Mary Ann Leibert
A Bacillus cereus–related emetic outbreak was reported in a Belgian kindergarten. High levels of emetic B. cereus (>1.5E+07 colony-forming units/g) were detected in the food leftovers, and the presence of an emetic strain was confirmed in feces. Emetic toxin levels ranging up to 4.2 μg/g were also quantified in the leftovers by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS2) analysis. Those levels, although moderate in comparison with earlier published intoxications, provoked profuse-vomiting episodes in 20 toddlers aged between 10 and 18 months. Few studies have focused on the levels of emetic toxin implicated in food intoxications. This publication emphasizes the importance of defining toxic doses of emetic toxin among high-risk population groups.
Mary Ann Leibert
The consumption of fruit and vegetables continues to rise in the United States and European Union due to healthy lifestyle recommendations. Meanwhile, the rate of foodborne illness caused by the consumption of these products remains high in both regions, representing a significant public health and financial issue. This study addresses the occurrence of reported foodborne outbreaks associated with fresh fruits and vegetables consumption in the United States and European Union during the period 2004–2012, where data are available. Special attention is paid to those pathogens responsible for these outbreaks, the mechanisms of contamination, and the fresh produce vehicles involved. Norovirus is shown to be responsible for most of the produce-related outbreaks, followed by Salmonella. Norovirus is mainly linked with the consumption of salad in the United States and of berries in the European Union, as demonstrated by the Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). Salmonella was the leading cause of multistate produce outbreaks in the United States and was the pathogen involved in the majority of sprouts-associated outbreaks. As is reflected in the MCA, the pattern of fresh produce outbreaks differed in the United States and European Union by the type of microorganism and the food vehicle involved.
