Outbreak Investigations Linked to Food
Outbreak Investigations Linked to Animals
Other Outbreaks
Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning Death, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Research, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken, Salmonella in Onions
Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food death, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak, Research
Yearly, 23 million foodborne disease illnesses and 5,000 deaths are estimated in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region, and 41 foodborne Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) per 100,000 population were estimated for the WHO Sub-Region EUR A in 2010 [1]. In Europe, a total of 5,146 foodborne and waterborne outbreaks, including 48,365 cases of illness and 40 deaths were reported to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2018 [2]. Vulnerable populations, including elderly patients, immunocompromised patients, children younger than five years old and pregnant women are more susceptible to foodborne infections and are more prone to develop severe courses of disease compared with healthy people [3]. Therefore, healthcare is a setting where foodborne outbreaks (FBO) can cause considerable morbidity and mortality. In 2020, 20.6% of the European Union (EU) population was aged 65 years and older [4]. As the proportion of elderly people is projected to further increase, the share of the vulnerable population as patients in healthcare facilities (HCF) is likely to increase and thereby the risk associated with healthcare-associated foodborne outbreaks (HA-FBO). Personnel (medical and non-medical staff, food handlers etc) of HCF may also be at risk for HA-FBO and be a source of further spread in healthcare settings and elsewhere. This can cause major disruption of services [5].
So far, literature reviews have covered pathogens responsible for HA-FBO, including Salmonella [6], Listeria monocytogenes [7–9] and norovirus [10,11] and focused on microbiological food safety issues in healthcare settings [5,12]. Between 2014 and 2019, a listeriosis outbreak in Germany affected 13 cases who had an inpatient stay in 12 different HCF during the incubation period [13]. In the United Kingdom (UK) in 2019, nine listeriosis cases of which seven died, had consumed sandwiches in seven HCF during the incubation period [14].
We conducted a literature review to describe the causative agents including bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, the incriminated food vehicles and other outbreak characteristics of HA-FBO in 37 countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) [15]. Furthermore, we analysed German surveillance data and data from the EFSA on HA-FBO. The aim of this article is to describe the current status of HA-FBO in order to improve surveillance and provide public health recommendations for prevention.
Posted in Contaminated water, food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food death, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Poisoning Death, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Temperature Abuse, Food Testing, Food Toxin, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Norovirus, outbreak, Research, Salmonella, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety
Salmonella enterica is a leading worldwide cause of foodborne human illnesses (WHO, 2015).
Salmonella isolates can be differentiated into serotypes according to the Kauffmann-White classification based on their flagellar (H) and somatic antigens (Grimont P. & Weill FX, 2007) or using genome-based serotyping approaches (Banerji S. et al ., 2020 ).
Among the> 2500 referenced serotypes (Ibrahim GM and Morin PM, 2018), Enteritidis and Typhimurium have proven to be both consistent contaminants along the food chain but more importantly as prominent isolates from diseases in humans (EFSA & ECDC, 2021).
These two serotypes are indeed particularly adapted to hostile environments such as farm animals or food industries’ environments and ultimately, human bodies. Their chromosomal or plasmid-borne virulence and regulatory factors often associated to antimicrobial resistance determinants (Cadel-six S. et al ., 2021) confer upon them striking fitness for survival and spread (Chen RA et al., 2019; Huang X. et al. al ., 2019; Guillén, S. et al ., 2021).
Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Research
The main points of the 2019 report are:
Food Outbreaks in 2019
Salmonella Typhimurium – Rice
Salmonella Enteritidis – Eggs
Salmonella Mikawasima – Unknown
Salmonella Enteritidis – Mixed food
Salmonella Enterica -Unknown
Salmonella Bredeney- Pork meat
Salmonella Agona – Unknown
Salmonella Enteritidis – Eggs
Salmonella Enteritidis – Unknown
Salmonella Indiana – Chicken
Salmonella Enteritidis – Eggs
Salmonella Agona – Unknown
Salmonella Typhimurium – Lamb
Salmonella Enteritidis – Eggs
Salmonella Enteritidis – Eggs
Water is vital to agriculture. It is essential that the water used for the production of fresh produce commodities be safe. Microbial pathogens are able to survive for extended periods of time in water. It is critical to understand their biology and ecology in this ecosystem in order to develop better mitigation strategies for farmers who grow these food crops. In this review the prevalence, persistence and ecology of four major foodborne pathogens, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella, Campylobacter and closely related Arcobacter, and Listeria monocytogenes, in water are discussed. These pathogens have been linked to fresh produce outbreaks, some with devastating consequences, where, in a few cases, the contamination event has been traced to water used for crop production or post-harvest activities. In addition, antimicrobial resistance, methods improvements, including the role of genomics in aiding in the understanding of these pathogens, are discussed. Finally, global initiatives to improve our knowledge base of these pathogens around the world are touched upon.
Posted in Campylobacter, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Pathogen, pathogenic, Research, Salmonella, Shigatoxin, STEC, STEC E.coli
Biofilms cause problems in the food industry due to their persistence and incompetent hygiene processing technologies. Interest in photodynamic inactivation (PDI) for combating biofilms has increased in recent years. This technique can induce microbial cell death, reduce cell attachment, ruin biofilm biomolecules and eradicate structured biofilms without inducing microbial resistance. This review addresses microbial challenges posed by biofilms in food environments and highlights the advantages of PDI in preventing and eradicating microbial biofilm communities. Current findings of the antibiofilm efficiencies of this technique are summarized. Additionally, emphasis is given to its potential mechanisms and factors capable of influencing biofilm communities, as well as promising hurdle strategies.
Posted in Biofilm, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, PDI, photodynamic inactivation, Research
In the first installment of this series with Sterilex, Food Safety News explores what biofilms are and their unique resistance to attempts to kill the pathogens they protect.
Food processors and manufacturers know the environments in which they operate are friendly to organisms that can taint their products, potentially leading to foodborne illness outbreaks.
Food safety plans and specific good manufacturing processes outlined in those documents are designed to combat common pathogens — including strains of Listeria, Salmonella and E. coli — that could lead to recalls or outbreaks.
Whether or not food safety plans specifically mention “biofilms,” in many cases they are the root cause of contamination in food facilities. Approximately 60 percent of foodborne illness outbreaks are caused by biofilms, according to food safety research.
Cheese made with unpasteurised milk has been associated with outbreaks of illness. However, there are limited data on the prevalence of shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) in these products, and a lack of clarity over the significance of E. coli as general indicators of hygiene in raw milk cheeses. The aim of this study was to provide further data to address both of these issues as well as assessing the overall microbiological quality of raw milk cheeses available to consumers in England. A total of 629 samples of cheese were collected from retailers, catering premises and manufacturers throughout England. The majority (80%) were made using cow’s milk with 14% made from sheep’s milk and 5% from goat’s milk. Samples were from 18 different countries of origin, with the majority originating from either the UK (40%) or France (35%). When interpreted against EU microbiological criteria and UK guidance, 82% were considered to be of satisfactory microbiological quality, 5% were borderline and 12% were unsatisfactory. Four samples (0.6%) were potentially injurious to health due to the isolation of STEC from one, >10 4 cfu/g of coagulase positive staphylococci in two and >100 cfu/g of Listeria monocytogenes in the fourth sample. Indicator E. coli and Listeria species were detected more frequently in soft compared to hard cheese. Higher levels of indicator E. coli were significantly associated with a greater likelihood of detecting shiga toxin genes ( stx 1 and/or stx 2).
Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Raw Milk, raw milk cheese, Research, STEC, STEC E.coli, STX 1, STX 2
In Hungary, salmonellosis is one of the most frequent foodborne illnesses. According to our estimation, based on a representative consumer survey with 1001 respondents, the annual number of salmonellosis cases exceeded 90,000, which was 18 times higher than the officially reported data. Salmonellosis infections impose significant direct and indirect costs to the health care system, to companies (as employers) and to households. This study focused on the cost to households by analysing well-being losses due to Salmonella infections, for which the WTP (willingness-to-pay) method was used. WTP measures the cost that an individual would pay to avoid an undesirable harm or health outcome. For estimating WTP, 456 respondents gave quantifiable answers. The average WTP to avoid salmonellosis was 86.3 EUR. Based on this data, the total consumer well-being loss could be estimated to be about 7.87 million EUR per year in Hungary. These results indicate that consumers’ well-being losses alone would necessitate further interventions for Salmonella reduction.
FoodWorld 