Category Archives: Pathogen

Northern Ireland – Listeria Outbreak – Pensioner Dies

Posted on April 15, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Press Association 

An elderly patient has died in an outbreak of listeria in two Northern Ireland hospitals. The pensioner was one of two patients in the Antrim Area Hospital that contracted the food-borne bacteria. Another acquired the bug in the Causeway Hospital on the region’s north coast.

The patient who died was already ill but listeria has been confirmed as a contributory cause of death. Both hospitals are managed by the Northern Trust, which has declared an outbreak.

The trust’s Director of Nursing Olive MacLeod said: “The person who died was a frail, elderly patient who had other illnesses but this listeria infection did contribute to their death.”

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

Yet Another Raw Milk Poisoning -Oregon – E.coli

Posted on April 15, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin 

A raw milk  E.coli outbreak has sickened four children in Oregon. Three of them are hospitalised and two have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which causes kidney failure, according to a press release from health officials in Oregon obtained by Food Poisoning Bulletin.

The children, who are all under the age of 15, drank raw milk from Foundation Farm in Clackamas County before they became sick as did other customers of the dairy who have not had diagnostic testing to confirm E. coli 0157:H7 infections.

The farm has voluntarily halted distribution. Customers are being notified and told not to drink any milk from the farm. their milk. Officials from Oregon Public Health Division, the Oregon Department of Agriculture and several local health departments are collaborating on an ongoing investigation.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall

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US Salmonella Bareilly Outbreak Source Found – Yellow Fin Tuna

Posted on April 15, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The months-long search for the origin of the multi-state Salmonella outbreak ended yesterday with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) announcement that frozen, raw, yellowfin tuna product from Moon Marine USA Corporation of Cupertino, Calif. is the source of the outbreak.

Food Safety News

Yellowfin tuna product is the likely source of the Salmonella Bareilly outbreak that has sickened 116 across 21 states and has been linked to sushi, health officials announced Friday evening.

Cupertino, CA based Moon Marine USA Corporation is voluntarily recalling 58,828 pounds of its “Nakaochi Scrape” – tuna backmeat scraped off the bones of the fish and sold in a frozen, ground state – after investigators pinpointed the product as a common food source among outbreak victims. 
 
The implicated food is not sold directly to consumers, but is usually served by retailers in sushi, sashimi, ceviche or similar dishes containing raw fish.
 
Of the 53 outbreak victims interviewed, 43 (81 percent) reported eating sushi in the week preceding their illnesses. Of the 43 who recalled eating sushi, 39 (91 percent) ate sushi that contained tuna, and 36 (84 percent) specifically recalled eating a product that contained “spicy tuna.”  
 

 

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

US – Imported Fish Recall – Clostridium botulinum Spores

Posted on April 15, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety 

H.C. Foods Co. of Commerce, CA is recalling frozen dried mackerel and dried round scad after U.S. Food and Drug Administration personnel found that the fish imported from the Philippines was not properly eviscerated prior to processing.
 
The dried fish may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum spores, which can cause botulism, a serious and potentially fatal foodborne illness.
 
No illnesses have been reported. 
 
The sale of improperly eviscerated fish, 5 inches in length or greater, is prohibited because Clostridium botulinum spores are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera than any other portion of the fish. Uneviscerated fish has been linked to outbreaks of botulism poisoning which may pose a potentially life-threatening health hazard. 

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, Spores

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CIFA – Recall Sanwiches – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on April 15, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CIFA

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Les Aliments Deli Chef are warning the public not to consume certain “Super Loaded Sub” Deli Chef brand sandwiches because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The “Super Loaded Sub” Deli Chef brand sandwiches affected by this alert are sold in a 330 g package bearing the UPC 0 56040 37452 6, an Exp/Best Before date MAY 18 and the Establishment number (EST) 318.

This product has been distributed in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

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Posted in Bacteria, CIFA, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall

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One in Five Chickens Contaminated by Pathogenic Bacteria – Which Report

Posted on April 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

UKPA 

One in five supermarket chickens is contaminated with the food poisoning bacteria campylobacter, an investigation has found.

The study of chicken samples from nine supermarkets by the Which? consumer group found 18% were contaminated with campylobacter and 17% were contaminated with listeria, with 4% containing levels of the latter classed as “high” by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Salmonella was present in 1.5% of samples.

The watchdog tested 192 samples of whole chickens and chicken portions – standard, free range and organic and all reared in the UK – from Aldi, Asda, The Co-operative, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose in March. Bacterial contamination was found in samples from each of the retailers.

The headline in the Sun Newspaper was a little more graphic!

The Telegraph had a view as well.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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“Hypervirulent” Salmonella Research

Posted on April 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

EcoliBlog

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara, Michael Mahan and Douglas Heithoff, have published a new paper in the science journal, PLoS Pathogens, detailing their findings from a study of “hypervirulent” Salmonella bacteria.  Given the recently announced nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly associated with consumption of spicy tuna sushi, the publication of their paper could not be any more timely.

The paper, titled “Intraspecies Variation in the Emergence of Hyperinfectious Bacterial Strains in Nature,” focuses on the researchers’ efforts to seek out and locate hypervirulent strains that present a potential risk to food safety and the livestock industry.

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

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US – California Company – Seafood Importer Closure – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on April 12, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says a California seafood importer and processor has agreed to shut down its operations while it corrects conditions in its processing facility, which is alleged to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Technology, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen

Report into Salmonella and Campylobacter In Senegal Households

Posted on April 12, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online 

“We used a quantitative microbiological risk assessment model to describe the risk of Campylobacter and Salmonella infection linked to chicken meals prepared in households in Dakar, Senegal. The model uses data collected specifically for this study, such as the prevalence and level of bacteria on the neck skin of chickens bought in Dakar markets, time-temperature profiles recorded from purchase to consumption, an observational survey of meal preparation in private kitchens, and detection and enumeration of pathogens on kitchenware and cooks’ hands. Thorough heating kills all bacteria present on chicken during cooking, but cross-contamination of cooked chicken or ready-to-eat food prepared for the meal via kitchenware and cooks’ hands leads to a high expected frequency of pathogen ingestion. Additionally, significant growth of Salmonella is predicted during food storage at ambient temperature before and after meal preparation. These high exposures lead to a high estimated risk of campylobacteriosis and/or salmonellosis in Dakar households. The public health consequences could be amplified by the high level of antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella and Campylobacter observed in this setting. A significant decrease in the number of ingested bacteria and in the risk could be achieved through a reduction of the prevalence of chicken contamination at slaughter, and by the use of simple hygienic measures in the kitchen. There is an urgent need to reinforce the hygiene education of food handlers in Senegal.”

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella

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US Recall E.coli O157 – Tenderised Beef

Posted on April 12, 2012 by | Leave a comment

USDA Recall 

Town and Country Foods Inc., a Greene, Maine establishment, is recalling approximately 2,057 pounds of ground and tenderised beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The problem was discovered through company lab testing which confirmed a positive result for E.coli O157:H7. The company did not hold product pending test results, resulting in this recall. FSIS and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.

It will be interesting to see if in the future both in the USA and UK if more testing for STEC E.coli will result in raw meat withdrawals.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall