Category Archives: Pathogen

Vietnam – Food Poisoning Incident – 107 Cases – Sandwich

Posted on May 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Thanh Nien News

Ben Tre authorities concluded Sunday that a sandwich sold by a local bakery was responsible for the food poisoning of 107 people in the Mekong Delta province on May 23.

Cao Thi Diem Thuy, deputy director of the province’s Food Safety Agency, said Minh Tuyen Bakery has been shut down following the incident. Only four people have been discharged from hospital so far, with the other 103 still yet to recover.

All of them ate sandwiches at Minh Tuyen on the evening of May 22 and began to develop stomachache, diarrhea, vomiting, and high temperature by early the following day. More than 20 people were hospitalized immediately, while the others were taken in the next few days after self-medication failed to help.

Thuy said her agency has taken samples from the patients for testing, and the results would determine the action to be taken against the bakery

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning

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New Zealand – Food Outlet 9 Cases Salmonella Infantis

Posted on May 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

The New Zealand Herald Salmonella

An unnamed Northland food outlet is being investigated over nine confirmed cases of a rare type of Salmonella. In the past few weeks, Northland District Health Board has found a total of eleven cases of the food poisoning, which has been identified as salmonella infantis.

The Board’s medical officer Clair Mills says it was odd to have a cluster all at once and in a region where this type of bug is uncommon. She says nine of the eleven people had eaten at the same outlet in Whangarei.

“So then of course we look further at the premise and we take samples from food and we take stool samples from staff.”

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella

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Pakistan – Polluted Water – Culltivated Vegetables – Hepatitis A

Posted on May 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Business Recorder

Cultivations of vegetables from polluted water in the outskirts of the city is posing serious public health hazard and authorities concerned are doing almost nothing to stop this practice. Experts believe that contaminated water, industrial waste and unhygienic food are causing a surge in the incidence of Hepatitis-A disease.

They said that different government and private hospitals reported that patients of Hepatitis-A were increasing. Experts feared that the situation was worsening in cities such as Karachi, Multan, Swat, and areas near Islamabad where the polluted water contaminated drinking water because of poor sanitation system.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had conducted tests in few areas and found them prone to Hepatitis-A. However, scores of areas are also affected with the same problem and continue to cause health hazards to people with infectious disease. Medical experts say that it is the responsibility of the government to providing clean drinking water to the citizens on a regular basis. Doctors advised patients to get vaccinated against Hepatitis-A as preventive measures.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hepatitis A, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Toxin, Water

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USA Research – Report on Anitmicrobial Resistance

Posted on May 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletincocci

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has released a white paper titled “Antibiotic Resistance in Foodborne Pathogens.” The paper details information about more than 55 foodborne illness outbreaks since 1973. In 31 of those outbreaks, the bacteria were resistant to five or more antibiotics. Forty-eight of the 55 outbreaks were caused by Salmonella bacteria.

The foods most likely associated with antibiotic resistant bacteria included dairy products, ground beef, and poultry; those foods were associated with 31 out of 55 outbreaks. The paper states that the two populations that are most at risk of foodborne illness are children and immune-compromised people.

CSPI is critical of the FDA’s approach to dealing with this problem. In April 2012, the FDA issued guidance documents for industry that just “encourage” drug companies to change labeling on antibiotics used in animals to prevent their non-therapeutic use for growth promotion or feed efficiency. Scientists, including those at Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, say that the government should issue regulations about antibiotic use that have enforcement capability. Furthermore, CSPI and other groups want legislation such as “The Preservation of Antibiotics for the Medical Treatment Act” or PAMTA, passed into law.

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Illness, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella

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Israel – Soy Material – Salmonella

Posted on May 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Arutz Shever Salmonella

CHS Israel, a company which produces raw materials from soy and which can be found in a variety of products throughout the food industry, informed the Ministry of Health on Thursday that it was recalling some raw materials due to concern over the presence of salmonella in its products.

The plant has stopped all production until testing and treatment is complete. The Ministry of Health reported that a return to production is contingent on the completion of tests, corrective actions and the approval of the Ministry.

The decision was made in light of findings from quality control procedures and not as a result of reports of illness. Salmonella bacteria are destroyed during heating processes such as cooking, frying and baking

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella

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FDA – Recall Cold Smoked Salmon – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on May 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FDA

Salmolux of Federal Way, WA is recalling its cold smoked salmon products because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

No illnesses have been reported.

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Posted in Bacteria, FDA, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, Uncategorized

USA – Campylobacter in Raw Milk Outbreak

Posted on May 24, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning JournalimagesCAZ9J1WP

The Alaska Section of Epidemiology is investigating another outbreak of Campylobacter infection associated with the consumption of raw milk. This new outbreak is associated with raw milk distributed by the same Kenai Peninsula cow-share program that was linked to a Campylobacter outbreak sickened at least 31 people in February 2013.

In the current investigation, five cases of Campylobacter infection have been identified to date. Two of the five people sought medical attention. Testing by the Alaska State Public Health Laboratory identified the bacteria strain as Campylobacter jejuni. The exact same strain of C. jejuni was found in cow manure obtained earlier this year at the cow-share farm that distributed the raw milk. “The genetic fingerprint of the bacteria isolated from these two people and the cow is unique. It has never been seen before in the United States,” said Dr. Joe McLaughlin, State Epidemiologist. “These outbreaks are an unfortunate reminder of the inherent risks associated with raw milk consumption, and underscore the importance of pasteurization.”

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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Research – Retrospective Analysis of Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus in Animal Feed Ingredients

Posted on May 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Liebert Online

The presence and antimicrobial susceptibility of foodborne pathogens and indicator organisms in animal feed are not well understood. In this study, a total of 201 feed ingredient samples (animal byproducts, n=122; plant byproducts, n=79) were collected in 2002 and 2003 from representative rendering plants and the oilseed (or cereal grain) industry across the United States. The occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility of four bacterial genera (Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus) were determined. Salmonella isolates were further characterized by serotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). None of the samples yielded Campylobacter or E. coli O157:H7, whereas Salmonella, generic E. coli, and Enterococcus were present in 22.9%, 39.3%, and 86.6% of samples, respectively. A large percentage (47.8%) of Salmonella-positive samples harbored two serovars, and the vast majority (88.4%) of Enterococcus isolates were E. faecium. Animal byproducts had a significantly higher Salmonella contamination rate (34.4%) than plant byproducts (5.1%) (p<0.05). Among 74 Salmonella isolates recovered, 27 serovars and 55 PFGE patterns were identified; all were pan-susceptible to 17 antimicrobials tested. E. coli isolates (n=131) demonstrated similar susceptibility to these antimicrobials except for tetracycline (15.3% resistance), sulfamethoxazole (7.6%), streptomycin (4.6%), ampicillin (3.8%), and nalidixic acid (1.5%). Enterococcus isolates (n=362) were also resistant to five of 17 antimicrobials tested, ranging from 1.1% to penicillin to 14.6% to tetracycline. Resistance rates were generally higher among isolates recovered from animal byproducts. Taken together, our findings suggest that diverse populations of Salmonella, E. coli, and Enterococcus are commonly present in animal feed ingredients, but antimicrobial resistance is not common. Future large-scale studies to monitor these pathogenic and indicator organisms in feed commodities is warranted.

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, Antimicrobials, Bacteria, Campylobacter, E.coli, Enterococcus, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella

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Malaysia – Pupils Ill from Free Milk

Posted on May 23, 2013 by | 1 comment

Borneo PostimagesCAZ9J1WP

MELAKA: Eighteen pupils of a school in Telok Mas here were rushed to a health  clinic for suspected food poisoning after having consumed milk provided free  under a school milk programme.

The pupils, from standards one and three of Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Lintang,  complained of stomachache and vomitted after taking the milk at about 9 am and  were taken to the Umbai Health Clinic.

 

 

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning

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Research – Salmonella and Campylobacter Prevalence and Concentration on Pasture-Raised Broilers

Posted on May 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment

USDA

The small-scale, pasture-raised poultry production model is a growing niche in
the locally grown food movement. There is limited research that focuses on the
food safety of small-scale broiler processing methods. The objective of this
study was to compare Salmonella and Campylobacter prevalence and concentrations on pasture-raised broilers processed on-farm, in a small United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Inspected custom slaughter facility (U-IF), and in a Mobile Processing Unit (MPU) pilot plant. A total of 120, 100, and 50 post-chill, pasture-raised broiler carcasses were sampled from each processing method, respectively. Salmonella and Campylobacter concentrations in whole carcass rinses were determined using a 3-tube Most Probable Number (MPN) method for Salmonella and direct plating method for Campylobacter according to the USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) protocols. Salmonella prevalence and concentrations on-farm (89% and 1.78 MPN/carcass [95% CI: 1.60-1.96]), USDA-IF (43% and 0.78 MPN/carcass [95%CI: 0.58-0.98]) were significantly (P <0.05) different. Campylobacter prevalence was not significantly (P >0.05) different on carcasses processed by the three methods (70% on-farm, 82% USDA-IF, and 100% MPU). The mean log10 Campylobacter concentrations in MPU processed carcasses (5.44 CFU/carcass [95% CI: 5.24-5.63]) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared to on-farm (2.32 CFU/carcass [95% CI: 2.06-2.80]) and USDA-IF (2.44 CFU/carcass (95% CI: 2.03-2.85]). Based on the results of this baseline study, most pasture-raised broilers processed by the three methods were contaminated with Salmonella and/or Campylobacter with the exception of MPU carcasses on which Salmonella was not detected. Further research is needed to assess other potential risk factors such as farm and regional differences.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella

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