Tag Archives: research

Research – Clostridium difficile – Possibly not Only a Clinical Issue

Posted on September 27, 2013 by | Leave a comment

New England Journal of MedicineClost

It has been thought that Clostridium difficile infection is transmitted predominantly within health care settings. However, endemic spread has hampered identification of precise sources of infection and the assessment of the efficacy of interventions.

Over a 3-year period, 45% of C. difficile cases in Oxfordshire were genetically distinct from all previous cases. Genetically diverse sources, in addition to symptomatic patients, play a major part in C. difficile transmission.

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Posted in Bacteria, Clostridium difficile, Food Hygiene, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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Research – Effect of Pickling on Pathogens in Hard Boiled Eggs

Posted on September 16, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Journal of Food BiochemistryEGGS

Traditional methods of food preservation, such as pickling, have reemerged as popular approaches for home and commercial food processing. The process of pickling hard-cooked eggs (HCE) can be an effective method of preventing the growth and survival of pathogenic microorganisms. Because of the variety of pickling processes, HCE manufacturers must validate their pickling process for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and demonstrate 5-log reductions of pathogens associated with the product. In this study, a rapid one-step pickling process was evaluated for its ability to reduce Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated onto HCE for 14 days at room temperature. All pathogens inoculated onto HCE were reduced by (>5.0 logs) within 24 h and were undetectable following enrichment. The data obtained in this study may be of interest to regulatory officials and processors of HCE seeking pathogen reduction validation for their products.

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Posted in Bacteria, E.coli O157, Food Hygiene, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus

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UK – FSA Salmonella Outbreak investigation

Posted on September 12, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FSASalmonella

An outbreak of an unusual type of salmonella infection, Salmonella Typhimurium, across England and Wales is being investigated by Public Health England, Public Health Wales, the FSA and local authority environmental health officers.

A total of 21 confirmed cases in Wales and 30 in England have been reported, with 9 cases known to have required hospitalisation. Other potential cases are being investigated in both countries.

The outbreak was first detected in Wales in August and centred mainly in North Wales (Conwy and Gwynedd), with additional clusters being investigated in England in the Thames Valley, Leeds, Cumbria and Stafford areas.

Cases are widely geographically distributed in patients aged 7 months to 87 years.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Standards Agency, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Laboratory, Microbiology, outbreak, Salmonella

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FSA – Loch Duart Artisan Smokehouse recalls a batch of their own Oak Smoked Salmon due to detection of Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on August 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FSA

As a precautionary measure, Loch Duart Artisan Smokehouse is recalling a certain batch code of the above product due to detection of Listeria monocytogenes which may pose a risk to health. Listeria monocytogenes can cause illness in certain groups of people, such as pregnant women, unborn and newborn babies, and anyone with reduced immunity, particularly the over-60s.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Standards Agency, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Pathogen, Recall

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Research – Practical Considerations for the Interpretation of Microbial Testing Results Based on Small Numbers of Samples

Posted on July 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Liebert Online

While adequate, statistically designed sampling plans should be used whenever feasible, inference about the presence of pathogens in food occasionally has to be made based on smaller numbers of samples. To help the interpretation of such results, we reviewed the impact of small sample sizes on pathogen detection and prevalence estimation. In particular, we evaluated four situations commonly encountered in practice. The first two examples evaluate the combined impact of sample size and pathogen prevalence (i.e., fraction of contaminated food items in a given lot) on pathogen detection and prevalence estimation. The latter two examples extend the previous example to consider the impact of pathogen concentration and imperfect test sensitivity. The provided examples highlight the difficulties of making inference based on small numbers of samples, and emphasize the importance of using appropriate statistical sampling designs whenever possible.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Hygiene, Laboratory, Methods, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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Research – Campylobacter in Chicken Embryo’s

Posted on May 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Poultry SiteEGGS

US – Evidence of Campylobacter has been found in all the seven-day-old chick embryos tested by researchers with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Campylobacter, a foodborne pathogen closely associated with poultry, is recognised as a leading bacterial aetiological agent of human gastroenteritis in the United States.

In a paper published in Poultry Science, Kelli Hiett and colleagues at USDA ARS Richard B. Russell Research Center in Athens, Georgia, report two trials in which tissues from seven-, 14/15- and 19-day-old commercial broiler chicken embryos were tested for the presence of Campylobacter using both culturing methodology and PCR.

Conventional culturing methods failed to detect Campylobacter from any samples tested during this investigation.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Uncategorized

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USA Research- USDA/FDA Report on Listeria in Retail Deli’s

Posted on May 14, 2013 by | Leave a comment

FDA

The Draft Interagency Risk Assessment –

Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Delicatessens provides a scientific assessment of the risk of foodborne illness associated with consumption of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods commonly prepared and sold in the delicatessen (deli) of a retail food store and examines how that risk may be impacted by changes to common or recommended practices. This quantitative risk assessment (QRA) was conducted collaboratively by the Department of Health and Human Service (DHHS), Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA/CFSAN), and United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), in consultation with the DHHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and input from industry, academic institutions, and consumer advocacy group stakeholders. The White House Food Safety Work Group identified this risk assessment as a priority. It provides information useful to those responsible for implementing policies, programs and practices that target the prevention of listeriosis in the population.

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Posted in Bacteria, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, USDA

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USA – Update Salmonella – Cucumber Outbreak

Posted on May 11, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety Newscucumber

An outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul linked to imported cucumbers has sickened at least 81 people in 18 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That’s up from the 78 illnesses CDC reported April 25. The number of patients hospitalized as a result of their infections has risen from 14 to 16 since that time.

The updated number of victims, by state, is as follows: Arizona (11), California (28), Colorado (1), Idaho (2), Illinois (3), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (1), Minnesota (9), Nevada (1), New Mexico (2), North Carolina (3), Ohio (3), Oregon (2), South Dakota (2), Texas (6), Virginia (3) and Wisconsin (2).

The first outbreak victim fell ill on January 12 of this year, and the latest known illness onset was April 19. However, health officials note that illnesses with an onset date of April 7 or later may not have been reported yet.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Salmonella

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Research – China Shellfish – Virus – Fresh Cut Salad Quality – Seasonal Campylobacter – Salmonella Control

Posted on April 24, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Wiley Online

Prevalence of Human Enteric Viruses and a Potential Indicator of Contamination in Shellfish in China.

Science Direct

Influence of working conditions and practices on fresh-cut lettuce salads quality

Cambridge Journals

Identifying the seasonal origins of human campylobacteriosis

University of Cambridge

Researchers plan to use data collected to develop vaccines to control Salmonella in animals and humans

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Methods, Microbiology, Norovirus, outbreak, Pathogen, Research, Salmonella, Virus

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USA – CDC – Food Safety Progress Report

Posted on April 19, 2013 by | Leave a comment

CDCiStock_000012710183Small

Food Safety News

Infection rates of the foodborne pathogens Campylobacter and Vibrio parahaemolyticus rose in 2012, while other major pathogens generally maintained rates similar to recent years, according to the nation’s annual “food safety progress report” published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Thursday.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, CDC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research

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