Norovirus in Mytilus Galloprovincialis from Spain in Italy
Norovirus in Mytilus Galloprovincialis from Spain in Italy
Norovirus in blackberries from Serbia in Denmark and Sweden
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Category Archives: Norovirus
RASFF Alerts – Norovirus – Mussels – Blackberries
Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Norovirus, Norovirus Blackberry, Norovirus Mussels, RASFF
Outbreak on cruise ship carrying 1.822 passengers departing from Singapore – Norovirus
Sheet USA Today November 16.11 reported 70 people infected on the ship Travel Coral Princess. The ship was carrying 1.822 passengers on a month-long journey from Singapore to Los Angeles (California, USA) when a virus spread and caused an outbreak on board.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC) said that 55 guests and 15 crew members on the Coral Princess ship were infected with norovirus, with the main symptoms being vomiting and diarrhea.
Norovirus is an intestinal virus that is highly contagious through direct or indirect contact with an infected person. According to the website CruiseMapper, the Coral Princess ship owned by Princess Cruises Company (headquartered in California), left Singapore on October 17.10.
The Coral Princess has implemented “enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures in accordance with its pandemic preparedness and response plan,” among other measures, according to the CDC. The CDC’s ship sanitation program is monitoring the outbreak remotely. The cruise line did not respond to a request for comment.
By page Cruise Mummy On November 15.11, another norovirus outbreak was also recorded on the Crown Princess cruise ship currently traveling around Australia and New Zealand.
Passengers on board the ship received a letter advising them to disembark in Darwin, Australia, if possible, so that authorities could conduct a thorough cleaning of the ship, including disinfecting all guest rooms and public areas.
While cases of norovirus have been reported on cruise ships, the total number of cases represents only 1% of all cases ever reported on board. world.
Dr. Sarah Hochman at Tisch Hospital (New York, USA) confirmed that this virus has no special connection to cruise ships.
“It really is (spread) in any setting where there are large numbers of people congregate. It also happens in the community on a much smaller scale, between households and household contacts. It’s just not as limited. medical public as much as for larger gathering settings,” according to Dr. Hochman.
Russia – Mass poisoning in a Russian school cafeteria: more than 200 victims – Norovirus
School No. 4 in Novocheboksarsk poisoned 205 people with expired food, including 6 children who were hospitalized. Norovirus RNA and an attempt to hide the expired food were found in the cafeteria.
Posted in Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Norovirus
RASFF Alert- Norovirus – Oysters
Norovirus in oysters, origin Ireland, via the Netherlands and France in Belgium
Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Food Virus, Norovirus, Norovirus Oysters, RASFF, raw oysters
Research – Estimating Underdetection of Foodborne Disease Outbreaks
To the Editor: In the February issue, Ford et al. used the power law to estimate underdetection of foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States (1). Two of their main conclusions are entirely reasonable: small outbreaks are more likely to go undetected than large outbreaks, and the use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has improved the detection of small outbreaks caused by pathogens for which WGS is used. However, their conclusion on the usefulness of the power law itself needs further consideration.
Ford et al. analyzed the size of all foodborne outbreaks reported to the national Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System during 1998–2019. They defined outbreak size as the number of laboratory-confirmed cases. However, laboratory-confirmed cases are only good estimators for the size of outbreaks detected through pathogen-specific surveillance, such as for Salmonella, where outbreak detection follows the accumulation of confirmed cases. For outbreaks associated with events or establishments, identification might rely on reports from consumers, many of whom do not seek healthcare; thus, stool specimens might only be collected from a few cases to confirm the etiology. Consumer complaints are the primary means for identifying foodborne outbreaks caused by norovirus. The Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response recommends collecting clinical specimens from >5 members from the ill group in such settings (2). Thus, the number of confirmed cases in an outbreak is dependent on how the outbreak is detected. Outbreaks detected by complaint generally have few confirmed cases, even though they can involve large numbers of illnesses.
To provide a fair evaluation for the usefulness of the power law, it may be better to restrict analyses to outbreaks with common detection pathways. For outbreaks detected by pathogen-specific surveillance, counting confirmed cases seems appropriate. For outbreaks detected through consumer complaints, analyses should include all outbreak-associated illnesses.
Information – Norovirus is the most common foodborne pathogen
Norovirus is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness worldwide, and several factors contribute to its prevalence:
Only a small number of virus particles (as few as 18) are needed to cause infection, making it extremely easy to contract.
Norovirus spreads quickly through contaminated food, water, surfaces, and direct person-to-person contact. It can remain viable on surfaces for extended periods, allowing it to infect others.
Consuming foods or beverages contaminated with Norovirus is a common way of transmission, especially if food handlers are infected and practice poor hygiene.
Close contact, especially in crowded environments such as schools, cruise ships, hospitals, and nursing homes, facilitates transmission.
Read More at the link above.
Research – Efficacy of an Edible Coating with Carvacrol and Citral in Frozen Strawberries and Blueberries to Control Foodborne Pathogens
Adding essential oils in an edible coating could be an alternative for the food industry to control foodborne pathogens. In 2014, EFSA published a report highlighting the risk associated with Salmonella spp. and Norovirus in fresh and frozen berries. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an edible coating (RP-7) with carvacrol and citral on reducing the population of Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and murine Norovirus (MNV-1) in frozen strawberries and blueberries. Before evaluating the efficacy, the best method for applying the coating on fruit was studied. The immersion method was selected, with an optimal drying time of 45 min. After this, the berries were frozen and stored for one, two, three, four, and eight weeks at −18 °C. In strawberries, all bacteria were reduced to below 0.7 log cfu/strawberry in the eighth week, and the MNV-1 infectivity showed a reduction of nearly 2 logarithmic units. In blueberries, S. enterica and E. coli O157:H7 were reduced to 0.8 log cfu/blueberries within a week, and MNV-1 achieved a reduction of 0.8 logarithmic units at the end of the assay. The application of RP-7 affected the studied microorganisms in frozen strawberries and blueberries.
Research – Dutch data shows decline in outbreaks for 2023
The number of outbreaks and people sick in them in the Netherlands has gone down compared to the previous year, according to statistics recently reported.
In 2023, 911 outbreaks were reported, with 3,500 people falling ill. In 2022, there were 1,173 outbreaks and 4,505 sick people.
Norovirus, Salmonella, and Campylobacter were still the most commonly identified causes of outbreaks in 2023.
New Zealand – Batches of Te Matuku Oysters are being recalled due to the possible presence of norovirus
The company’s Premium Export Grade Pacific Oysters in Half Shell and in 200g meat, with the use by date of 27 and 29 of August are affected.
The products were only sold at select stores on Waiheke Island.
Norovirus is a common, highly contagious cause of foodborne illness, causing severe vomiting, cramps and diarrhoea.
Posted in food recall, Norovirus, Norovirus Oysters, product recall, Recall
RASFF Alert- Norovirus – Clams
Norovirus GII in clams (ruditapes phillipinarum) with origin Italy, from harvest area in Portugal in Malta
Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Food Virus, Norovirus, Norovirus Clams, RASFF
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