Category Archives: Research

Sweden – Foodborne illness figures rise in Sweden in 2021

Posted on July 8, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The number of foodborne infections climbed in Sweden in 2021 compared to the year before but most are still below pre-Coronavirus pandemic levels.

The report by the National Veterinary Institute (SVA), Folkhälsomyndigheten (the Public Health Agency of Sweden), Livsmedelsverket (the Swedish Food Agency) and Jordbruksverket (Swedish Board of Agriculture) showed a rise for Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli and Yersinia infections.

Disease surveillance relies on patients seeking care and fewer people have done this during the pandemic. This is believed to be related to patients with symptoms choosing to not seek care and a true reduction in disease incidence because of changes in general hygiene such as increased handwashing, physical distancing and reduced travel because of COVID-19-related recommendations, according to the agencies.

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Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, E.coli, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Research, Salmonella, Yersinia, yersinia enterocolitica

Research – Simulation and identification of foodborne outbreaks in a large supermarket consumer purchase dataset

Posted on July 8, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Nature.com

Foodborne outbreaks represent a significant public health burden. Outbreak investigations are often challenging and time-consuming, and most outbreak vehicles remain unidentified. The development of alternative investigative strategies is therefore needed. Automated analysis of Consumer Purchase Data (CPD) gathered by retailers represents one such alternative strategy. CPD-aided investigations do not require trawling questionnaires to create a hypothesis and can provide analytical measures of association by direct data analysis. Here, we used anonymized CPD from 920,384 customers enrolled in Norway’s largest supermarket loyalty program to simulate foodborne outbreaks across a range of different parameters and scenarios. We then applied a logistic regression model to calculate an odds ratio for each of the different possible food vehicles. By this method, we were able to identify outbreak vehicles with a 90% accuracy within a median of 6 recorded case-patients. The outbreak vehicle identification rate declined significantly when using data from only one of two retailers involved in a simulated outbreak. Performance was also reduced in simulations that restricted analysis from product ID to the product group levels accessible by trawling questionnaires. Our results show that—assuming agreements are in place with major retailers—CPD collection and analysis can solve foodborne outbreaks originating from supermarkets both more rapidly and accurately than than questionnaire-based methods and might provide a significant enhancement to current outbreak investigation methods.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Pathogen, pathogenic, Research

Research – Source of 7-year Listeria outbreak found in Germany

Posted on July 6, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

German officials believe they have solved a seven-year Listeria outbreak that included the death of one man.

Using next generation sequencing (NGS) methods, the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) helped identify a likely connection between Listeria infections in Lower Bavaria and in the district of Altötting since 2015 and a food company.

The company was not named by authorities but they described it as a small businesses in the district of Passau that had various customers in the region. Local media reported it was a produce company that supplied canteens and care homes but not retailers.

Alongside the results from the NGS analysis, there are indications of an epidemiological connection to those sick based on the sales area.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Technology, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, NGS, outbreak, Research, Technology

Spain – Establishment of the safe shelf life of certain ready-to-eat, sliced ​​​​and prepacked foods in the retail trade, in relation to the risk of Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on July 6, 2022 by | Leave a comment

ACSA

Report approved by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Food Safety in April 2022.

The Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB) asked the Scientific Advisory Committee on Food Safety for an opinion on the safe shelf life of Listeria monocytogenes in certain products (cheeses, cooked meats, including pâtés, and cured meats) sliced ​​​​and prepackaged. before sale in retail.

The results of the evaluation indicated that the pre-packaged foods ready for consumption evaluated from the group of cheeses, cooked ham, pâtés and foie require the indication of “expiration date”, since the handling conditions expose the product to a potential contamination. by L. monocytogenes and the pH and w (water activity) characteristics associated with these products are favorable for their growth.

The report was presented on June 20, 2022.

Report

EditorCatalan Food Safety Agency
pages37
Year2022

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, 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, Microbiology Risk, Research

Czech Republic – Officials warn of increase in E. coli infections

Posted on July 5, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A rise in Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections has prompted a warning by health officials in the Czech Republic.

The National Institute of Public Health (SZU) reported that in the first six months of this year 25 cases have been recorded and 15 of them occurred in the past two months.

Eight were reported in May and seven in June. That is more than half of all cases so far in 2022. The majority of those sick are children under the age of five. In 2021, 46 cases were recorded.

Sick people come from across the country but mostly Prague, the South Moravian and South Bohemian regions. Twelve infections were caused by E. coli O26 and six by E. coli O157.

People can become infected by contact with animals, eating insufficiently cooked meat, drinking unpasteurized milk, or by contact with an infected person.

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Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, E.coli O26, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Research

Research – Is Our Ground Meat Safe to Eat?

Posted on July 4, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Consumer Reports

Americans love meat—especially ground meat.

We shape it into burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf; stir it into chili and pasta sauce; and stuff it into peppers, lasagna, and tacos. Americans like it so much that in 2021 alone, we purchased more than $13 billion worth of ground beef, turkey, pork, and chicken.

But our love of ground meat comes at a price: It’s a leading cause of food poisoning. Since 2018, 11 outbreaks of illness have been traced back to raw meat, sickening a reported 1,264 people—and at least eight of them involved ground meat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To assess the current state of the nation’s ground meat supply, Consumer Reports recently tested 351 packages of ground beef, pork, chicken, and turkey purchased at stores throughout the country. (Read more about how we tested (PDF).) What we found was alarming.

Almost a third of the ground chicken packages we tested contained salmonella. We also found those bacteria in a few samples of ground beef, pork, and turkey. Particularly worrisome: Every single strain of salmonella was resistant to at least one antibiotic (see “Why Superbugs Are in Your Meat,” below).

CR also found a strain of E. coli in a sample of ground beef that is so dangerous that we immediately alerted the Department of Agriculture to our findings, triggering a recall of more than 28,000 pounds of the meat from major grocery chains in seven Western states.

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Posted in E.coli, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Research, Salmonella

Spain – Seven face charges in deadly Listeria outbreak in Spain

Posted on July 4, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Seven people are set to stand trial as part of Spain’s largest ever Listeria outbreak, which occurred in 2019.

A judge in a court in Seville this week decided to continue proceedings against seven defendants for offences including alleged crimes against public health and injury to a fetus resulting in abortion. At the conclusion of an investigation into the outbreak, Pilar Ordóñez also considered that Seville Council could be held civilly liable, this means it would have to pay compensation if convicted.

The outbreak from “La Mecha” brand chilled roasted pork produced by Magrudis affected almost 250 people. During the health alert between mid-August and mid-October 2019, four people died and there were six abortions.

Those investigated are José Antonio Marín Ponce, administrator of Magrudis; his wife, Encarnación Rodríguez Jiménez, responsible for production and the company’s self-control system; their children Sandro José and Mario Marín Rodríguez as well as a local veterinary inspector and two other people. Action against another four people has been stopped.

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Posted in Death, food bourne outbreak, food death, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning Death, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Research

Research – Effect of Biltong Dried Beef Processing on the Reduction of Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, and Staphylococcus aureus, and the Contribution of the Major Marinade Components

Posted on July 3, 2022 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Biltong is a dry beef product that is manufactured without a heat lethality step, raising concerns of whether effective microbial pathogen reduction can occur during biltong processing. Raw beef inoculated with 4-strain cocktails of either E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, or Staphylococcus aureus, and processed with a standard biltong process, were shown to incur a >5-log reduction in 6–8 days after marination by vacuum-tumbling for 30 min in vinegar, salt, spices (coriander, pepper) when dried at 23.9 °C (75 °F) at 55% relative humidity (RH). Pathogenic challenge strains were acid-adapted in media containing 1% glucose to ensure that the process was sufficiently robust to inhibit acid tolerant strains. Internal water activity (Aw) reached < 0.85 at 5-log reduction levels, ensuring that conditions were lower than that which would support bacterial growth, or toxin production by S. aureus should it be internalized during vacuum tumbling. This was further confirmed by ELISA testing for staphylococcal enterotoxins A and B (SEA, SEB) after marination and again after 10 days of drying whereby levels were lower than initial post-marination levels. Comparison of log reduction curves obtained for E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, and Salmonella (prior study) showed that microbial reduction was not significantly different (p < 0.05) demonstrating that even without a heat lethality step, the biltong process we examined produces a safe beef product according to USDA-FSIS guidelines.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Enterotoxins, 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, Research, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus

Research – Use of Whole Genome Sequencing by the Federal Interagency Collaboration for Genomics for Food and Feed Safety in the United States

Posted on July 2, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

This multiagency report developed by the Interagency Collaboration for Genomics for Food and Feed Safety provides an overview of the use of and transition to whole genome sequencing (WGS) technology for detection and characterization of pathogens transmitted commonly by food and for identification of their sources. We describe foodborne pathogen analysis, investigation, and harmonization efforts among the following federal agencies: National Institutes of Health; Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Agricultural Research Service, and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. We describe single nucleotide polymorphism, core-genome, and whole genome multilocus sequence typing data analysis methods as used in the PulseNet (CDC) and GenomeTrakr (FDA) networks, underscoring the complementary nature of the results for linking genetically related foodborne pathogens during outbreak investigations while allowing flexibility to meet the specific needs of Interagency Collaboration partners. We highlight how we apply WGS to pathogen characterization (virulence and antimicrobial resistance profiles) and source attribution efforts and increase transparency by making the sequences and other data publicly available through the National Center for Biotechnology Information. We also highlight the impact of current trends in the use of culture-independent diagnostic tests for human diagnostic testing on analytical approaches related to food safety and what is next for the use of WGS in the area of food safety.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Research, WGS

Research – Quantitative Risk Assessment of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Shellfish from Retail to Consumption in Coastal City of East China 

Posted on July 2, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food Protection

Food Illness

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the main foodborne pathogen of acute gastroenteritis in the world. A quantitative microbiological risk assessment (QMRA) was conducted to evaluate the health risk caused by V. parahaemolyticus in shellfish in the costal cities of east China. The QMRA framework was established from shellfish at retail through cooking at home to consumption. The prevalence and concentration of V. parahaemolyticus in shellfish, cooking methods, storage temperature and time after purchase, shellfish consumption frequency and consumption amount were analyzed in the exposure assessment. The results of the exposure assessment were introduced into the Beta-Poisson dose response model, and Monte Carlo analysis was used to calculate the risk of gastroenteritis caused by shellfish consumption. The results showed that the probability of illness caused by V. parahaemolyticus due to shellfish consumption per person per year (Pill,yr) was 3.49E-05. There were seasonal differences in the Pill/meal, the maximum Pill/meal was 4.81E-06 in summer, and the minimum Pill/meal was 2.27E-07 in winter. The sensitivity analysis showed that the concentration of V. parahaemolyticus in shellfish and the consumption per meal were main factors contributing to the illness. This QMRA provided valuable information such as the probability of illness associated with the consumption of shellfish and it also provided references for prevention strategies and control standards of V. parahaemolyticus in shellfish.

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Posted in Contaminated water, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Research, Vibrio, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, water microbiology, Water Safety