.

Three cases of the illnesses have been identified June 27 and 28, 2012. Risk factors for acquiring this disease include eating raw or undercooked oysters, clams, mussels, or crabs; or cross-contamination of other foods or surfaces with raw seafood. The bacteria lives in brackish water and grows easily in warm water during the summer months.

 

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Parasite, Vibrio, Vibrio parahaemolyticus

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US – Update on Salmonella fron Turtles

Posted on July 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The CDC has released updated information about multistate outbreaks of Salmonella linked to small turtles. So far, 149 people in 28 states are infected with outbreak strains of four types of bacteria: Salmonella Sandiego, Salmonella Pomona, Salmonella Newport, and Salmonella Poona. We’ve told you about this outbreak in March 2012 and again in May 2012. In the last update, there were five outbreaks; now there are six.

Very interesting as a UK food laboratory that Salmonella Poona used to be many laboratories control strain.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella

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FSA – Research Aflatoxins Brazil Nuts

Posted on July 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FSA

The relationship between the level of aflatoxin contamination in Brazil nuts kernels in comparison to the level in the shell was investigated. A conversion factor was determined that could allow the estimation of the level of aflatoxins in the kernel when the concentration in the whole nut is measured (further work will be required to validate the conversion factor).

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Food Standards Agency, Microbiology, Research

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UK – Darlington Pub – Four in Hospital – Salmonella

Posted on July 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Northern Echo

FOUR people have been hospitalised after an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning at a Darlington pub that also led to another 15 people falling ill.

The Copper Beech pub, in Neasham Road, has voluntarily stopped serving food after a number of cases of the infectious disease were linked to its kitchens.

Officers from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) have started an investigation to discover the source of the outbreak, which they believe has now been contained.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella

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US Mexican Cheese Recall – Listeria

Posted on July 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Listeria Blog

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine today warned consumers in the metropolitan New York area, including Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn, to not consume certain “Queso Fresco, Fresh Cheese” products made by Mexicali Cheese Corp. located at 91-52 87th Street in Woodhaven, New York due to possible Listeria contamination.

To date, no illnesses are known by the Department to be associated with this product.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall

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US Norovirus Outbreaks

Posted on July 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CDC – Outbreak Earlier this year. Basketball Tournament

WZZM – Cheerleaders suffer Norovirus outbreak.

About 35-40 high school girls were affected by the outbreak, which began late Tuesday or early Wednesday.  They suffered diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps, according to Kent County Health Department spokeswoman Lisa LaPlante, though none of the victims required medical treatment or hospitalisation.

WDRB – Notre Dame Norovirus Outbreak

The University of Notre Dame says Indiana State Department of Health lab tests confirm a norovirus cause of an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness that affected more than 100 youths taking part in sports camps.

The university said Saturday it received that news from St. Joseph County Health Officer Dr. Thomas Felger.

Notre Dame says a norovirus is very contagious and the most common “stomach bug” in the United States. It says the specific reason for the outbreak at Notre Dame remains unknown.

 

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Posted in Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Pathogen

Hand Sanitiser Contaminated with Bacteria

Posted on June 29, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Winipeg Free Press

TORONTO – A hand sanitizer meant to protect people from germs is being recalled because of bacterial contamination, Health Canada said Thursday.

Kimberly-Clark is recalling its Kleenex-brand Luxury Foam Hand Sanitiser after company testing detected bacteria that may pose serious health risks to people with weakened immune systems, especially those with the lung disorder cystic fibrosis.

The bacteria identified in the tested samples are from the Burkholderia cepacia group. These bacteria pose little risk to healthy people, but for those with immune systems weakened by other illnesses, the microbes can cause serious problems, including pneumonia and blood infection.

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Posted in Bacteria, Burkholderia, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Technology, Food Testing, Microbiology, Recall

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Research Updates – Bacteria in Veg/ Ranking 14 US Food Pathogens/Pathogens in Milk Filters/Pathogen Recovery from Fresh Produce

Posted on June 29, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Ingenta – Comparison of Sample Preparation Methods for the Recovery of Foodborne Pathogens from Fresh Produce

Ingenta – Foodborne Pathogens in In-Line Milk Filters and Associated On-Farm Risk Factors in Dairy Farms Authorized To Produce and Sell Raw Milk in Northern Italy

Ingenta – Ranking the Disease Burden of 14 Pathogens in Food Sources in the United States Using Attribution Data from Outbreak Investigations and Expert Elicitation

Ingenta – Bacteriological Survey of Ready-to-Eat Lettuce, Fresh-Cut Fruit, and Sprouts Collected from the Swiss Market

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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Danish Alerts – Mould

Posted on June 29, 2012 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Danish Mozzerela – Mould

RASFF – Danish Smoked Mackerel Fillets – Mould

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Microbiology, Moulds

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