Tag Archives: environment

Use of Microbiological Indicators for Assessing Hygiene Controls for the Manufacture of Powdered Infant Formula

Posted on May 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Ingenta

Microbiological testing for various indicator microorganisms is used extensively as a means of verifying the effectiveness of efforts to ensure the microbiological quality and safety of a wide variety of foods. However, for each use of an indicator organism the underlying scientific assumptions related to the behaviour of the target microorganism, the characteristics of the food matrix, the details of the food manufacturing processes, environment, and distribution system, and the methodological basis for the assay must be evaluated to determine the validity, utility, and efficacy of potential microbiological indicator tests. The recent adoption by the Codex Alimentarius Commission of microbiological criteria for powdered infant formulae and related products provides an excellent example of an evidence-based approach for the establishment of consensus microbiological criteria. The present article reviews these criteria and those of various national governments in relation to emerging principles for the evidence-based establishment of effective indicator organisms.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Safety, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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258 Cases in the US Sushi Salmonella Outbreak to Date

Posted on May 3, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CDC

  • Based on an epidemiologic link and results of laboratory testing, CDC has combined this Salmonella Bareilly investigation with an ongoing multistate outbreak investigation of Salmonella serotype Nchanga infections. The two associated PFGE patterns have been grouped together as the “outbreak strains.”
  • A total of 258 persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Bareilly (247 persons) or SalmonellaNchanga (11 persons) have been reported from 24 states and the District of Columbia.
    • 32 ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
  • Collaborative investigation efforts of state, local, and federal public health agencies indicate that a frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, known as Nakaochi Scrape, from Moon Marine USA Corporation is the likely source of this outbreak.
  • Consumers should not eat the recalled product, and retailers should not serve the recalled raw Nakaochi Scrape tuna product from Moon Marine USA Corporation.
  • This investigation is ongoing. CDC and state and local public health partners are continuing surveillance to identify new cases.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella

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Wales Cryptosporidium Outbreak Update

Posted on May 1, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Public Health Wales 

A further four people have been clinically diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis and are linked to the outbreak associated with a farm in Cwmbran.
 
The four new cases bring the total number of confirmed cases investigated as part of the outbreak to eight. All cases were either members of staff or volunteers who bottle fed unwell animals. These animals have now been removed from the farm.
 
Public Health Wales and Torfaen County Borough Council with the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency are continuing to investigate the outbreak of cryptosporidiosis, and extra control measures are now in place to ensure that risks to farm visitors and staff are kept to a minimum.
 

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Posted in Cryptosporidium, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Safety, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

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Listeria Subverts Immune Response

Posted on May 1, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Science Daily

Listeria, one of the most deadly causes of bacterial food poisoning, subverts a normally protective immune response to spread its infection more effectively, according to new research at National Jewish Health. Immunologists Laurel Lenz, PhD, Peter Henson, PhD, and their colleagues report online April 26, 2012, in the journal Immunity that production of nitric oxide (NO) by activated macrophages, which is normally thought of as an infection-fighting response, actually helps Listeria monocytogenes to more efficiently disseminate between infected and neighboring uninfected cells.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Poisoning, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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US – Kindergarten – E.coli Outbreak

Posted on April 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment

EcoliBlog

According to Kentucky news media, as many as three Stanford Elementary School kindergarten students may have contracted E. coli according to Ronnie Deatherage, director of operations for the Lincoln County Public Schools.  State and local health officials are investigating the case and have examined the elementary school cafeteria without finding a cause. Two of the 5-year-olds became ill within the last few days, Deatheridge said. They are being treated at University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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CDC – Salmonella Bareilly Outbreak Report – 200 Cases

Posted on April 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CDC

  • Based on an epidemiological link and results of laboratory testing, CDC has combined this Salmonella Bareilly investigation with an ongoing multistate outbreak investigation of Salmonella serotype Nchanga infections. The two associated PFGE patterns have been grouped together as the “outbreak strains.”
  • A total of 200 persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Bareilly or SalmonellaNchanga have been reported from 21 states and the District of Columbia.
    • 190 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly have been reported from 21 states and the District of Columbia. The number of ill persons with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (8), District of Columbia (2), Florida (1), Georgia (9), Illinois (15), Louisiana (3), Maryland (20), Massachusetts (24), Mississippi (2), Missouri (4), New Jersey (18), New York (33), North Carolina (3), Pennsylvania (7), Rhode Island (6), South Carolina (3), Texas (4), Virginia (9), Vermont (1), and Wisconsin (15).
    • 10 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Nchanga have been reported from 5 states. The number of ill persons with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Nchanga identified in each state is as follows: Georgia (2), New Jersey (1), New York (5), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1).
    • 28 ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

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Posted in Bacteria, CDC, Eurofins Laboratories, FDA, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall, Research, Salmonella

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Bangladesh – Food SAfety Awareness Campaign

Posted on April 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment

BDNews24

The government has launched an awareness campaign for the first time in Bangladesh to improve household food safety and hygiene practices.

The campaign on ‘washing and cleaning during food preparation’ targets rural women who are primarily responsible for preparing family meals and feeding infants.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) supported the campaign based on their study findings that showed only 14 percent people in the homes wash hands with soap before preparing food, while only 26 percent know it can remove harmful germs.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

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FDA Reportable Food Registry – Microbiology/Allergens

Posted on April 26, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Reportable Food Registry is an electronic portal where food companies report issues with a food where that food is likely to cause illness. This report has a lot of interesting data about the break down of which commodities caused food safety issues.

Link to FDA PDF Report

Web Page Link

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Research, Toxin

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Canadians Open to Food Irradiation for Food Safety

Posted on April 20, 2012 by | Leave a comment

CTV News

A new survey shows Canadians might be willing to eat food with small doses of radiation to prevent foodborne illnesses.

The survey was conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion for the Consumers Association of Canada. It found that while Canadians are concerned about food contamination, most don’t know much about food irradiation.

The online survey of 1,006 Canadians found 57 per cent of respondents had not heard of irradiation, which is a process that exposes foods to minute doses of radiation like X-rays to kill off bacteria.

And yet when the Canadians polled in the survey were given a brief explanation of the process, most said they would support having irradiated food at the grocery store as a choice.

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Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen

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Oregon Raw Milk Farm – Cows, Milk and Surfaces Positive E.coli O157

Posted on April 18, 2012 by | Leave a comment

E.coli Blog

Four children are hospitalised; a total of five confirmed with E. coli – as many as seventeen sick

Oregon Public Health officials today report test results of samples taken from Foundation Farm cows, manure and surfaces as well as raw milk from a farm customer are positive for E. coli O157.

The samples came from leftover milk recovered from one household, rectal swabs from two of four cows, and multiple manure and other environmental samples collected at the farm.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall, STEC

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