Category Archives: Pathogen

Australia – Northern Territories – Increase in Cryptosporidium

Posted on April 4, 2012 by | Leave a comment

AFN 

A notable rise in the number of cases of the stomach bug Cryptosporidium in the Northern Territory has prompted the Government of the Northern Territory to urge Territorians to practice good hygiene and food safety practices.

“Cryptosporidiosis, or “crypto”, is a disease caused by the parasite Cryptosporidium parvum. It can be spread by ingesting food or water that has been contaminated by people infected by the parasite.

According to the Northern Territory Government, 114 cases have been reported so far this year.

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Posted in Cryptosporidium, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Parasite, Pathogen, Water

Canada – Cheese Recall – Possible Listeria Contamination

Posted on April 4, 2012 by | Leave a comment

BCCDC

The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is warning the public not to consume Tomme d’Or cheese manufactured by Moonstruck Organic Cheese located on Saltspring Island. Other types of cheeses produced by Moonstruck Organic Cheese are not affected by this advisory.

 This health alert is the result of a routine sampling program by the BCCDC and further investigation by the manufacturer which revealed that samples of the finished products contained the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Affected products include all lot numbers of Tomme d’Or cheese. In order to ensure the health and safety of consumers, a photo of the product is provided below so the public can easily identify the product. The manufacturer is fully cooperating and assisting with the investigation.

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

UK – Baby Contracts Salmonella pomona -Pet Snake

Posted on April 4, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Local Guardian 

Not exactly food, but a warning for both the general public and people working in laboratories of exotic sources of Salmonella from reptiles.

A five-month-old baby was rushed to hospital after contracting a potentially fatal-infection from an exotic family pet.

A warning has now been issued to all reptile owners after tests on the baby, that was suffering from severe diarrhoea, revealed he was suffering from the effects of Salmonella pomona, a rare type of bacteria linked to reptiles.

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Posted in Bacteria, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella

NZ – Legionnaires Outbreak in Auckland

Posted on April 3, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Stuff.CO.NZ 

About 300 Auckland buildings may be affected by a major outbreak of the potentially fatal Legionnaires’ disease. The outbreak has prompted urgent calls for building owners, mostly within the CBD, to overhaul mechanical ventilation systems that include cooling towers. In the last six weeks, nine cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been recorded in the region. A typical six-week period would see one or two cases notified.

The disease is a form of pneumonia that can be life-threatening for some. The condition of the nine people with the disease is not known

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Legionella, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

UK – Vets – E.coli Superbug – Caution

Posted on April 3, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Meat Info UK 

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has questioned the Soil Association’s (SA) assertion that there is “overwhelming evidence” that the use of antibiotics in UK livestock farms is contributing to an “epidemic” of E.coli infections in humans.

It said that leading scientitic opinion suggests there is no evidence to draw this conclusion and that the claims risked a “kneejerk reaction” of blanket restrictions on the use of these medicines by veterinary surgeons.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

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US – FSIS Food Safety Video

Posted on April 3, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has released a new video today to demonstrate safe food handling for spring celebrations.

The three problematic foods for Easter and Passover are eggs, brisket, and ham.

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

FSA – Olympic Food Safety Campaign Launch

Posted on April 3, 2012 by | Leave a comment

FSA

The Food Standards Agency has launched the Play it Safe campaign, to raise awareness of food safety during the London 2012 Games. The Agency is working with food businesses and food safety enforcement officers to ensure all food sold, cooked and eaten during the Games is safe.

The first strand of the campaign focuses on the Food Safety Squad, the 10 environmental health officers acting as ambassadors for food safety. They represent the hundreds of environmental health officers around the country who are carrying out vital work to keep visitors to the Games safe and healthy.

The campaign highlights the Agency measures being undertaken to minimise the risk of food safety incidents occurring during London 2012. These include a food safety coaching programme for small businesses in Olympic areas that are in need of improvement; funding and training initiatives for local authorities in Olympic areas; and providing extra equipment for sampling and checks on cleaning.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Spoilage, Food Standards Agency, Food Testing, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen

Climate Change – Influences Pathogen Outbreaks?

Posted on April 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News 

To me this seems to be a reasonably logical assumption and this report attempts to back that up.

The transmission of foodborne pathogens may be impacted by the effects of climate change, according to a report released March 28 by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Studying hundreds of peer-reviewed publications on six different food- and waterborne pathogens, the report’s authors observed 1,653 “key facts” that link the viability of those pathogens to a range of climatic variables such as air temperature, water temperature and precipitation. The pathogens under study included Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella, Norovirus, Cryptosporidium and non-cholera Vibrio.

Link to Report : Free Report

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

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China – Food Poisoning Incidents Hit Rural Schools

Posted on April 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

China Daily

Seven students at a primary school in Southwest China remain in the hospital after they had eaten a free meal provided by the government and got sick, according to a local official.

The rest of the 79 students, who all attend the Babuzhen Central Primary School, in Bijie city’s Zhijin county, Guizhou province, have been discharged, according to Chen Guangshi, director of the county’s publicity department.

Eighty-six students at the school began to vomit and suffer abdominal pains after they had eaten the free breakfast on March 29.

 

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

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Japan – Raw Beef Liver – E.coli O157

Posted on April 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Japan Times

A health ministry panel on Friday proposed banning all raw beef liver served at restaurants, after it was discovered that it contains the O-157 strain of E. coli bacteria.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will swiftly refer the matter to the Food Safety Commission under the Cabinet Office. Once the commission compiles a report, the new ban could be incorporated in the Food Sanitation Law and come into effect as early as June.

Violations regarding raw liver, considered a delicacy, would be punishable by up to two years in prison or a maximum fine of ¥2 million.

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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, Pathogen, Recall

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