A Canadian biotech company has developed a vaccine for cattle that prevents them from shedding E. coli in their manure, and its CEO now hopes the Canadian and U.S. governments will help spread the vaccine to combat the threat posed by E. coli contamination in beef.
E. coli illnesses cost the Canadian medical system more than $200 million a year, but vaccinating every cow in the country would cost less than $50 million.
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Research, Technology
Tagged food safety news, science
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was asked by the European Commission to evaluate the impact on public health of reducing Salmonella levels in turkeys across the European Union (EU). The presence of Salmonella in turkeys is considered a risk for public health through the consumption of contaminated meat from these animals. EFSA’s work will support any consideration by the Commission of setting new targets to control Salmonella in turkeys.
In a new scientific opinion, experts from EFSA’s Panel on Biological Hazards identify the main Salmonella serovars* in turkeys and indicate that transmission from breeding stock to fattening flocks is an important source of Salmonella infection as well as such sources as contaminated feed or turkey houses.
One in five supermarket chickens is contaminated with the food poisoning bacteria campylobacter, an investigation has found.
The study of chicken samples from nine supermarkets by the Which? consumer group found 18% were contaminated with campylobacter and 17% were contaminated with listeria, with 4% containing levels of the latter classed as “high” by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Salmonella was present in 1.5% of samples.
The watchdog tested 192 samples of whole chickens and chicken portions – standard, free range and organic and all reared in the UK – from Aldi, Asda, The Co-operative, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose in March. Bacterial contamination was found in samples from each of the retailers.
The headline in the Sun Newspaper was a little more graphic!
The Telegraph had a view as well.
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara, Michael Mahan and Douglas Heithoff, have published a new paper in the science journal, PLoS Pathogens, detailing their findings from a study of “hypervirulent” Salmonella bacteria. Given the recently announced nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly associated with consumption of spicy tuna sushi, the publication of their paper could not be any more timely.
The paper, titled “Intraspecies Variation in the Emergence of Hyperinfectious Bacterial Strains in Nature,” focuses on the researchers’ efforts to seek out and locate hypervirulent strains that present a potential risk to food safety and the livestock industry.
“We used a quantitative microbiological risk assessment model to describe the risk of Campylobacter and Salmonella infection linked to chicken meals prepared in households in Dakar, Senegal. The model uses data collected specifically for this study, such as the prevalence and level of bacteria on the neck skin of chickens bought in Dakar markets, time-temperature profiles recorded from purchase to consumption, an observational survey of meal preparation in private kitchens, and detection and enumeration of pathogens on kitchenware and cooks’ hands. Thorough heating kills all bacteria present on chicken during cooking, but cross-contamination of cooked chicken or ready-to-eat food prepared for the meal via kitchenware and cooks’ hands leads to a high expected frequency of pathogen ingestion. Additionally, significant growth of Salmonella is predicted during food storage at ambient temperature before and after meal preparation. These high exposures lead to a high estimated risk of campylobacteriosis and/or salmonellosis in Dakar households. The public health consequences could be amplified by the high level of antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella and Campylobacter observed in this setting. A significant decrease in the number of ingested bacteria and in the risk could be achieved through a reduction of the prevalence of chicken contamination at slaughter, and by the use of simple hygienic measures in the kitchen. There is an urgent need to reinforce the hygiene education of food handlers in Senegal.”
Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Salmonella
Tagged environment, research, science
British Standards Update(ISO/EN) 2012 
Withdrawn / Obsolete Standards:
BS 5763-13, 1998 : Methods for microbiological examination of food and animal feeding stuffs — Enumeration of Escherichia coli. Colony-count. – Withdrawn
BS 4285 – 5.2, 1989 : Microbiological examination for dairy purposes. Ancillary methods — Methylene blue reduction test for cream and ice cream. – Obsolete
Newly Published Standards:
BS EN ISO 6887-4 : 2003 AMD 1- 2011
Specific rules for the preparation of products other than milk and milk products, meat and meat products, and fish and fishery products.
See update document.
BS EN ISO 16140 : 2003 AMD 1 – 2011
Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Protocol for the validation of alternative methods.
BS EN ISO 22119 : 2011
Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Realtime polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) for the detection of foodborne pathogens — General requirements and definitions.
BS EN ISO 22118 : 2011
Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection and quantification of food-borne pathogens — Performance characteristics.
BS EN ISO 11133 – 2 : 2003 AMD 1 : 2011
Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Guidelines on preparation and production of culture media — Part 2: Practical guidelines on performance testing of culture media
See update document.
New Work Item Procedures
BS EN ISO NWIP 16649-3
Microbiology of food and animal feed — Enumeration of β-glucuronidase positive Escherichia coli — Part 3: Most probable number technique using 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-β-D-glucuronide
Disclaimer modified to state that only Milk and Milk product has not been validated for this method.
ISO 7251 and 6887-5 added to normative references.
Section 4 Principle now covers both Detection ( added ) as well as Enumeration.
Section 5 Media performance testing now states WDCM Culture references.
Section 9 now includes detection procedure as well as enumeration procedure.
Section 10 now gives guidance on reporting of Detection results.
NWIP ISO/TR 6579-3
Microbiology of food and animal feed – Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and serotyping of Salmonella – Part 3 Guidelines for serotyping of Salmonella spp.
NWIP ISO 4833 -2
Microbiology of food and animal feed – Horizontal method for the enumeration of Microorganisms – Part 2: Colony count at 30 degrees C by the surface plating technique (ISO/DIS 4833-2:2012)
NWIP ISO / PDTS
Microbiology of food and animal feed — Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of food-borne pathogens — Detection of botulinum type A, B, E and F neurotoxin producing Clostridia.
NWIP ISO/TS 11290-1 Horizontal method for the detection and enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species —Part 1 Detection method
Proposal to reduce Fraser Broth enrichment to 24hrs
Proposal to confirm only one colony at a time until correct identification is achieved.
Use of Haemolysis, VP, Rhamnose and Xylose only for L. mono identification. Optional Gram stain and CAMP test
NWIP ISO/TS 11290-2 Horizontal method for the detection and enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes and other Listeria species — Part 2 Enumeration method.
Proposal to remove resuscitation stage
Proposal to use 1 x 140mm ALOA or 3 x 90mm ALOA plates
Proposal to incubate at 37C for 24 ± 3 hrs instead of 18 – 24hrs ( repeat for further 24 hrs )
Proposal for countable range on 140 mm plates at 235 cfu.
Proposal to use any non selective agar for colony streaking for confirmation purposes
( Blood agar, Nutrient agar etc )
Proposal to remove gram stain from confirmation and optional Catalase test
Use of Haemolysis, VP, Rhamnose and Xylose only for L. mono identification.
Expression of results now cross referenced to ISO 7218
NWIP ISO 7218 Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs – General requirements and guidance for microbiological examinations – Amendment 1 (ISO 7218:2007/DAM :2011)
An epidemiologist with the Columbia-Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services in central Missouri has confirmed with Food Safety News that three cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection in Boone County share raw milk as a common potential source of contamination.
Posted in Bacteria, E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall, STEC
Tagged science
To me this seems to be a reasonably logical assumption and this report attempts to back that up.
The transmission of foodborne pathogens may be impacted by the effects of climate change, according to a report released March 28 by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Studying hundreds of peer-reviewed publications on six different food- and waterborne pathogens, the report’s authors observed 1,653 “key facts” that link the viability of those pathogens to a range of climatic variables such as air temperature, water temperature and precipitation. The pathogens under study included Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella, Norovirus, Cryptosporidium and non-cholera Vibrio.
Link to Report : Free Report
Campylobacter is the most common known source of human bacterial enteritis in the developed world and poultry is considered the main source. Broilers often become colonised with Campylobacter during rearing, and then contaminate the farm environment. The objective of this study was to identify Campylobacter-positive environmental reservoirs on farms, as these pose a risk to broiler flocks becoming colonised with Campylobacter. We considered the temporal aspects of exposure and colonisation. A longitudinal study monitored six conventional rearing farms over 2 years. The broiler flocks, catchers’ equipment, vehicles, shed surrounds, shed entrance, other equipment, farm entrance, other animals, puddles, dead birds, mains water and drinkers were systematically sampled 2–4 times per flock. A multivariable generalised estimating equation model was used to assess associations between contaminated environmental sites and colonised broiler flocks. The associations were adjusted for confounders and other known risk factors. To further assess temporality of contamination, the sequence of contamination of the different environmental sites and the flocks was established. Contaminated shed entrances and anterooms, contaminated drinkers and shedding of Campylobacter by other animals such as cattle, dogs, wildlife and rodents were significantly associated with positive flocks. The reservoir of ‘other animals’ was also the reservoir most commonly positive before the flock became colonised. The other sites usually became contaminated after the flock was colonised.
Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Inspections, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen
Tagged environment, science, water
FoodWorld 