Category Archives: Pathogen

US- Chicks and Ducklings Salmonella Cases Increase

Posted on August 22, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The number of people sickened by Salmonella traced to chicks and ducklings from an Ohio mail order hatchery has risen from 123 to 163, according to a report released Monday by the U.S.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   

The illnesses – linked to contact with live baby poultry sold by Mt. Hatchery of Cincinnati, OH – began in March of this year. Three strains of Salmonella – Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Lille and Salmonella Newport – have been associated with animals from the hatchery.

 
The 20 new cases reported since CDC’s last update on July 12 occurred in 10 states, including Illinois (2), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (2), New York (5), North Carolina (1), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (1), Vermont (1) and West Virginia (3).

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

UK – Hospital Sandwiches Report – Listeria

Posted on August 22, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Sun

“HOSPITAL sandwiches were yesterday revealed to have KILLED eight patients.”

The victims died from the listeria bug — which thrives when grub is not chilled properly.

Watchdogs yesterday demanded a crackdown on shoddy handling of food after the grim toll over the past ten years was disclosed by the Health Protection Agency.

Twenty others were also poisoned by listeria but survived.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen

RASFF Alerts – Aflatoxin, Salmonella

Posted on August 22, 2012 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Aflatoxin in Peanut Butter in Belgium sourced in Senegal

RASFF – Salmonella in Dried Organic Sage in Denamrk sourced from Turkey via the Netherlands.

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Allergic Reaction, Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall, Salmonella, Toxin

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UK – Two sets of E.coli Cases

Posted on August 21, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Gazette

AN OUTBREAK of the dangerous stomach bug E.Coli has sparked a health alert and prompted a children’s nursery in Basingstoke to temporarily close its doors.

Kiddi Caru, in Broadmere Road, Beggarwood, suspended its child care last Thursday night.

The Health Protection Agency said two children have contracted the illness and a third is suspected of having it, but all three children are recovering. None of them is in hospital.

Fife Today

Two people have contracted a potentially deadly strain of E.coli and are being treated in hospital.

 Five cases of the infection are being investigated but only two people have the O157 strain, said NHS Orkney.

The cases are not linked, according to the health board.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

UK Daily Mail – Attack of the Poisoned Lettuces!

Posted on August 20, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Daily Mail Online 

It is there on every packet of salad: ‘wash before eating’. But how many of us will simply rip open the wrapping and empty the contents into a salad bowl, or tear it into a sandwich without a second thought?

Doing so could yield unpleasant results, says the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Government’s advisory body.

Last year, Spanish cucumbers and German beansprouts made headlines worldwide as being possible sources of a deadly outbreak. A variety of the bacterium E.coli that was pathogenic (capable of causing infection) had killed six people and left almost 300 very ill in Germany.

Most of us are aware of the risk of food poisoning from meat and poultry if they’re not properly stored, handled or cooked, but we don’t tend to think of vegetables and fruit as posing a risk to our health.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, Food Hygiene, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

US – Gourmet Spreads Recall Possible Clostridium botulinum Risk

Posted on August 20, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Botulism Blog

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) warned consumers not to eat certain 7th Heaven Gourmet spreads on Saturday because they were processed in a manner that makes them susceptible to contamination with Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism poisoning.

7th Heaven Gourmet of Hesperia, California recalled its Pate Mediterraneo and Eggplant & Shitake Tapenade spreads packaged in 8 ounce glass jars with screw-on metal lids, which were available for purchase between September 2011 and July 2012 and sold at farmers markets in Victorville and Rancho Cucamonga, California.

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen

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FDA Recall – Fruit, Vegetable, Sandwich Products Containing Apple – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on August 20, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FDA

Missa Bay, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ready Pac Foods, Inc., of Swedesboro, New Jersey is voluntarily recalling a total of 293,488 cases and 296,224 individually distributed units of fruit, vegetable, and sandwich products containing apples, as listed below, with the Use‐by dates of July
8, 2012 through August 20, 2012 because they contain diced or sliced apples which may be
contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious or life‐threatening food borne illness in a person who eats a food item contaminated with it. Symptoms of infection may include fever, muscle aches, gastro intestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. The illness primarily impacts pregnant women and adults with weakened immune systems. Most healthy adults and children rarely become seriously ill.

This recall notification is being issued due to finding Listeria monocytogenes on equipment used by
Missa Bay, LLC to produce apple products. Missa Bay, LLC is coordinating closely with regulatory officials.
No illnesses have been reported in association with this voluntary recall.

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

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US – Grilling Trays Recalled Mushrooms – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on August 19, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Saturday that Pure Hothouse Foods Inc. was recalling fresh cut grilling trays because the mushrooms used in the trays had tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.  

On August 16, Pure Hothouse Foods issued a recall for 1402 cases and 8,412 individually distributed units of fresh cut grilling trays, with Sell-by dates of August 11, 2012 through August 26, 2012.  The products were produced and distributed from Pure Hothouse Foods, Inc. of Leamington, Ontario, Canada to retailers in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.

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

Vibrio Outbreak – Shellfish Areas Closed for the Season

Posted on August 18, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Washington Health

Vibrio bacteria have closed three commercial growing areas and caused 30 confirmed illnesses in Washington this summer, according to the state Department of Health. Totten Inlet near Olympia, North Bay and Dabob Bay in north Hood Canal are closed for the rest of the summer due to these bacteria, which are common in warm weather conditions. Once water temperatures begin to cool in October, these growing areas will reopen.

People get vibriosis from eating raw or undercooked oysters that have Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria in them. Cooking shellfish until the shells just open is not enough to kill Vibrio bacteria. Shellfish should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F for at least 15 seconds. Don’t rinse cooked oysters in seawater, which can re-contaminate them.

Vibriosis symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, and chills. Symptoms usually appear 12-24 hours after eating infected shellfish, and can last two to seven days. Vibriosis can be life-threatening for people with low immunity or chronic liver disease. Also at greater risk are people who take antacids, heart or diabetes medication, or who’ve had antibiotic or cancer treatments recently.

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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, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Vibrio, Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Multistate US Salmonella Outbreak

Posted on August 18, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local officials are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium infections. The investigation is in the early stages. We are moving quickly to learn as much as possible and prevent additional people from becoming ill. We recognize that people will be concerned about this outbreak, and we will continue to provide updates and advice. 

A total of 141 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 20 states.

The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (7), Arkansas (3), California (2), Georgia (1), Illinois (17), Indiana (13), Iowa (7), Kentucky (50), Michigan (6), Minnesota (3), Missouri (9), Mississippi (2), New Jersey (1), North Carolina (3), Ohio (3), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (3), Tennessee (6), Texas (1), and Wisconsin (2).     

31 persons have been hospitalized, and two deaths have been reported in Kentucky.

In the course of their investigation, state officials in Kentucky and Indiana found evidence that they believe indicate cantaloupes grown in southwestern Indiana may be a source of the ongoing Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak. FDA officials are actively investigating potential sources of the outbreak, and will continue to update the public as more specific information becomes available.

 

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Chemistry, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen