Category Archives: Research

Europe – Laboratory Preparedness for Detection and Monitoring of Shiga Toxin 2-producing Escherichia coli O104:H4 in Europe and Response to the 2011 Outbreak

Posted on June 21, 2013 by | 2 comments

Eurosurveillance

A hybrid strain of enteroaggregative and Shiga toxin 2-producing Escherichia coli (EAEC-STEC) serotype O104:H4 strain caused a large outbreak of haemolytic uraemic syndrome and bloody diarrhoea in 2011 in Europe. Two surveys were performed in the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) countries to assess their laboratory capabilities to detect and characterise this previously uncommon STEC strain. Prior to the outbreak, 11 of the 32 countries in this survey had capacity at national reference laboratory (NRL) level for epidemic case confirmation according to the EU definition. During the outbreak, at primary diagnostic level, nine countries reported that clinical microbiology laboratories routinely used Shiga toxin detection assays suitable for diagnosis of infections with EAEC-STEC O104:H4, while 14 countries had NRL capacity to confirm epidemic cases. Six months after the outbreak, 22 countries reported NRL capacity to confirm such cases following initiatives taken by NRLs and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Food- and Waterborne Disease and Zoonoses laboratory network. These data highlight the challenge of detection and confirmation of epidemic infections caused by atypical STEC strains and the benefits of coordinated EU laboratory networks to strengthen capabilities in response to a major outbreak.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O104, EHEC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, STEC

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Research – Listeria in Cheese and Milk

Posted on June 21, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

According to Codex Alimentarius Commission recommendations, management options applied at the process production level should be based on good hygiene practices, HACCP system, and new risk management metrics such as the food safety objective. To follow this last recommendation, the use of quantitative microbiological risk assessment is an appealing approach to link new risk-based metrics to management options that may be applied by food operators.

Through a specific case study, Listeria monocytogenes in soft cheese made from pasteurized milk, the objective of the present article is to practically show how quantitative risk assessment could be used to direct potential intervention strategies at different food processing steps.

Based on many assumptions, the model developed estimates the risk of listeriosis at the moment of consumption taking into account the entire manufacturing process and potential sources of contamination. From pasteurization to consumption, the amplification of a primo-contamination event of the milk, the fresh cheese or the process environment is simulated, over time, space, and between products, accounting for the impact of management options, such as hygienic operations and sampling plans. A sensitivity analysis of the model will help orientating data to be collected prioritarily for the improvement and the validation of the model.

What-if scenarios were simulated and allowed for the identification of major parameters contributing to the risk of listeriosis and the optimization of preventive and corrective measures.

Dairy Foods

In 1985, the world changed for the dairy industry. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that from Jan. 1 to Aug. 15, there were 142 confirmed cases and 48 deaths associated with listeriosis, a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.

The cases were centered in the local Hispanic population of Los Angeles. These were “confirmed” cases; however, the actual number is estimated to be significantly higher. The outbreak was eventually linked to Jalisco Mexican Products Inc., commonly known as “Jalisco Cheese.” Investigators determined that an unknown portion of the milk used to make the company’s fresh Mexican-style cheeses was not pasteurized. This was not by mistake. Raw milk added to pasteurized milk enhanced the flavor of the cheese, giving it a slight rancid flavor.

At the time, we knew virtually nothing about Listeria. We were asking:

  • What is it and how pathogenic is it?
  • Where did it come from?
  • How does it grow?
  • Can we control it?

But the most important questions in 1985 were: Will sanitizers destroy it and does it survive pasteurization?

 

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

Africa and EU – Rise in Antibiotic Resistance in Salmonella

Posted on June 20, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Strains of one increasingly antibiotic-resistant Salmonella serotype have seen a “rapid worldwide spread,” according to a study published by researchers at the Institut Pasteur in Paris and Morocco.

Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Kentucky, first isolated in 2002 in a French tourist who had visited Egypt, has now “spread at an astonishing rate throughout Africa and the Middle East in the space of only a few years,” the study’s authors claim.

The bacterium has also already been found in farmed-raised turkeys in Europe, though it is not clear based on available information if those turkeys were imported or grown domestically. In a summary of the study, the lead author said he worries that the resistant strain may soon spread to European poultry farms.

This study comes on the heels of a report out of Canada calling antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Kentucky a rare but “growing concern” in Canadian health. That study found that between 2003 and 2009, 30 percent of Salmonella Kentucky isolates from Canadian patients were resistant to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin.

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

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Netherlands- May Put Limits on Campylobacter on Chicken

Posted on June 20, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin imagesCAYZ5I84

A report from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands states that the Dutch government “intends to limit the level of Campylobacter bacteria on chicken meat, a so-called process hygiene criterion.” That means that if higher levels of the bacteria are found repeatedly in a particular slaughterhouse, that facility will need to evaluate their processing hygiene. The government has been focusing on “farm to fork” hygiene, looking at everything from slaughterhouse conditions to consumer food preparation standards.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Uncategorized

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Research – Microbiological Criteria as a Decision Tool for Controlling Campylobacter in the Broiler Meat Chain

Posted on June 17, 2013 by | Leave a comment

NIPHE

Report

Substantiation of the standards for Campylobacter on chicken meat

Campylobacter bacteria are among the most important causes of foodborne disease in the Netherlands. Approximately 30 per cent of all cases of illness are attributed to the consumption and preparation of broiler chicken meat.

This mainly concerns cross-contamination in the kitchen from chicken meat to product that are consumed raw, like salads, and to a lesser extent under cooked meat. Research by RIVM has shown that a large point of these illnesses can be prevented if the number of bacteria on chicken meat after industrial production is reduced.

Recently there is increased attention for hygiene in the farm to fork production check including slaughterhouses. In this context, the Dutch government intends to limit the level of Campylobacter bacteria on chicken meat, a so-called process hygiene criterion. If higher levels are repeatedly found, the slaughterhouse needs to improved processing hygiene RIVM has evaluated the impact of different (more or less stringent) criteria, both on public health and on the costs for the poultry industry.

A critical limit of 1000 Campylobacter bacteria per gram would reduce the number of human disease cases by two-thirds. The costs to the poultry industry to meet this criterion (estimated at 2 million euro per year) are considerably lower than the averted costs of illness (approximately 9 million euro per year).

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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Research – STEC E.coli Survival in Water

Posted on June 14, 2013 by | 1 comment

HACCP EuropaE__Coli_0157

A toxin dangerous to humans may help E. coli fend off aquatic predators, enabling strains of E. coli that produce the toxin to survive longer in lake water than benign counterparts, a new study from researchers from the University at Buffalo and Mercyhurst University finds.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, STEC, Toxin

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Research in Germany – Listeria in Ready to Eat Foods

Posted on June 12, 2013 by | Leave a comment

BfR

As part of an EU-wide baseline study, the BfR has investigated the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in smoked and gravad fish, soft and semi-soft cheese and also in heat-treated meat products. These foods are known to be potential carriers of elevated quantities of listeria. Overall, study results show that the prescribed microbiological criteria for Listeria monocytogenes are not always strictly adhered to in ready-to-eat foods. When limits are exceeded there is a risk of consumers contracting a Listeria monocytogenes infection. It is therefore imperative for food producers to ensure that the regulations are consistently met.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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Research – Irrigation Water – Coliforms – E.coli

Posted on June 10, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Ingenta ConnectWaterfall

Irrigation water is considered a potential source of preharvest pathogen contamination of vegetables. Hence, several organizations have recommended microbiological standards for water used to irrigate edible plants. The purpose of this study was to determine the strength of association between microbial quality indicators (coliforms and Escherichia coli) in irrigation water and on irrigated vegetables. Data analyzed included original results from a cross-sectional study conducted in the Midwestern United States during summer 2009 and information presented in two previously published studies performed in France and Portugal to investigate microbial quality of irrigation water and watered produce. In the cross-sectional study, repetitive PCR (rep-PCR) was used to characterize genetic relatedness of E. coli isolates from water and vegetables. No significant correlations were found between fecal indicators on leafy greens (lettuce and parsley, n = 91) or fruit (tomatoes and green peppers, n = 22) and those found in irrigation water used in the cross-sectional study (P > 0.40) or in the previously published data sets (data set 1: lettuce and waste irrigation water, n = 15, P > 0.40; data set 2: lettuce and irrigation water, n = 32, P = 0.06). Rep-PCR banding patterns of E. coli strains were all distinguishable among the pairs of E. coli isolates recovered from produce and irrigation water on the same farm. From the available data, the concentration of indicator organisms based on a single measure of irrigation water quality was not associated with the presence of these indicators on produce. In the absence of additional information, the use of a single microbial water quality parameter as an indicator of produce safety is of limited value for predicting the safety of the produce.

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Posted in Bacteria, Coliforms, E.coli, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Water

USA – FDA – Foodborne Illness: Especially Dangerous for the Vulnerable

Posted on June 10, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FDAFDA

If you’ve ever become sick after eating a food contaminated with disease-causing bacteria, it’s not an experience you want to repeat.

But if you’re part of what is called an “at-risk” or “vulnerable” population, a foodborne illness can be extremely dangerous. Symptoms—such as vomiting, diarrhea and fever—can intensify and the illness can become life-threatening.

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Posted in Bacteria, FDA, 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, Research

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USA – CDC Vital Signs Website – Listeria Information

Posted on June 10, 2013 by | 3 comments

CDC Vital SignsE.coli O157

Many germs can be spread through food. Some, like Listeria, can be deadly. Listeria strikes hard at pregnant women and their newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Listeria can cause miscarriage and meningitis. Most people found to have Listeria infection require hospital care and about 1 in 5 people with the infection die. Outbreak investigations tell us what foods make people sick and what needs to change to make food safer and save lives. We have made some progress against Listeria, which is the third leading cause of death from food poisoning. However, we can do more to protect people at higher risk for food poisoning and make food safer for everyone.

If you, or someone you make food for, are pregnant, 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system, you must be especially careful when selecting, preparing, and storing foods.

  • Know your risk of food poisoning.
  • Select, prepare, and store food safely.
  • Follow the safe food guidelines – Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill – at www.FoodSafety.gov

CDC

New CDC Vital Signs: Listeria Food Poisoning Striking Hard at Nation’s Most Vulnerable

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Posted in Bacteria, CDC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Research

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