Category Archives: Uncategorized

Canada – Food Recall Warning – Montana brand frozen strawberries recalled due to Hepatitis A

Posted on April 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

CFIA CIFA

Recall details

Ottawa, April 14, 2018 – Groupe Adonis Inc. is recalling Montana brand frozen strawberries from the marketplace due to possible Hepatitis A contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.

The ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ) transmitted an alert to the news media today concerning the affected product. Please click on the following link for details: https://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/Consommation/rappelsaliments/2018/04/Pages/3682.aspx (French only).

The following product has been sold exclusively from Adonis markets in Quebec and Ontario.

Recalled products

Brand Name Common Name Size Code(s) on Product UPC
Montana Strawberry
(frozen)		 1 kg All codes purchased on or before April 14, 2018 6222000401487

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Posted in CFIA, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized

France- Morbier and Mont d’Or cheese behind 10 deaths in France – 2015-2016 – Salmonella

Posted on April 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment
Ten people died and another 80 fell ill in France after eating contaminated Morbier and Mont d’Or cheese in a salmonella outbreak that health authorities knew about, a new report has revealed.

An investigation by France Inter radio said the two cheeses made in the Franche-Comté region in the east of the country from unpasteurised milk were at the root of the outbreak in late 2015 and early 2016.

The investigation produced a document which showed that in January 2016 national health authorities had discovered an unusually high number of salmonella contaminations in France that was centred on Franche-Comté.

Five cheese making companies in the region, between them making 60 different brands, were later identified as being at the source of the contaminations that began in November 2015 and continued until April the following year.

Those who died in the outbreak were old people who were physically weak or who suffered from another illness.

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Posted in Death, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Salmonella, Uncategorized

UK – White Hart Inn boss speaks out after food poisoning leads to one star hygiene rating for Ingatestone pub – Food Illness

Posted on April 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Essex Live

A businessman who runs a country pub has spoken out after a number of his customers contracted a nasty sickness bug.

The White Hart Inn, in Swan Lane, Margaretting Tye, has recently been scrutinised by food hygiene inspectors after the majority of a party became ill following a meal on February 18.

Of the 33 guests who attended the meal, 25 became ill following the outing, with two having to go to hospital because their symptoms were so severe.

Owing to the number of individuals who became sick, Public Health England and Chelmsford Environmental Health launched an investigation.

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Posted in Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Safety, Uncategorized

USA – Fresh Foods Manufacturing Co. Recalls Ready-To-Eat Salad Products Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination

Posted on April 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

FSIS USDA USDA

WASHINGTON, April 14, 2018 – Fresh Foods Manufacturing Co., a Freedom, Pa., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 8,757 pounds of ready-to-eat salad products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The ready-to-eat salad products were produced from April 9, 2018 to April 12, 2018 and have a shelf life of four days. The following products are subject to recall: [View Labels (PDF Only)]

  • 11.5 oz., clear plastic containers of ready-to-eat “CAESAR SALAD WITH CHICKEN.”  The product label is marked “Great to Go” by Market District and has a sell by date of 04/13/18-04/16/18.  The case code is 81571201542.
  • 14.4 oz., clear plastic containers of ready-to-eat “CHICKEN AND BACON” salad.  The product label is marked “Great to Go” by Market District and has a sell by date of 04/13/18 – 04/16/18.  The case code is 81571201541.
  • 14.1 oz., clear plastic containers of ready-to-eat “CHEF SALAD WITH HAM, TURKEY, & HARD-BOILED EGG.”  The product label is marked “Great to Go” by Market District and has a sell by date of 04/13/18 – 04/16/18.  The case code is 81571201543.
  • 13.1 oz., clear plastic containers of ready-to-eat “CHEF SALAD WITH HAM, TURKEY, & HARD-BOILED EGG.” The product label is marked “Great to Go” by Market District and has a sell by date of 04/13/18 – 04/16/18.  The case code is 81571201545.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “P-40211” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The problem was discovered on April 13, 2018 when Fresh Foods Manufacturing Co., received notification from their romaine lettuce supplier that the romaine lettuce used by the establishment in the products was being recalled due to E. coli O157:H7 concerns. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

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Posted in E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Uncategorized

USA – Rose Acre Farms Recalls Shell Eggs Due to Possible Health Risk – Salmonella

Posted on April 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

FDA 

 

Through an abundance of caution Rose Acre Farms of Seymour, Indiana is voluntarily recalling 206,749,248 eggs because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella Braenderup, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals infected with Salmonella Braenderup can experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella Braenderup can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

The eggs were distributed from the farm in Hyde County, North Carolina and reached consumers in the following states: Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia through retail stores and restaurants via direct delivery.

22 illnesses have been reported to date.

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Posted in FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Canada – Buenas brand Grated Coconut recalled due to Salmonella

Posted on April 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

CFIA

Recall details

Ottawa, April 15, 2018 – APO Products Ltd. and UNO Foods Inc. are recalling Buenas brand Grated Coconut from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.

Recalled products

Brand Name Common Name Size Code(s) on Product UPC
Buenas Grated Coconut 454 g All lot codes ending in AF

AND

All lot codes ending in AG

AND

All lot codes beginning with OA, OB, OC, or OD and ending in AH

 8 53693 00146 1

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Posted in CFIA, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Salmonella, Uncategorized

USA – Pet Food – Recalled: K9 Natural Chicken Feast Dog Food – Listeria

Posted on April 16, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Petful

Maker: K9 Natural Ltd
Cause: Potential for listeria
Announcement: Company news release dated April 13, 2018
What was recalled: The following sizes/batches of K9 Natural Chicken Feast frozen raw dog food:

  • 2.2 lb. and 11 lb. bags, Batch #170517, expiration date of Nov. 17, 2018
  • 11 lb. bags, Batch #150517, expiration date of Nov. 15, 2018
  • 11 lb. bags, Batch #160517, expiration date of Nov. 16, 2018

According to the announcement from K9 Natural, a New Zealand-based company, these products were imported into the United States last summer. They were shipped to distributors in Washington, California, Texas, Colorado and Pennsylvania.

“No pet or human illnesses, injuries or complaints have been reported to date,” the company noted, adding: “We are disappointed that this situation has occurred and remain committed to ensuring high levels of product quality and cleanliness.”

 

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Posted in Animal Feed, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Pet Food, Uncategorized

Research – A macromolecular approach to eradicate multidrug resistant bacterial infections while mitigating drug resistance onset

Posted on April 15, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Nature 

 

Polymyxins remain the last line treatment for multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections. As polymyxins resistance emerges, there is an urgent need to develop effective antimicrobial agents capable of mitigating MDR. Here, we report biodegradable guanidinium-functionalized polycarbonates with a distinctive mechanism that does not induce drug resistance. Unlike conventional antibiotics, repeated use of the polymers does not lead to drug resistance. Transcriptomic analysis of bacteria further supports development of resistance to antibiotics but not to the macromolecules after 30 treatments. Importantly, high in vivo treatment efficacy of the macromolecules is achieved in MDR A. baumannii-, E. coli-, K. pneumoniae-, methicillin-resistant S. aureus-, cecal ligation and puncture-induced polymicrobial peritonitis, and P. aeruginosa lung infection mouse models while remaining non-toxic (e.g., therapeutic index—ED50/LD50: 1473 for A. baumannii infection). These biodegradable synthetic macromolecules have been demonstrated to have broad spectrum in vivo antimicrobial activity, and have excellent potential as systemic antimicrobials against MDR infections.

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Posted in Antibiotic Resistance, E.coli, Klebsiella, Research, Uncategorized

Research – Norovirus infects rare intestinal cell: Study

Posted on April 14, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today 

 

Norovirus — the highly contagious gastrointestinal illness best known for spreading rapidly on cruise chips, in nursing homes, schools and other densely populated spaces — kills an estimated 200,000 people annually, mostly in the developing world. There’s no treatment or vaccine to prevent the illness, and scientists have understood little about how the infection gets started.

Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown, in mice, that the virus infects a rare type of intestinal cell called a tuft cell, so named because each cell sports a cluster of hairlike extensions on its surface. While tuft cells are few in number, the scientists’ findings indicate that once the virus strikes, such cells multiply the virus quickly and set off severe infections.

The research, published April 12 in Science, suggests that targeting tuft cells with a vaccine or a drug may be a viable strategy for preventing or treating norovirus infections.

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Posted in Norovirus, Research, Uncategorized

Research – Comparison of Predictors and Mortality Between Bloodstream Infections Caused by ESBL-Producing Escherichia coli and ESBL-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae

Posted on April 14, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Cambridge Org

OBJECTIVE

To compare the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and mortality of patients with bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) versus ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP) and to examine the differences in clinical characteristics and outcome between BSIs caused by isolates with CTX-M versus other ESBL genotypes

METHODS

As part of the INCREMENT project, 33 tertiary hospitals in 12 countries retrospectively collected data on adult patients diagnosed with ESBL-EC BSI or ESBL-KP BSI between 2004 and 2013. Risk factors for ESBL-EC versus ESBL-KP BSI and for 30-day mortality were examined by bivariate analysis followed by multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

The study included 909 patients: 687 with ESBL-EC BSI and 222 with ESBL-KP BSI. ESBL genotype by polymerase chain reaction amplification of 286 isolates was available. ESBL-KP BSI was associated with intensive care unit admission, cardiovascular and neurological comorbidities, length of stay to bacteremia >14 days from admission, and a nonurinary source. Overall, 30-day mortality was significantly higher in patients with ESBL-KP BSI than ESBL-EC BSI (33.7% vs 17.4%; odds ratio, 1.64; P=.016). CTX-M was the most prevalent ESBL subtype identified (218 of 286 polymerase chain reaction-tested isolates, 76%). No differences in clinical characteristics or in mortality between CTX-M and non–CTX-M ESBLs were detected.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical characteristics and risk of mortality differ significantly between ESBL-EC and ESBL-KP BSI. Therefore, all ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae should not be considered a homogeneous group. No differences in outcomes between genotypes were detected.

CLINICAL TRIALS IDENTIFIER

ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: NCT01764490.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;1–8

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Posted in E.coli, Klebsiella, Research, Uncategorized