Category Archives: outbreak

USA – FDA – Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

Posted on June 6, 2024 by | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • An outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup illnesses (ref # 1229) linked to a not yet identified product has been added to the table. FDA has initiated traceback.
  • For the outbreak of Salmonella Africana illnesses (ref # 1227) linked to a not yet identified product, the case count has increased from 141 to 162. FDA has initiated an inspection and sampling. FDA’s investigation is ongoing.
  • The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Africana illnesses that may be linked to cucumbers. On June 5, 2024, FDA issued an outbreak advisory. FDA and CDC are also investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup infections that shares several similarities with the Salmonella Africana outbreak, including where and when illnesses occurred and the demographics of ill people. Investigators are working to determine whether the two outbreaks could be linked to the same food. This investigation is ongoing; the outbreak advisory and the CORE Investigation Table will be updated once additional information becomes available.

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Posted in CORE Investigation Table, FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Microbiology Research, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Research

Hong Kong – The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (June 4) investigating two epidemiologically linked food poisoning clusters

Posted on June 6, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Gov HK

The first cluster involved a 6-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, who developed abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, and fever about 15 hours after having dinner at a restaurant in Tsuen Wan on May 31.

The other cluster involved two girls aged 6 and 8 respectively, who developed similar symptoms about 10 to 24 hours after consuming takeaway food purchased from the same restaurant at night on the same day.

All affected persons have sought medical advice and are in stable condition.

Initial investigations by the CHP revealed that the affected persons had consumed common food and the food concerned was spaghetti with meat sauce, potato wedges, corn kernels and jelly. The stool specimens of two affected persons were positive for Salmonella upon laboratory testing.

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

FDA – Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Cucumbers (June 2024)

Posted on June 6, 2024 by | Leave a comment

FDA

Sample Product Image from the Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Related to Cucumbers (June 2024)

Sample Product Image from the Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Related to Cucumbers (June 2024)

Sample Product Image from the Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Related to Cucumbers (June 2024)

Do not eat, sell, or serve recalled cucumbers distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc. and distributed to certain states. FDA’s investigation is ongoing.

June 5, 2024

The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Africana infections potentially linked to cucumbers.

Based on epidemiological information collected by CDC for the Salmonella Africana investigation, as of June 4, 162 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Africana have been reported from 25 states and the District of Columbia. Of the 65 people interviewed, 47 (72%) reported eating cucumbers.

CDC and FDA are also investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup infections, with 158 illnesses in 23 states. The two outbreaks share several similarities, including where and when illnesses occurred and the demographics of ill people. Investigators are working to determine whether the two outbreaks could be linked to the same food vehicle. Information will be provided on the source of the Salmonella Braenderup outbreak as it becomes available.

As part of the Salmonella Africana investigation, state partners in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture collected samples of cucumbers from several retail locations in their state. One sample supplied by Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc., of Delray, Florida, tested positive for Salmonella. Additional analysis is ongoing to determine the specific strain of Salmonella that was detected on the cucumbers and if they are linked to an outbreak.

In response to the positive sample, Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc. has recalled cucumbers grown in Florida. English and mini cucumbers are not included in this recall. Cucumbers distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc. are from a variety of growers. The grower that likely supplied potentially contaminated cucumbers is no longer growing and harvesting cucumbers for the season.

The investigations are ongoing to determine the source(s) of contamination and whether these or other products are linked to illnesses. FDA will update this advisory should additional consumer safety information become available.

Map of Distribution for Recalled Fresh Start Cucumbers

Map of U.S. Distribution of Recalled Fresh Start Cucumbers - Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Cucumbers (June 2024)

Case Counts

See CDC Investigation Notice for Case Information for Salmonella Africana and Salmonella Braenderup

Product Distribution*: AL, FL, GA, IL, MD, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV

*Distribution has been confirmed for states listed, but product could have been distributed further, reaching additional states.

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Posted in FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Salmonella, Uncategorized

USA – FDA – Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

Posted on May 31, 2024 by | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • An outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (ref # 1232) linked to a not yet identified product has been added to the table. FDA has initiated traceback.
  • For the outbreak of Salmonella Africana illnesses (ref # 1227) linked to a not yet identified product, the case count has increased from 100 to 141. FDA’s investigation is ongoing.

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Posted in CORE Investigation Table, FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak, Salmonella

USA – Outbreak of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) reported in relation to Oregon mussels

Posted on May 30, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

An outbreak of paralytic shellfish poisoning that has sickened at least 20 people has prompted health officials to urge those who harvested mussels from a stretch of Oregon’s coast since Saturday to discard the mollusks.

Officials at the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division also recommend people who experience any symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning, such as numbness of the mouth and lips, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and in severe cases, shortness of breath or irregular heartbeat, to immediately contact a health care provider. Advice is also available by calling the Oregon Poison Center at 800-222-1222.

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Posted in FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, paralytic shellfish poisoning, PSP, Shellfish, shellfish toxin

Wales – Kebab shop gave over 50 customers food poisoning and hospitalised 11

Posted on May 28, 2024 by | Leave a comment

MSN

Shigella - kswfoodworld

The owners of a kebab shop in Wales gave more than 50 of their customers food poisoning, with 11 of them being hospitalised, after serving contaminated food.

The outbreak happened in February 2023 when customers ate food contaminated with shigella bacteria at Abergavenny’s Marmaris Kebab House in Wales.

Shigella bacteria is extremely contagious and is spread when a person swallows a small amount of it from the stool of someone who is infected. For example, someone may contract shigella if they eat food prepared by someone who has it and didn’t wash their hands.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Shigella, Shigella flexneri, Shigella Sonnei

USA – FDA – Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

Posted on May 23, 2024 by | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • An outbreak of Salmonella Africana illnesses (ref # 1227) linked to a not yet identified product has been added to the table. FDA has initiated traceback.
  • For the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 (ref # 1221) linked to bulk organic walnuts, FDA has initiated an onsite inspection and sample collection and analysis.

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Posted in CORE Investigation Table, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, FDA, food bourne outbreak, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Salmonella

UK reports 90 sick in Salmonella outbreak linked to melonSalmonella Saintpaul outbreak associated with cantaloupe consumption, the United Kingdom and Portugal, September to November 2023

Posted on May 23, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Cambridge.org

Abstract

In September 2023, the UK Health Security Agency identified cases of Salmonella Saintpaul distributed across England, Scotland, and Wales, all with very low genetic diversity. Additional cases were identified in Portugal following an alert raised by the United Kingdom. Ninety-eight cases with a similar genetic sequence were identified, 93 in the United Kingdom and 5 in Portugal, of which 46% were aged under 10 years. Cases formed a phylogenetic cluster with a maximum distance of six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and average of less than one SNP between isolates. An outbreak investigation was undertaken, including a case–control study. Among the 25 UK cases included in this study, 13 reported blood in stool and 5 were hospitalized. One hundred controls were recruited via a market research panel using frequency matching for age. Multivariable logistic regression analysis of food exposures in cases and controls identified a strong association with cantaloupe consumption (adjusted odds ratio: 14.22; 95% confidence interval: 2.83–71.43; p-value: 0.001). This outbreak, together with other recent national and international incidents, points to an increase in identifications of large outbreaks of Salmonella linked to melon consumption. We recommend detailed questioning and triangulation of information sources to delineate consumption of specific fruit varieties during Salmonella outbreaks.

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

UK – Cases double in cryptosporidium parasite outbreak as ‘100 more have symptoms’

Posted on May 20, 2024 by | Leave a comment

UK News Yahoo

The number of confirmed cases of a waterborne disease caused by a microscopic parasite has more than doubled, while more than 100 further people have reported similar symptoms. Around 16,000 households and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon have been told not to use their tap water for drinking without boiling and cooling it first.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Friday that 46 cases of cryptosporidium had now been confirmed in the fishing town, up from 22 cases on Thursday, and that more cases were anticipated. It added other reported cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in residents and visitors to Brixham were also under investigation.

Dr Bayad Nozad, consultant in health protection at UKHSA, said the Government agency was aware of further reports of illness above their confirmed numbers.

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Posted in Contaminated water, Cryptosporidiosis, Cryptosporidium, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

Research – Rapid detection of the source of a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak in Switzerland through routine interviewing of patients and whole-genome sequencing

Posted on May 19, 2024 by | Leave a comment

SMW

In summer 2022, 20 patient-derived L. monocytogenes serotype 4b sequence type 388 strains were found to belong to an outbreak cluster (≤10 different alleles between neighbouring isolates) based on core genome multilocus sequence typing analysis. Geographically, 18 of 20 outbreak cases occurred in northeastern Switzerland. The median age of patients was 77.4 years (range: 58.1–89.7), with both sexes equally affected. Rolling analysis of the interview data revealed smoked trout from a local producer as a suspected infection source, triggering an on-site investigation of the production facility and sampling of the suspected products by the responsible cantonal food inspection team on 15 July 2022. Seven of ten samples tested positive for L. monocytogenes and the respective cantonal authority ordered a ban on production and distribution as well as a product recall. The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office released a nationwide public alert covering the smoked fish products concerned. Whole-genome sequencing analysis confirmed the interrelatedness of the L. monocytogenes smoked trout product isolates and the patient-derived isolates. Following the ban on production and distribution and the product recall, reporting of new outbreak-related cases rapidly dropped to zero.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Microbiology Research, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria Smoked Fish, outbreak, Research