France Research – Acute gastroenteritis: review of the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 winter seasons

Posted on March 2, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Sante Publique

Every year, an increase in acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is observed caused mainly by the circulation of noroviruses and rotaviruses. Noroviruses are responsible for AGE in people of all ages, while rotaviruses mainly affect children under 5 years of age. 

During the winter season, Public Health France monitors, with its network of partners , the epidemiological evolution of acute gastroenteritis and publishes weekly national and regional epidemiological bulletins on its website . These data are also made available as open data on Géodes .

Santé publique France is today publishing the winter monitoring report covering the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons in mainland France and recalls the simple actions to take to limit the risk of contamination.

What are the highlights of the last two seasons?

2020-2021: a season marked by a historically low level of activity

The low level of activity observed from March 2020 (end of the 2019-2020 season), in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, continued during the 2020-2021 season. In city medicine or in hospital emergency departments, activity remained relatively stable and lower than the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in all metropolitan areas. 

A return to activity comparable to pre-COVID seasons during winter 2021-2022

The activity levels recorded throughout the 2021-2022 season were again comparable to those observed during the pre-COVID seasons. In hospital emergencies, activity for acute gastroenteritis remained close to historical maximums, from December 2021 to April 2022. Consultations at SOS Médecins were similar to the data observed before the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Posted in COVID-19, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, gastroenteritis, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Norovirus

Research – Legionella pneumophila Risk from Air–Water Cooling Units Regarding Pipe Material and Type of Water

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MDPI

Legionella A

Abstract

Legionellosis is a respiratory disease related to environmental health. There have been manifold studies of pipe materials, risk installations and legionellosis without considering the type of transferred water. The objective of this study was to determine the potential development of the causative agent Legionella pneumophila regarding air–water cooling units, legislative compliance, pipe material and type of water. Forty-four hotel units in Andalusia (Spain) were analysed with respect to compliance with Spanish health legislation for the prevention of legionellosis. The chi-square test was used to explain the relationship between material–water and legislative compliance, and a biplot of the first two factors was generated. Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was performed on the type of equipment, legislative compliance, pipe material and type of water, and graphs of cases were constructed by adding confidence ellipses by categories of the variables. Pipe material–type of water (p value = 0.29; p < 0.05) and legislative compliance were not associated (p value = 0.15; p < 0.05). Iron, stainless steel, and recycled and well water contributed the most to the biplot. MCA showed a global pattern in which lead, iron and polyethylene were well represented. Confidence ellipses around categories indicated significant differences among categories. Compliance with Spanish health legislation regarding the prevention and control of legionellosis linked to pipe material and type of water was not observed.

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Posted in Contaminated water, Cooling Towers, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Legionella, Legionnaires’ disease, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

USA – FDA Core Outbreak Table – Update

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FDA

What’s New

  • A new outbreak of hepatitis A virus infections (ref # 1143) linked to a not yet identified product has been added to the table. FDA has initiated traceback.
  • For the outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (ref # 1123), FDA has initiated an onsite inspection, sample collection, and analysis. This investigation is ongoing and additional information will be provided as it become available.
  • The outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium (ref # 1137) linked to alfalfa sprouts has ended and the FDA investigation is closed.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Hepatitis A, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella

USA – USDA Starts Testing Ground Beef For Big Six E. coli Strains, O157

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Food Poisoning Bulletin

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has started testing ground beef, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains (STEC) that are adulterants. They include the “Big Six” O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145 as well as O157. The testing started on February 1, 2023. This new program was announced in the Federal Register on June 4, 2020.

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Posted in E.coli O103, E.coli O111, E.coli O121, E.coli O145, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, E.coli O26, FSIS, O45, STEC, STEC E.coli, USDA

New Zealand – Seasons Gourmet and Turkish Kitchen brand Hummus -Salmonella

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MPI

2 March 2023: Brelita Foods Ltd is recalling all batches and all dates up to and including USE BY: 15 APR 23 of its Seasons Gourmet and Turkish Kitchen brand hummus due to the possible presence of Salmonella.

Product type Hummus
Name of product (size) Turkish Kitchen brand Manuka Smoked Garlic Hummus (200g, 350g)

Turkish Kitchen brand Traditional Hummus with Roasted Garlic (200g, 380g)

Seasons Gourmet brand Vegan Original Hummus with Garlic & Smoked Paprika (700g)

Seasons Gourmet brand Vegan Original Hummus with Horopito Bush Pepper (400g)

Seasons Gourmet brand Vegan Original Hummus with Kawakawa Bush Basil (400g)
Batch and date marking All batches and all dates up to and including USE BY: 15 APR 23
Package size and description The products are sold in a 200g, 350g, 380g, 400g and 700g plastic container.
Distribution The products are sold in supermarkets and retail outlets throughout New Zealand.

The products have not been exported.
Notes Turkish Kitchen brand products have also been included in meals distributed as part of My Food Bag. For a full list of these products please refer to the My Food Bag recall page.

This recall does not affect any other Seasons Gourmet and Turkish Kitchen brand products.

Point of sale notice for retailers

If you are a retailer of the products in this recall, download a copy of the point of sale notice. You need to display it in your store for one month.

Point of sale notice – Brelita Food Ltd [PDF, 59 KB]

Consumer advice

Customers are asked to check the date mark on the lid on the product.

Affected products should not be consumed. There have been no reports of associated illness, however if you have consumed any of these products and have any concerns about your health, seek medical advice.

Customers should return the products to their retailer for a full refund.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, MPI, Salmonella

New Zealand – My Food Bag and Turkish Kitchen brand products – Salmonella

Posted on March 2, 2023 by | Leave a comment

MPI

2 March 2023: My Food Bag Ltd is recalling specific batches of its My Food Bag and Turkish Kitchen brand products due to the possible presence of Salmonella.

Product type  Multiple products containing tahini
Name of product (size) and date marking  The full list of affected products is listed above.
Package size and description The products are sold in 20g, 40g, 50g, 100g and 200g plastic container or sachet.
Distribution The products are included as part of My Food Bag meals and are distributed throughout New Zealand.

The products have not been exported.
Notes This recall does not affect any other My Food Bag brand products.

Consumer advice

Customers are asked to check the date mark on the product.

Affected products should not be consumed. There have been no reports of associated illness, however if you have consumed any of these products and have any concerns about your health, seek medical advice.

Customers should return the products to their retailer for a full refund.

More information on Salmonella

Who to contact

If you have questions, contact My Food Bag Customer Love Team:

  • Phone: 0800 469 366

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, MPI, Salmonella

USA – Persistent Strain of E. coli O157:H7 (REPEXH01) Linked to Multiple Sources

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CDC

REPEXH01

REPEXH01 is a persistent strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 bacteria that has caused illnesses and outbreaks in the United States.

Illness caused by this strain was first reported to PulseNet in 2017. Illnesses caused by this strain occur year-round but are less common in winter.

In the past, the REPEXH01 strain has spread to people through contaminated food and contaminated recreational water.

This strain is relatively diverse genetically. Bacteria in this strain are within 21 allele differences of one another by whole genome sequencing, which is more diverse than typical multistate foodborne outbreaks where bacteria generally fall within 10 allele differences of one another.

Identified outbreak sources*

*Confirmed sources were implicated by epidemiologic
plus traceback or laboratory data. Suspected sources
were implicated by epidemiologic data only. More info
  • Recreational water (confirmed): 1 outbreak
  • Romaine lettuce (confirmed): 1 outbreak
  • Leafy greens (suspected): 1 outbreak
  • Ground beef (suspected): 2 outbreaks

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Posted in Bacterial Toxin, Decontamination Microbial, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, STEC, STEC E.coli, Toxin

USA – Hawai‘i State Department of Health warns against Listeria tainted Enoki Mushrooms

Posted on March 2, 2023 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH) is alerting residents to a voluntary recall of enoki mushrooms sold in Hawai‘i, produced by Taiwan-based Changhua County Mushrooms Productions Cooperative and distributed by Jan Fruits Inc., because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The recall is the result of a routine sampling program by DOH’s Laboratory Preparedness and Response Branch which revealed that the enoki mushrooms contained Listeria monocytogenes.  No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the enoki mushrooms.

The enoki mushrooms are sold in a 7.05oz (200g) clear plastic package with a green-lettered “Premium,” printed with two QR scan codes and UPC 8 51084 00835 8 on the back side of a package. The package has no lot code or dates.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria Enoki Mushrooms, Listeria monocytogenes

Belgium – Pistachios – “Pistazienkerne gerostet” (Roasted pistachios) and “Pistazienkerne gerostet & gesalzen” (Roasted and salted pistachios) – from the Alesto brand – Ochratoxin A

Posted on March 2, 2023 by | Leave a comment

AFSCA

03/01/2023 (updated 02/24/2023)
Recall of Carl Wilhelm Clasen GmbH
Products: Pistachios – “Pistazienkerne gerostet” (Roasted pistachios) and “Pistazienkerne gerostet & gesalzen” (Roasted and salted pistachios) – from the Alesto brand.
Problem: too high content of ochratoxin A.
In agreement with the FASFC, Carl Wilhelm Clasen GmbH withdraws pistachios – “Pistazienkerne gerostet” (Roasted pistachios) and “Pistazienkerne gerostet & gesalzen” (Roasted and salted pistachios) – from the Alesto brand from sale and recalls them from consumers due to an excessively high content of ochratoxin A.

Lidl Belgium asks its customers not to consume these products and to return them to the point of sale where they were purchased. You will be reimbursed even without presenting the receipt.

Description of the products:
– Product name: “Pistazienkerne gerostet” and “Pistazienkerne gerostet & gesalzen”
– Brand: Alesto
– Use-by dates (BDD) and sales periods:
           o “Pistazienkerne gerostet”:
               25/03/2023: from 5/07/2022 to 10/11/2022 inclusive
               12/08/2023 and 15/10/2023: from 20/12/2022 to 24/02/2023 inclusive

28/10/2023: from 13/02/2023 to 01/03/2023 inclusive
           o “Pistazienkerne gerostet & gesalzen”:
               23/03/2023: from 5/07/2022 to 10/11/2022 inclusive
               09/09/ 2023 and 16/10/2023: from 20/12/2022 to 24/02/2023 inclusive
– Weight: 70g
– Type of packaging: plastic bag

The products were sold via Lidl stores in Belgium.

For any further information , contact Lidl customer service (+32 (0)2 320 6000)

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Posted in Aspergillus Toxin, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Mold Toxin, Mould Toxin, Mycotoxin, Ochratoxin, Ochratoxin A

USA – Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Alfalfa Sprouts – Outbreak is Over

Posted on March 2, 2023 by | Leave a comment

CDC

Front and back packaging of alfalfa sprouts in this outbreak

Fast Facts
  • Illnesses: 63
  • Hospitalizations: 10
  • Deaths: 0
  • States: 8
  • Recall: Yes
  • Investigation status: Closed
Outbreak Investigation Summary

Data showed that alfalfa sprouts made people in this outbreak sick.

  • Of the 50 people interviewed, 35 (70%) reported eating alfalfa sprouts.
  • Eight of the people who got sick in this outbreak confirmed they had purchased Sun Sprouts brand alfalfa sprouts from their local grocery store.

On December 29, 2022, SunSprout Enterprises recalled four lots of raw alfalfa sprouts.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella