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FDA

State health and agriculture officials are investigating an outbreak of food borne illness. Retailers and restaurants should not sell or serve alfalfa sprouts and consumers should not eat them at this time.

Routine disease monitoring by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) identified seven E. coli O157:NM cases in January and early February; E. coli bacteria from those cases all had the same DNA fingerprint illness. The ill individuals range in age from 18 to 84 years, and five are female. Four of the cases are residents of the Twin Cities metro area, and three live in greater Minnesota. Two were hospitalized, and both have recovered.

Two additional cases of E. coli O157 infection, considered part of this outbreak, were identified by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WDHS) in Wisconsin residents. Neither case was hospitalized.

Minnesota officials are working with investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), WDHS, and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WIDATCP). Jack & The Green Sprouts is cooperating with this process and is located in River Falls, Wis., and distributes alfalfa sprouts to states in the upper Midwest and possibly other states. The seven Minnesota cases and at least one of the Wisconsin cases were exposed to the implicated alfalfa sprouts from a variety of locations, including grocery/cooperative stores, restaurants, salad bars and commercial food service.

The testing completed to date has not identified the source and the contamination is unknown. Health officials recommend not eating any alfalfa sprouts produced by Jack & The Green Sprouts. Currently, there is no evidence that any products produced by Jack & The Green Sprouts are contaminated.

Jack & The Green Sprouts alfalfa sprouts may be packaged in a plastic clamshell with a brightly colored round label on top that notes the sprout variety. The alfalfa sprouts may be mixed in the same package with other sprout varieties.

The FDA is working with state officials to collect samples and determine the source of the outbreak. State officials urge consumers not to eat alfalfa sprouts produced by Jack & The Green Sprouts and retailers and restaurants not to sell or serve them. More information will become available as the investigation proceeds.

Sprouts are a known source of food borne illness. Children, the elderly, pregnant women and persons with weakened immune systems should avoid eating raw sprouts of any kind (including alfalfa, clover, radish and mung bean sprouts). You can reduce your risk of illness by requesting that raw sprouts not be added to your food.

Symptoms of illness caused by E. coli O157 typically include stomach cramps and diarrhea, often with bloody stools, but only a low-grade or no fever. People typically become ill two to five days after exposure, but this period can range from one to eight days. Most people recover in five to 10 days. However, E. coli O157 infections sometimes lead to a serious complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause kidney failure and other severe problems, including death. Those most at risk of developing complications from E. coli O157 include children younger than 10, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.

Diarrhea associated with E. coli O157 infections should NOT be treated with antibiotics, as this practice might promote the development of HUS. Anyone who believes they may have developed an E. coli O157 infection should contact their health care provider.

For more information, see http://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Outbreaks/ucm487651.htm.

Kamudi Online

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An incident of food poising reportedly left nursing students of Government Medical College hospitalised on Monday. The girls who experienced giddiness and started vomiting were admitted to Medical College Casualty department. The students started developing discomfort from 8 am onwards.

The hospital authorities said the girls ate cutlet on Sunday night, resulting in the bad health condition. Since it was a holiday on Sunday they had bought cutlet from outside and shared among them at the hostel.

Medgadget

The report, ‘Global Escherichia Coli Industry Report 2016’ provides detailed market and segment level data on the Global and Chinese consumption of Escherichia Coli. The report provides historic, forecast and growth patterns by company, country and type/application from 2016 to 2021.

This report delivers an extensive overview of Global Escherichia Coli industry with a focus on China. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies. It also helps the companies to better understand the trends of Soups market to seize opportunities and formulate crucial business strategies.

Browse Report Summary with TOC: http://www.reportbazzar.com/product/global-escherichia-coli-industry-report-2016/

Voxy.co.nz

Routine tests of the Toko water supply have detected the bacteria Escherichia coli (known as e-coli) and investigations are now underway to find the source.

A boil water notice for all residents connected to the Toko town water supply is now in place until further notice.

The Ministry of Health advises residents to;

Only consuming boiled or bottled water at work

Boil or treat all water from taps before drinking, brushing teeth or using it in food preparation

EATER

In an effort to curb the number of foodborne illness outbreaks in America, the Food and Drug Administration is taking a harder look at packaged spices that are typically found on grocery store shelves. The government agency has announced it is analyzing a recently completed two-year, nationwide study to collect data on the presence of Salmonella in retail packages.

The FDA has introduced new rules, as part of the Food Safety and Modernization Act, to “establish preventative controls in the food supply chain.” Through a “risk profile,” the agency determined the presence of pathogens, such as Salmonella, and filth in spices is “a systemic challenge,” and the problem relates in part to poor or inconsistent use of appropriate controls to prevent contamination. Once full analysis of the study has been completed, the FDA will post the results online.

PLOS ONE

Abstract

Objectives

To estimate the annual cost to patients, the health service and society of infectious intestinal disease (IID) from Campylobacter, norovirus and rotavirus.

Design

Secondary data analysis.

Setting

The United Kingdom population, 2008–9.

Main outcome measures

Cases and frequency of health services usage due to these three pathogens; associated healthcare costs; direct, out-of-pocket expenses; indirect costs to patients and caregivers.

Results

The median estimated costs to patients and the health service at 2008–9 prices were: Campylobacter £50 million (95% CI: £33m–£75m), norovirus £81 million (95% CI: £63m–£106m), rotavirus £25m (95% CI: £18m–£35m). The costs per case were approximately £30 for norovirus and rotavirus, and £85 for Campylobacter. This was mostly borne by patients and caregivers through lost income or out-of-pocket expenditure. The cost of Campylobacter-related Guillain-Barré syndrome hospitalisation was £1.26 million (95% CI: £0.4m–£4.2m).

Conclusions

Norovirus causes greater economic burden than Campylobacter and rotavirus combined. Efforts to control IID must prioritise norovirus. For Campylobacter, estimated costs should be considered in the context of expenditure to control this pathogen in agriculture, food production and retail. Our estimates, prior to routine rotavirus immunisation in the UK, provide a baseline vaccine cost-effectiveness analyses.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Forming biofilms may be a survival strategy of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli to enable it to persist in the environment and the food industry. Here, we evaluate and characterize the biofilm-forming ability of 39 isolates of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolates recovered from human infection and belonging to seropathotypes A, B, or C. The presence and/or production of biofilm factors such as curli, cellulose, autotransporter, and fimbriae were investigated. The polymeric matrix of these biofilms was analyzed by confocal microscopy and by enzymatic digestion. Cell viability and matrix integrity were examined after sanitizer treatments. Isolates of the seropathotype A (O157:H7 and O157:NM), which have the highest relative incidence of human infection, had a greater ability to form biofilms than isolates of seropathotype B or C. Seropathotype A isolates were unique in their ability to produce cellulose and poly-N-acetylglucosamine. The integrity of the biofilms was dependent on proteins. Two autotransporter genes, ehaB and espP, and two fimbrial genes, z1538 and lpf2, were identified as potential genetic determinants for biofilm formation. Interestingly, the ability of several isolates from seropathotype A to form biofilms was associated with their ability to agglutinate yeast in a mannose-independent manner. We consider this an unidentified biofilm-associated factor produced by those isolates. Treatment with sanitizers reduced the viability of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli but did not completely remove the biofilm matrix. Overall, our data indicate that biofilm formation could contribute to the persistence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and specifically seropathotype A isolates in the environment.

Ingenta Connect

Abstract:

Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in beef roasts cooked under selected cooking conditions was evaluated. Eye of round roasts were each inoculated at five sites in the central plane with a five-strain cocktail of E. coli O157:H7 at ca. 6.3 log CFU per site and cooked to center temperatures of 56 to 71°C in a convection oven set at 120, 140, 180, or 200°C, in a conventional oven set at 120 or 210°C, and in a slow cooker set on high or low. Prime rib roasts were each inoculated at 10 sites throughout the roast with the same E. coli O157:H7 cocktail at ca. 6.6 log CFU per site and cooked in the conventional oven set at 140 or 180°C to center temperatures of 58 to 71°C. The number of sites yielding E. coli O157:H7 after cooking decreased with increasing roast center temperature for the eye of round roasts cooked in the convection oven or in the slow cooker at a given setting, but this trend was not apparent for roasts of either type cooked in the conventional oven. Reductions of E. coli O157 in both types of roasts were generally less at the center than at other locations, particularly locations closer to the surface of the meat. When eye of round roasts were cooked to the same center temperature in the convection oven, the reduction of E. coli O157:H7 increased with increasing oven temperature up to 180°C and decreased after that. The reduction of E. coli O157:H7 in replicate roasts cooked under conditions in which the organism was not eliminated during cooking mostly differed by >1 log CFU per site. However, E. coli O157:H7 was not recovered from any of the inoculation sites when eye of round roasts were cooked to 65, 60, 60, or 63°C in the convection oven set at 120, 140, 180, and 200°C, respectively; cooked to 63 or 71°C in the conventional oven set at 120 and 210°C, respectively; or cooked to 63°C in the slow cooker set at high or low. For prime rib roasts, E. coli O157:H7 was not recovered from any of the inoculation sites in roasts cooked to 71 or 58°C in the conventional oven set at 140 and 180°C, respectively.

Ingenta Connect

Abstract:

The pathogenicity and virulence factors of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in four food matrices—shrimp, freshwater fish, pork, and egg-fried rice—were compared by measuring the thermostable direct hemolysin activity and total hemolytic titer. Significantly high thermostable direct hemolysin and also hemolytic titers (P < 0.05) were produced by V. parahaemolyticus in egg-fried rice > shrimp > freshwater fish > pork. Filtrates of V. parahaemolyticus in shrimp given intraperitoneally induced marked liver and kidney damage and were highly lethal to adult mice compared with filtrates of V. parahaemolyticus in freshwater fish > egg-fried rice > pork. From in vitro and in vivo pathogenicity tests, it seems the type of food matrix has a significant impact on the virulence of V. parahaemolyticus. These results suggest that hemolysin may not necessarily be the only virulence factor for pathogenicity of V. parahaemolyticus. This is the first report that shows that virulence factors produced by V. parahaemolyticus in seafood such as shrimp are more toxic in vivo than in nonseafood.

FSAI

Tuesday, 1 March 2016

Message:

As a precautionary measure, Tesco Ireland is recalling all batches of its Roast Garlic & Herb Butter, 100g, and two varieties of its flavoured butter discs that are offered to customers at the fresh meat and fish counters.  Listeria monocytogenes was detected in the production factory and therefore, there is the potential for contamination of the flavoured butters. Tesco Ireland has issued point of sale recall notices requesting customers who have bought the products to return them to a Tesco store or dispose of them.

Other flavoured butter products are subject to Tesco’s recall but have not been distributed to their Irish stores.