As many as 18 madrassa students in Islamabad were hospitalised after eating stale food for breakfast.
The students have been admitted at the PIMS Hospital.
KSWFoodWorld
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Canada – E. coli outbreak: 22 cases in three provinces
The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with provincial public health partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada, as well as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA), to investigate an outbreak of E. coli infections in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and several U.S. states.
In Canada, based on the investigation findings to date, exposure to romaine lettuce has been identified as a source of the outbreak, but the cause of contamination has not been identified.
The current outbreak appears to be ongoing as illnesses linked to romaine lettuce continue to be reported. These recent illnesses indicate that contaminated romaine lettuce may still be on the market, including in restaurants, grocery stores and any establishments that serve food. At this time, the investigation evidence in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick suggests that there is a risk of E. coli infections associated with eating romaine lettuce.
South Africa – Salmonella outbreak reported in KwaZulu-Natal
South African health officials reported recently an increase in Salmonella cases in KwaZulu-Natal Province over the past two months and say Salmonella was also the most likely cause of two recent foodborne disease outbreaks reported from eThekwini Municipality.
Two weeks ago, local media reported at least 20 people have been hospitalized in Durban.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) is assisting the district and provincial health department outbreak response teams’ ongoing investigations. Teams are gathering additional information about the outbreaks and other reported cases, and also collecting food and environmental samples to investigate the source/s of the outbreaks.
Sweden – Salmonella outbreak in Sweden with 33 ill
Swedish officials are investigating a national outbreak of Salmonella that has sickened 33 people.
Local counties, Livsmedelsverket (National Food Agency) and Folkhälsomyndigheten (Public Health Agency) are working together to investigate the illnesses and identify the source of infection.
The outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis with multiple locus variable number of tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) type 2-10-7-3-2 was detected by Folkhälsomyndigheten’s monitoring program using Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) in October.
Singapore – NEA suspends TungLok Catering at Singapore Expo indefinitely after 190 people fell ill eating catered bento boxes
The catering arm of restaurant group TungLok had its licence at the Max Atria at Singapore Expo suspended on Friday, Nov. 23.
This was after hundreds of cases of gastroenteritis has been traced to the consumption of food from TungLok Catering at 1 Expo Drive.
Investigation underway
The National Environment Agency (NEA) is working with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to investigate the cases.
NEA said the suspension of TungLok Catering’s licence will be until further notice.
A total of 190 people had reported symptoms of gastroenteritis as of Friday. None has been hospitalised.
Gastroenteritis is an intestinal condition. Symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea.
It can be caused by a virus or a bacterial infection.
UK – Northern Ireland – Galmere Fresh Foods recalls Pestle and Mortar Fresh Green Basil Pesto and Pestle and Mortar Fresh Red Sundried Tomato Pesto due to the possible presence of Salmonella
Galmere Fresh Foods is recalling Pestle and Mortar Fresh Green Basil Pesto and Pestle and Mortar Fresh Red Sundried Tomato Pesto because they might contain Salmonella.
Product details
| Pack size | 140g |
| Use by | All use by dates |
| Pack size | 140g |
| Use by | All use by dates |
No other Galmere Fresh Foods products are known to be affected.
Risk statement
Salmonella
The products listed above might be contaminated with Salmonella. Symptoms caused by Salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps.
Action taken by the company
Galmere Fresh Foods is recalling the above products. Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling these products. These notices explain to customers why the products are being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought any of the products.
Our advice to consumers
If you have bought any of the above products do not eat them. Instead, return them to the store from where they were bought for a full refund.
Research – Prevalence, genotyping, serotyping, and antibiotic resistance of isolated Salmonella strains from industrial and local eggs in Iran
Abstract
This present study aimed to evaluate prevalence and characterization of serotypes, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and genotypic profiles of Salmonella isolates in industrial and local eggs from Zanjan province of Iran. A total of 120 egg samples were collected and processed according to bacteriological analytical manual to isolate Salmonella strains from both eggs surface and contents. PCR method and genotyping were used to verify, identification and classification of isolates by screening invA genes and 16 s‐rRNA gene sequencing. Salmonella contamination rate in eggshell and contents of industrial and local eggs were 0% and 1.66%, respectively. High degree of AMR was observed to nalidixic acid and erythromycin. Gene sequencing for each isolates showed more similarity with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium strains.
Practical applications
Salmonella contamination in eggs and the role of healthy chickens as reservoir and distributer of Salmonella in poultry farms can be a common food safety concern for public health. Therefore, Continuous monitoring of presence Salmonella and their antimicrobial resistance is of critical importance. Present study gives an insight of the current statues of egg’s contamination with Salmonella isolates, their antimicrobial resistance, genotupic profile, and epidemiological relationship in Iran.
UK – Northern Ireland – Lidl recalls Meadow Fresh Green Pesto due to the possible presence of Salmonella
Lidl has taken the precautionary step of recalling all batches of Meadow Fresh Green Pesto because the product might contain Salmonella. This product has been distributed in Northern Ireland (and Republic of Ireland) only.
Product details
| Pack size | 140g |
| Batch code | all |
| Use by | All Use By dates |
No other Lidl products are known to be affected.
Risk statement
The product listed above might be contaminated with Salmonella. Symptoms caused by Salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps.
Action taken by the company
Lidl is recalling the above product. Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling this product. These notices explain to customers why the products are being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product. Please see the attached notice.
Research – Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Listeria species and subtyping and virulence factors of Listeria monocytogenes from retail meat
Abstract
In this study, of 124 samples of ground beef and chicken meat, 101 (81.5%) were positive for Listeria spp. Listeria innocua (35.5%) and Listeria monocytogenes (26.6%) were the most frequently isolated species. All 33 (100%) L. monocytogenes isolates were positive for the virulence genes hlyA, actA, inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, prfA, plcA, and iap. Serotype 1/2a, which is one of the listeriosis‐associated serotypes, was the most predominant serotype (57.6%), followed by 1/2c (39.4%) and 3c (3%). In polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) analysis of inlA for subtyping of the L. monocytogenes strains, the AluI and MluCI enzymes generated two different profiles. Almost all chicken strains were grouped in similar PCR‐RFLP profiles with both restriction enzymes. Most Listeria isolates were resistant to ceftriaxone (79.7%), fusidic acid (63.3%), and clindamycin (47.7%). Resistance to penicillin and ampicillin occurred in 1.6 and 17.9% of the isolates, respectively. The percentage of resistance to three or more agents was 48.1%.
Practical application
The presence of Listeria spp., especially L. monocytogenes, in foods is inevitable because of the ubiquitous nature of Listeria spp. Illnesses resulting from the consumption of contaminated food severely affect sensitive groups, especially pregnant women, unborn fetuses and newborns as a result of transmission across the placenta or during delivery. Immunosuppressed adults are also sensitive to infection. Listeria grows well at cold temperatures, so storage of contaminated food in the refrigerator can also increase the risk of infections for consumers. In particular, limiting the exposure of pregnant women and immunosuppressed patients to potential sources of Listeria such as raw and undercooked meats is recommended.
Research – Dos and don’ts when recovering from food poisoning
SINGAPORE – The last thing you want to do when you are recovering from food poisoning is to further upset your stomach by eating the wrong food. However, there isn’t a strict list of items to avoid, as it is hard to get conclusive evidence on what would benefit every patient. Many doctors would advise you on what to eat based on their own experience, said Dr Goh E Shaun, a specialist in emergency medicine and consultant at Raffles 24 Hour Emergency at Raffles Hospital. In general, doctors advise you to drink plenty of fluids and consume bland foods.
See the above link for the full text.
