Category Archives: Poisoning

Canada – Whole Salted Fish – Clostridium botulinum

Posted on May 3, 2013 by | 1 comment

Health Canada

Health Canada is reminding Canadians that the consumption of certain whole salted fish products like fesikh, a traditional dish in the Egyptian community, represents an increased risk of botulism.

The fish used to make these specific salted fish dishes are not gutted before the ripening and salting process. This provides an opportunity for Clostridium botulinum bacteria that may be in the gut of the fish to grow and produce the toxins that cause botulism. These toxins are not eliminated by any smoking or drying of the end product. Refrigeration, freezing, washing, and open air or vacuum packaging will not make the fish safe. This applies to whole fish, fillets or parts.

The most recent botulism outbreak in Canada caused by the consumption of fesikh was in 2012. Internationally, the consumption of ungutted salted fish, including fesikh, has been linked to many cases of botulism.

Food contaminated with Clostridium botulinum toxin may not look or smell spoiled. Symptoms of botulism can include nausea and/or vomiting followed by one or more of: double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, dry mouth, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, weakness, respiratory failure and paralysis. In severe cases, death can occur. Symptoms generally begin 12 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food, but they can occur as early as six hours or as late as 10 days after eating.

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Posted in CFIA, Clostridium botulinum, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning, Research

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RASFF Alerts – Aflatoxin – Ochratoxin – Rice Bran – Groundnuts – Nutmeg – Pistachios

Posted on May 2, 2013 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 230 µg/kg – ppb) in rice bran from Sweden

RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 4.3 µg/kg – ppb) in groundnuts from Brazil in the Netherlands

RASFF – Ochratoxin A (23.1 µg/kg – ppb) in ground nutmeg with raw material from India, packaged in Hungary in Ireland

RASFF – Aflatoxins (B1 = 103.6; Tot. = 116.1 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted shelled pistachios from Turkey in Germany

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Posted in Aflatoxin, Allergic Reaction, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, Pathogen, Poisoning, RASFF, Recall, Toxin

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Research – Frogs and Bacterial Antimicorbial Resistance

Posted on April 26, 2013 by | Leave a comment

ANSTOCaerulea3_crop

Skin secretions found in Australian frogs may hold the key to designing powerful new antibiotics that are not prone to bacterial resistance in humans, say researchers.

Antimicrobial peptides (small proteins) found in skin secretions are used by frogs to help fight bacterial infections.

Scientists working at the University of Melbourne and at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) are studying this naturally occurring process at the atomic level and hope it could lead to an alternative to commonly used antibiotics for fighting hospital-acquired infections like Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).

Using a time-of-flight neutron reflectometer housed at ANSTO’s OPAL reactor named Platypus, Post Doctoral Research Fellow Dr Anton Le Brun and a research team from Melbourne University led by Professor Frances Separovic are observing the action of antimicrobial peptides from  Australian tree frogs in model bacterial membranes.

Most antimicrobial peptides attack the semi-permeable barrier (the membrane) of cells making it difficult for bacteria to develop resistance.

Using Platypus offers the team a chance to see exactly how the peptides bind to the membrane and once they are bound, where they are located in the membrane.

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, Bacteria, Food Micro Blog, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Poisoning, Research

Research – EFSA – ECDC – The European Union Summary Report on Trends and Sources of Zoonoses, Zoonotic Agents

Posted on April 9, 2013 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

The European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control analysed the information submitted by 27 European Union Member States on the occurrence of zoonoses and food-borne outbreaks in 2011. Campylobacteriosis was the most commonly reported zoonosis with 220,209 confirmed human cases. The occurrence of Campylobacter continued to be high in broiler meat at EU level.

The decreasing trend in confirmed salmonellosis cases in humans continued with a total of 95,548 cases in 2011. Most Member States met their Salmonella reduction targets for poultry, and Salmonella is declining in these populations. In foodstuffs, Salmonella was most often detected in meat and products thereof.

The number of confirmed human listeriosis cases decreased to 1,476. Listeria was seldom detected above the legal safety limit from ready-to-eat foods.

A total of 9,485 confirmed verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) infections were reported. This represents an increase of 159.4 % compared with 2010 as a result of the large STEC/VTEC outbreak that occurred in 2011 in the EU, primarily in Germany. VTEC was also reported from food and animals.

The number of human yersiniosis cases increased to 7,017 cases. Yersinia enterocolitica was isolated also from pig meat and pigs; 132 cases of Mycobacterium bovis and 330 cases of brucellosis in humans were also reported. The prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle increased, and the prevalence of brucellosis decreased in cattle and sheep and goat populations.

Trichinellosis and echinococcosis caused 268 and 781 human cases, respectively and these parasites were mainly detected in wildlife. The numbers of alveolar and of cystic echinococcosis respectively increased and decreased in the last five years. One imported human case of rabies was reported. The number of rabies cases in animals continued to decrease.

Most of the 5,648 reported food-borne outbreaks were caused by Salmonella, bacterial toxins, Campylobacter and viruses, and the main food sources were eggs, mixed foods and fish and fishery products.

 

© European Food Safety Authority, 2013

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, E.coli, E.coli O104, E.coli O157, ECDC, EFSA, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Poisoning, Research

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Canada – Recall – Gelfite Fish – Clostridium botulinum

Posted on March 30, 2013 by | Leave a comment

CFIACIFA

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Central-Epicure Food Products Ltd. are warning the public not to consume the Central-Epicure brand Gefilte Fish, Ready to Serve, Sweet and Savoury, described below because they may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum.Toxins produced by these bacteria may cause botulism, a life-threatening illness.

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

The manufacturer, Central-Epicure Food Products Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace.  The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning, Recall, Toxin, Uncategorized

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USA – FDA Guidence – Ciguatera Food Posioning

Posted on March 27, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FDAFDA

FDA Announces Draft Guidance for Primary Seafood Processors Who Purchase Reef Fish and Identifies Lionfish as a Potential Risk for Ciguatera Fish Poisoning

March 26, 2013

FDA is announcing the availability of draft guidance recommending that primary seafood processors who purchase reef fish such as grouper, amberjack, snapper, lionfish, king mackerel, and barracuda take steps to minimize consumers’ risk of ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) from the fish they distribute. The draft guidance complements FDA’s existing advice on preventing CFP, which is contained in the Fourth Edition of the Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance (2011) (Guide), by identifying two species of lionfish (Pterois volitans and Pterois miles) as additional reef fish associated with the risk of CFP.

CFP is caused by consuming fish that have eaten toxic marine algae or that have eaten other fish containing the toxins. The toxins accumulate in the flesh of reef dwelling fish, with higher CFP levels predominately found in predatory species, which are then harvested either commercially or by recreational fishermen. Consumers who eat fish that contain ciguatoxin are at risk for contracting CFP.

Primary seafood processors can minimize the risk of CFP by not purchasing fish that are likely to carry ciguatoxins. The Guide recommends that primary seafood processors who purchase fish directly from fishermen obtain information about harvest locations to determine the potential for ciguatoxic fish based on knowledge of the regions where ciguatera occurs. The draft guidance states that primary seafood processors should avoid purchasing fish species associated with causing CFP from established or emerging areas linked with CFP.

After the guidance is finalized, future updates of the Guide will include the two species of lionfish as reef fish for which measures to prevent CFP should be in place.

All interested parties are invited to comment on the draft guidance.

For Additional Information:

Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Fourth Edition (2011)

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Posted in Ciguatera Poisoning, FDA, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning