Category Archives: Rotavirus

Ukraine – Ukraine reports 50 gastrointestinal infection outbreaks in first seven months

Posted on August 12, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

Ukraine health officials report since the beginning of this year and as of August 1, 604 people, including 447 children, have been affected by outbreaks of intestinal infections. A total of 50 outbreaks were registered.

In July 2021 alone, 137 people fell ill, including 98 children. A total of 12 outbreaks of infectious diseases were recorded :

  • 6 outbreaks of acute intestinal infections of unknown etiology, during which 71 people were sickened, including 54 children;
  • 3 outbreaks of salmonellosis , 34 people were sickened, including 15 children;
  • 2 outbreaks of rotavirus enteritis , 29 people were sickened, including 28 children;
  • one outbreak of viral hepatitis A , 3 people were sickened, including 1 child;
  • Epidemiological investigation and anti-epidemic measures are underway for 4 more outbreaks.

The largest number of outbreaks in July occurred in children’s health facilities and institutions with organized recreation for groups of children (33.3%) and in everyday life (25.0%). The remaining outbreaks occurred in children’s preschools (16.7%), catering establishments (16.7%) and in health care establishments (8.3%).

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Virus, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Hepatitis A, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, outbreak, Rotavirus, Salmonella

Research – Occurrence of Human Enteric Viruses in Shellfish along the Production and Distribution Chain in Sicily, Italy

Posted on June 15, 2021 by | Leave a comment

MDPI

Contamination of bivalve mollusks with human pathogenic viruses represents a recognized food safety risk. Thus, monitoring programs for shellfish quality along the entire food chain could help to finally preserve the health of consumers. The aim of the present study was to provide up-to-date data on the prevalence of enteric virus contamination along the shellfish production and distribution chain in Sicily. To this end, 162 batches of mollusks were collected between 2017 and 2019 from harvesting areas, depuration and dispatch centers (n = 63), restaurants (n = 6) and retail stores (n = 93) distributed all over the island. Samples were processed according to ISO 15216 standard method, and the presence of genogroup GI and GII norovirus (NoV), hepatitis A and E viruses (HAV, HEV), rotavirus and adenovirus was investigated by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time-RT PCR), nested (RT)-PCR and molecular genotyping. Our findings show that 5.56% of samples were contaminated with at least one NoV, HAV and/or HEV. Contaminated shellfish were sampled at production sites and retail stores and their origin was traced back to Spain and several municipalities in Italy. In conclusion, our study highlights the need to implement routine monitoring programs along the whole food chain as an effective measure to prevent foodborne transmission of enteric viruses. View Full-Text

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Safety, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, Norovirus, Research, Rotavirus, Virus

USA – California firm ordered to stop Norovirus claims

Posted on May 18, 2020 by | Leave a comment

BARF BLOG

CBS Los Angeles reports a federal court ordered a Lake Forest company to stop distributing hand sanitizer products it touts as being able to fight specific diseases.

Innovative BioDefense Inc. of Lake Forest was ordered Monday to stop distributing its Zylast hand sanitizer products until it obtains FDA approval or removes removes disease-specific claims from its product labeling, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Zylast product line — which includes a broad spectrum antimicrobial antiseptic, an antiseptic lotion and an antiseptic foaming soap — is sold by Innovative BioDefense online, directly to consumers. According to a 2018 federal complaint, the company marketed their products as being effective against pathogens such as norovirus, rhinovirus, rotavirus, flu virus, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aerus bacteria and Ebola.

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Posted in Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Virus, microbial contamination, Microbiology, MRSA, Norovirus, Research, Rotavirus, Uncategorized, Virus

Cruise ship outbreaks down in 2019

Posted on August 30, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

As we near the end of August, it is quite noticeable that the number of cruise ship outbreaks investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) is less than recent previous years.

Thus far in 2019, CDC-VSP officials investigated five outbreaks- all before early April, nothing since. The most recent outbreak being Oceania Cruises, Oceania Marina 3/18 to 4/5 voyage.

While the year is not over, it is a slower season.

This compares to 11 outbreaks investigated in all of 2018, 11 in 2017 and 13 in 2016.

Of the 40 outbreaks reported by VSP, 27 were due to norovirus, 2 were Enterotoxigenic E. coli(ETEC), one each of Clostridium perfringens, rotavirus, norovirus and Campylobacter and norovirus and ETEC.

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Posted in Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringens, food bourne outbreak, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Norovirus, outbreak, Rotavirus, Uncategorized

UK – FSA – Consultation on Virus

Posted on March 24, 2014 by | Leave a comment

FSA Virusds

The Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) is a scientific advisory committee that provides the FSA with independent expert advice. This helps the FSA ensure that policy development and consumer advice in relation to the microbiological safety of food are based upon sound science and relevant practical experience and expertise. The Committee’s terms of reference are to assess the risk to humans from microorganisms that are used or occur in or on food and to advise the FSA on any matters relating to the microbiological safety of food.

Since the publication of the 1998 ACMSF report on foodborne viral infections, with the exception of minor risk assessment work carried out on hepatitis E and avian influenza, no formal review has been carried out on foodborne viruses.

At the March 2010 ACMSF meeting the FSA asked the Committee to consider whether it was timely to carry out a review of foodborne viral infections, assessing the risk to consumers and highlighting any research and surveillance gaps.

The Committee agreed that an ad hoc group should be set up to revisit the issue of foodborne viruses in light of the significant developments in this area, so that an updated risk profile could be produced based on the findings.

The group met 13 times from November 2010 to July 2013 to assess the extent of viral foodborne infection in the UK.

The group considered information on all foodborne viruses including new and emerging viral pathogens and identified that the most important viruses associated with foodborne infection were norovirus, hepatitis A virus, and hepatitis E virus. These viruses are the focus of the group’s report, which concentrates mainly on viral foodborne infection in the UK. The report also gives consideration of two recent comprehensive reviews of viruses in food that have been published by WHO (2008) and EFSA (2011). The report provides key information that will be used to inform Risk Assessments and Risk Management on foodborne viruses across government.

The group’s draft report has now been approved by the full Committee and is attached for comment.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Standards Agency, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, Laboratory, Microbiology, Norovirus, Pathogen, Research, Rotavirus, Toxin, Virus

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Research – Listeria and Biofilms

Posted on February 15, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes is able to form biofilms on surfaces of food industry premises. Once established at certain plant sites, this pathogen can persist there for months or years, risking the transfer to raw materials or processed food by direct contact or other mechanisms. Though persistence of certain strains of L. monocytogenes isolated from food industry surfaces has been reported in several cases, experimental evidence has so far been inconclusive about the association of persistence to features such as better biofilm forming ability or higher resistance to disinfectants. This work has aimed at checking another possible cause of persistence, the ability to recover after exposure to antimicrobial compounds. Damaged cells in the biofilms formed by twelve L. monocytogenes strains previously isolated from an Iberian pig slaughterhouse and processing plant, six persistent and six non persistent, were compared in their recovery of viable cell counts during the 24 h following exposure to chitosan or peracetic acid. Persistent strains showed a better resuscitation rate after chitosan damage.

Highlights

► Persistent strains did not perform better at adherence or biofilm formation. ► Persistent strains biofilms resulted to be no more tolerant to chitosan treatment. ► Persistent strains did resuscitate faster than non persistent ones. ► RR (Recovery Rates) of the persistent group doubled those of the other group.

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Posted in Bacteria, Biofilm, Food Hygiene, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Rotavirus

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Research New Bacterial Identification Technology

Posted on January 17, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel (GPP), which recently received approval from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is one lab test that can do the job of many,  expertly scanning a solitary stool sample for 11 different illness-inducing organisms.

To many, that sounds an impressive feat in an of itself. But considering that 179 million Americans are stricken with gastroenteritis every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s also one that can come in handy. Infectious gastroenteritis is caused by certain viruses, bacteria, or parasites and can be spread easily through person-to-person contact or from contaminated food, water, and surfaces. Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea.

The  xTAG can scan for  bacteria including Campylobacter, Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) toxin A/B, Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) LT/ST, Salmonella, Shigella and Shiga‐like Toxin producing E. coli (STEC) stx 1/stx 2. It can scan for viruses including Norovirus and Rotavirus A. And it can scan for parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Clostridium difficile, Cryptosporidium, E.coli, E.coli O103, E.coli O104, E.coli O145, E.coli O157, E.coli O26, EHEC, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Food Virus, Giardia, Methods, Microbiology, Norovirus, Pathogen, Rotavirus

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German Foodborne Virus Outbreak 6,500 Cases

Posted on October 1, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Reuters

More than 6,500 German children and teenagers have fallen ill with diarrhea and vomiting that health authorities say has likely been caused by a food-borne virus in meals delivered to schools and day care centers.

Regional health ministries and a top health research institute said youngsters from five of Germany’s 16 states had been affected by the acute gastroenteritis, with the first cases registered on Tuesday. So far, those affected had not suffered any complications.

“All the institutions which have registered cases of the illness so far are probably being provided by the same caterer,” wrote the Robert Koch Institute, which researches and advises the German health ministry on infectious diseases. “This suggests that it is an outbreak caused by food.”

The German government and affected states have established a task force charged with looking for the reason for the illness in order to prevent it spreading any further.

(Reporting By Thorsten Severin, Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Pathogen, Rotavirus

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Norovirus – Wales and New Zealand

Posted on September 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment

BBC News

A total of 74 people have become ill after visiting a hotel in Newport.

An investigation is being carried out after 51 guests and 23 staff were affected by a viral infection, which is probably norovirus, at the Hilton Hotel in Langstone.

They started to become ill last Tuesday and suffered diarrhoea and vomiting.

Hilton Worldwide said the wellbeing of guests and staff was of “paramount importance” and it had brought in “stringent” health and safety measures.

Public health officials say the outbreak is not linked to a particular function or event, but the virus was passed by someone originally infected.

Newport council alerted Public Health Wales two days after the first illnesses.

TVNZ

Virus outbreak hits Wellington childcares, resthomes

Outbreaks of norovirus and rotavirus have been reported at Wellington childcare centres and resthomes.

Regional Public Health had responded to outbreaks of gastroenteritis at four childcare centres and two rest homes since the beginning of the month, medical officer of health Jill McKenzie said.

The number of outbreaks was higher than usual and indicated stomach bugs were circulating in the community.

“The nature of these bugs is they don’t tend to infect one person because their viruses are quite infectious.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Norovirus, Rotavirus, Virus

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HPS – Norovirus – Rotavirus- Cryptosporidium and Giardia Report 2011

Posted on February 29, 2012 by | Leave a comment

HPA 

The Health Protection Agency Scotlan (HPA) has released its 2011 report into the incidence of viral and protozoal reported infections 2011.

There were 1668 laboratory reports of Norovirus (NV) to HPS in 2011, a marked decrease of 1441 (46.3%) on 2010 when there were 3109 reports.

There were 1465 laboratory reports of Rotavirus to HPS in 2011, a decrease of 326 (18.2%) compared to 2010 when there were 1791 reports.

A total of 442 isolates of Cryptosporidium sp. were reported to HPS in 2011. This compares with 584 in 2010, a statistically significant decrease of 24%.

A total of 194 isolates of Giardia sp. were reported to HPS in 2011.

 

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Posted in Cryptosporidium, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Virus, Giardia, HPA, Microbiology, Rotavirus

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