Category Archives: outbreak

USA – Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Pet Bearded Dragons

Posted on January 18, 2022 by | Leave a comment

CDC

Fast Facts
  • Illnesses: 44
  • Hospitalizations: 15
  • Deaths: 0
  • States: 25
  • Investigation status: Active
Bearded dragon on a white background
Bearded Dragons and Salmonella

Bearded dragons can carry Salmonella germs in their droppings even if they look healthy and clean. These germs can easily spread to their bodies and anything in the area where they live and roam.

You can get sick from touching your bearded dragon or anything in its environment and then touching your mouth and swallowing Salmonella germs.

What You Should Do

Always take these steps to stay healthy around your pet bearded dragon:

  • Wash your hands
    • Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching or feeding your bearded dragon and after touching or cleaning the area where it lives and roams.
    • Adults should make sure young children are washing their hands.
  • Play safely
    • Don’t kiss or snuggle your bearded dragon, and don’t eat or drink around it. This can spread Salmonella germs to your mouth and make you sick.
    • Keep your bearded dragon out of your kitchen and other areas where you eat, store, or prepare food.
  • Keep things clean
    • Clean your bearded dragon supplies outside the house, if possible. These supplies may include its feeders, toys, and food and water containers.
    • If you clean the supplies indoors, don’t clean them in the kitchen or other areas where you eat or prepare food. Use a laundry sink or bathtub, and thoroughly clean and disinfect the area right after.

If you are thinking of getting a pet bearded dragon:

  • Pick the right pet for your family
    • Bearded dragons and other reptiles are not recommended for children younger than 5, adults aged 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems. These people are more likely to get a serious illness from germs that reptiles can carry.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these severe Salmonella symptoms:

  • Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F
  • Diarrhea for more than 3 days that is not improving
  • Bloody diarrhea
  • So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down
  • Signs of dehydration, such as:
    • Not peeing much
    • Dry mouth and throat
    • Feeling dizzy when standing up
What Businesses Should Do
  • Educate customers about how to stay healthy around bearded dragons.
    • This poster provides information on how to stay healthy around pet reptiles, including bearded dragons.
    • Consider putting the poster right by the bearded dragon area and giving a copy to customers who are buying a bearded dragon.
    • This graphicimage icon can be used as a sticker and illustrates handwashing when handling pet reptiles, including bearded dragons.
  • Learn more about how to protect your customers and employees from Salmonella infection and other diseases shared between animals and humans.
Symptoms of Salmonella
  • Most people infected with Salmonella experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.
    • Symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing the bacteria.
    • Most people recover without treatment after 4 to 7 days.
  • Some people – especially children younger than 5 years, adults 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems – may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization.
  • For more information about Salmonella, see the Salmonella Questions and Answers page.
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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, outbreak, Salmonella

Ireland – Woman died from Salmonella-contaminated food served at First Communion party

Posted on January 17, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Irish Examiner

A Dublin woman who was a keen fitness fanatic died from poisoning as a result of eating food contaminated with salmonella that was served at a First Holy Communion party.

An inquest into the death of Sandra O’Brien heard it was linked to cold turkey supplied by a catering firm that resulted in a major outbreak of a rare form of Salmonella in north Co Dublin in May 2017.

Ms O’Brien, 55, a mother of one from Brookdale Way, Swords, Co Dublin, was found dead in the bedroom of her home on May 21, 2017.

The inquest heard the form of infection, Salmonella Brandenburg, was typically only fatal in 0.4% of cases.

Evidence was heard that the food for the event had been provided by Flanreil Food Services, which had been operating from O’Dwyer’s Pub on Strand Road in Portmarnock, Co Dublin.

The inquest heard there had been 35 confirmed cases of Salmonella and another 37 cases of suspected Salmonella linked to the outbreak which included two kitchen staff and two chefs from the catering company.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food death, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning Death, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken, salmonellosis

Research – Factors Potentially Contributing to the Contamination of Packaged Leafy Greens Implicated in the Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium During the Summer of 2021

Posted on January 17, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FDA

In July and August of 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state partners conducted an outbreak investigation into a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium linked to packaged leafy greens produced at a Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) indoor hydroponic operation.[1]

Total Illnesses: 31
Hospitalizations: 4
Deaths: 0
First illness onset: June 10, 2021
Last illness onset: August 18, 2021
States with Cases:  IL (18), MI (1), PA (2) WI (10)

The outbreak response investigation found:

  1. The outbreak was associated with the consumption of packaged leafy greens from the firm’s CEA indoor hydroponic operation; 26 of 27 (96%) patients reported consuming any leafy greens prior to illness onset, with 20 of 24 cases reporting consumption of prepackaged salads. This firm’s products were named specifically in 14 cases.
  2. This outbreak was caused by Salmonella Typhimurium as determined by whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis. The Salmonella Typhimurium isolates from ill consumers were closely related genetically; however, there were no product isolates for comparison.
  3. Loyalty card data was received for nine cases. The information identified a common brand of packaged salads and the traceback investigation determined all of the points-of-service (POS) were supplied by the same hydroponic operation owned and operated by this firm. The firm’s salad products purchased by ill consumers were confirmed to be produced at the firm’s hydroponic operation.

FDA conducted an on-site produce safety investigation of the firm’s CEA operation, as part of the outbreak investigation.

Download the Full Report (PDF 270KB)

[1] Throughout this document the term “firm” is used to represent the business entity, while the term “operation” refers to the farm location.

Related Resources

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Microbiology Research, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Research, Salmonella

Norway –  Investigates Salmonella Blockley outbreak

Posted on January 17, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) reports investigating an outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Blockley (Salmonella Blockley).

To date, infections have been detected in 16 people living in several counties in Norway. The source of the infection is currently unknown, and an outbreak investigation has been initiated in collaboration with the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Norwegian Veterinary Institute.

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Posted in 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, outbreak, Salmonella

Denmark – Outbreak of diarrhea-causing E. coli O157

Posted on January 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

SSI

The Statens Serum Institut is currently investigating an outbreak with a diarrhea-causing and toxin-producing E. coli bacterium. It began in December and currently includes 13 people with possible common source of infection.

Since December 3, 13 patients related to an outbreak with the diarrhea-causing and shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacterium (STEC) with the serotype O157: H7 have been identified. Of these, identical bacteria have been found in nine patients by whole genome sequencing at the Statens Serum Institut (SSI).

Three children with acute renal failure

Among the patients are three children who have developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome / acute renal failure (HUS), which may be a serious consequence of infection with STEC.

The sick are four men and nine women between the ages of 2 and 90. They come from all regions in the country, except Region North Jutland. The sick have not been traveling and have not participated in joint events in the time leading up to their illness.

Nine patients have been hospitalized in connection with the infection.

A serious outbreak

“It is a serious outbreak, as this type of toxin-producing E. coli can in some cases cause acute renal failure. We are paying particular attention when three children with acute renal failure were reported here in December. Patients with severe diarrhea, especially bloody diarrhea, should seek medical attention to get a correct diagnosis “, says Epidemiologist Luise Müller from SSI. She continues:

“As we do not yet know the source of this outbreak, the best advice we can give is to remember to fry minced meat and rinse fruit and vegetables thoroughly before eating it. It is also important to separate raw meat from ready-to-eat food, such as salad, which is not heat-treated before eating. ”

Looking for the source of infection

To find out what may have made the patients ill, interviews are conducted with patients or parents of patients to obtain information on food intake, institutional contact, animal contact and other relevant exposures.

The outbreak is being investigated by SSI in collaboration with the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the DTU Food Institute.

Read more

Read more about the outbreak on this outbreak site.

Read more about E. coli infection, among others STEC / VTEC.

Read more about Hemolytic uremic syndrome .

Read more about how to avoid STEC in your food on the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration’s website.

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Posted in E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, STEC, STEC E.coli

USA – Core Outbreak Table Updates

Posted on January 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

FDA

This week’s updates are:

  • A new outbreak of E. coli O121: H19 with an unidentified vehicle has been added. This outbreak does not appear to be ongoing, as the last illness onset occurred in November 2021. FDA has initiated traceback and other investigational activities in an effort to learn more about possible sources or routes of contamination.
  • The outbreak of Salmonella Javiana linked to 65 illnesses has ended. The information collected over the course of this investigation indicated cut cantaloupe was the likely source of this outbreak, however it appears that the products linked to outbreak illnesses are past shelf life and are no longer available for sale. The most recent illness occurred in November 2021. FDA’s outbreak investigation did not identify a specific product until after the product had expired and was no longer on the market, and there were no actionable steps for consumers to take to protect themselves.
  • For the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to spinach, the outbreak has ended and the FDA investigation has closed. This incident was archived in the 2021 Investigation Table.
1/10/2022 1050 E. coli
O121:H19		 Not Yet
Identified		 4
12/29/2021 1052 E. coli
O157:H7		 Packaged Salad See Outbreak
Advisory
12/20/2021 1039 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Packaged Salad See Outbreak
Advisory
12/15/2021 1048 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Packaged Salad See Outbreak
Advisory
11/24/2021 1044 Salmonella
Javiana		 Cut Cantaloupe 65
9/15/2021 1031 Salmonella
Oranienburg		 Red, Yellow,
and White Onions		 See Outbreak
Advisory

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Posted in E.coli O121, food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak, Salmonella, Salmonella in Onions, Salmonella Oranienburg, STEC, STEC E.coli

USA – Famous Anthony’s owners filing for bankruptcy in wake of Hepatitis A outbreak

Posted on January 12, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Owners of a Roanoke, VA, restaurant chain have closed one location and are filing bankruptcy for two others in relation to a deadly hepatitis A outbreak that swept through the community this past fall.

At least four people have died, more than 50 were sickened and 36 people were hospitalized in the outbreak associated with an infected employee who worked at three Famous Anthony’s locations. An infected person can transmit the virus to others up to two weeks before and one week after symptoms appear. 

Attorney Andrew Goldstein said the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing allows the company to reorganize and remain open. In 90 days, the company owners will submit a plan outlining a payment schedule for the people who have claims against their restaurants.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food death, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning Death, Food Virus, Food Virus Death, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Hepatitis A, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, outbreak, Rotavirus, Virus, Virus Vaccination

USA – Former Blue Bell president’s trial delayed until summer – Listeria Outbreak

Posted on January 12, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The trial of Paul Kruse, a scion of the family that has run Blue Bell Creameries since 1919, has again been postponed.

Federal Judge Robert Pitman signed an order delaying jury selection by 140 days, now setting it on Aug. 1 immediately before the trial begins.    The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin has jurisdiction over the case.

Kruse headed the company in 2015 when an outbreak of Listeria infections traced to the firm’s ice cream sickened 10 and killed three.

Federal felony charges of conspiracy and fraud have been pending against Kruse since October 2020. This past year, his defense attorneys asked to delay the trial to 2022 because of their obligations for other clients.

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Posted in Death, food bourne outbreak, food death, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, outbreak

USA – Better Testing Needed to Address Listeria Outbreaks

Posted on January 12, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning News

Just in the past year, 2021, there were four different major multistate listeria outbreaks, as well as numerous food recalls related to listeria contamination. When two or more people are determined to have gotten the same illness from the same contaminated food or drink, health officials qualify this as a foodborne illness outbreak. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 1,600 people become infected with listeria each year and 260 of those cases result in death. Though listeria infection is not the most common pathogenic cause of foodborne illness, it is responsible for a large percentage (19%) of the deaths caused by foodborne illnesses each year. For this reason, listeria monocytogenes are considered one of the “big three” foodborne illness pathogens. Those who are most at-risk for serious onset of listeria infection are those with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, newborn babies, and elderly people.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, outbreak, Research

Sweden – Report on food poisoning in Sweden during 2020. 

Posted on January 12, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Livsmedelsverket

The report describes how many people become ill from the food, which are the most common infectious agents and foods that cause the disease cases, where in the food chain the designated foods are contaminated, which countries of origin were indicated for the designated foods, what contributing factors were identified, seasonal variation and changes in recent years. The results from the report provide information to those who have an interest or need for this type of knowledge in their profession and not least to show and give feedback on the valuable work performed by those who investigate, report and otherwise study food poisoning.

Summary Reported Foodborne Illness in Sweden 2020
This Report compiles food poisonings reported to the Swedish Food Agency in 2020. A new online form for submitting reports to the Swedish Food Agency was launched in January 2020, aiming to raise the quality of reported data. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic was ongoing also, which affected the number of food poisoning outbreaks during the year.
By food poisoning is meant here an illness caused by eating food containing harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses or toxins. The main purpose of the compilation is to support food poisoning investigations in several ways:
by giving the present position of the most recent food poisonings;
by presenting data that can be used to connect different pathogens to different kinds of foods.by making it possible to follow the development of different combinations;
by making it possible to implement risk management measures as effectively as possible.
The Swedish Food Agency regulation LIVSFS 2005:7 instructs municipal control authorities, in co-operation with health professionals, the County Administrative Board and the Public Health Agency of Sweden, to conduct epidemiological investigations of foodborne outbreaks.
The results must be reported to the Swedish Food Agency without delay. Health Agency and Swedish Food Agency in consultation supplement the control authorities’ reports with reports on local and national outbreaks.
The Report is based on 173 reported events of suspected or confirmed food poisoning with a total of 1,314 cases of illness. In 160 of the reports it was stated that two or more persons were infected from the same source. When compared to the 2019 compilation, we can note that both the number of reports and cases of illness were almost halved in 2020.
This reduction may be due to the restrictions and recommendations introduced in connection to Covid-19 pandemic. For example, there were fewer people using restaurant services, better hand hygiene among people handling food and the cancellation of major public events where food may have been served.
Most reports indicated that the cause was unknown (71%), however for 44% of the reported cases virus was cited as the cause. This is due to 23 outbreaks with 571 cases of illness where the cause was virus. Norovirus continues to cause major outbreaks (22 food poisoning outbreaks with a total of 513 cases), followed by campylobacter which was reported in 4 outbreaks with 158 cases, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, an unusual foodborne pathogen in Sweden, was associated with one outbreak of 50 cases of illness.
The food categories that had the most reported cases of illness were bakery products (210 cases), chicken (155 cases) and foods from the sea (164 cases).Bakery products were a source of infection in outbreaks where norovirus and STEC (Shigatoxin-producing E. coli) were the cause -200 cases and 10 cases, respectively.

Chicken was a source of infection in outbreaks where Campylobacter was the cause -155 cases.
When the source of infection was food from the sea, norovirus in oysters was the cause most cases of illness (124 cases), followed by Vibrio parahaemolyticus in seagrass (50 cases) and histamine in fish (34 cases).
The number of food poisoning reports was highest during the first quarter: between January to March there were 63 reports in, with a total of 634 cases of illness. This is due to both a number of oyster-related outbreaks early in the year and fewer outbreaks occurred during the rest of the year due to restrictions and hygiene recommendations during the covid-19 pandemic. For almost 65% of the disease cases, the source of contamination was food contaminated early in the production chain, e.g. industrial facilities, from which the food was then widely distributed (industry 30 %, primary production 3% and other 31.5%). In order to reduce the number of food poisonings, it is therefore important to have good systems for food safety in primary production and such facilities.
The most commonly mentioned contributing factor was incorrect storage with respect to time and temperature. This factor was listed in 21 reports. For example, this may refer to inappropriate temperature when keeping food heated, or not low enough temperature in cold storage. The second most common factor was “a contaminated ingredient”, as stated in 11 reports.
There is often no information about the country of origin of the implicated food products. This may be due to the fact that this information is optional in the reporting form. It can be also difficult to know in which country viruses or bacteria contaminated a food product.
The reporting authority usually does not have access to information about whether patients have received hospital care. However in 5 reports, it was stated that a total of 7 people received hospital care. No deaths were reported.

Click to access l-2021-nr-23-rapporterade-misstankta-matforgiftningar-2020.pdf

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Posted in Campylobacter jejuni, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Microbiology Research, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Histamine, Illness, Norovirus, outbreak, Research, STEC, STEC E.coli, Vibrio parahaemolyticus