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We’re continuing our tour of aquariums today; this was the last one.
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dp
Human-associated bacteria dominate the built environment (BE)
Following decontamination of floors, toilet seats, and soap dispensers in four public restrooms, in situ bacterial communities were characterized hourly, daily, and weekly to determine their successional ecology. The viability of cultivable bacteria, following the removal of dispersal agents (humans), was also assessed hourly.
A late-successional community developed within 5 to 8 h on restroom floors and showed remarkable stability over weeks to months. Despite late-successional dominance by skin- and outdoor-associated bacteria, the most ubiquitous organisms were predominantly gut-associated taxa, which persisted following exclusion of humans. Staphylococcus represented the majority of the cultivable community, even after several hours of human exclusion. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-associated virulence genes were found on floors but were not present in assembled Staphylococcus pan-genomes.
Viral abundances, which were predominantly enterophages, human papilloma virus, and herpes viruses, were significantly correlated with bacterial abundances and showed an unexpectedly low virus-to-bacterium ratio in surface-associated samples, suggesting that bacterial hosts are mostly dormant on BE surfaces.
Ecological succession and viability of human-associated microbiota on restroom surfaces
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Volume 81, Issue 2, January 2015, Pages 765-773
S. Gibbons, T. Schwartz, J. Fouquier, M. Mitchell, N. Sangwan, J. Gilbert, and S. Kelley
Specific concerns have been raised that third-generation cephalosporin-resistant (3GCr) Escherichia coli, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole-resistant (COTr) E. coli, 3GCr Salmonella enterica, and nalidixic acid-resistant (NALr) S. enterica may be present in cattle production environments, persist through beef processing, and contaminate final products.
The prevalences and concentrations of these organisms were determined in feces and hides (at feedlot and processing plant), pre-evisceration carcasses, and final carcasses from three lots of fed cattle (n = 184). The prevalences and concentrations were further determined for strip loins from 103 of the carcasses. 3GCr
Salmonella was detected on 7.6% of hides during processing and was not detected on the final carcasses or strip loins. NALr S. enterica was detected on only one hide. 3GCr E. coli and COTr E. coli were detected on 100.0% of hides during processing. Concentrations of 3GCr E. coli and COTr E. coli on hides were correlated with pre-evisceration carcass contamination. 3GCr E. coli and COTr E. coli were each detected on only 0.5% of final carcasses and were not detected on strip loins. Five hundred and 42 isolates were screened for extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) virulence-associated markers. Only two COTr E. coli isolates from hides were ExPEC, indicating that fed cattle products are not a significant source of ExPEC causing human urinary tract infections. The very low prevalences of these organisms on final carcasses and their absence on strip loins demonstrate that current sanitary dressing procedures and processing interventions are effective against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.
Escherichia coli O157:H7 is, to date, the major E. coli serotype causing food-borne human disease worldwide. Strains of O157 with other H antigens also have been recovered.
We analyzed a collection of historic O157 strains (n = 400) isolated in the late 1980s to early 1990s in the United States. Strains were predominantly serotype O157:H7 (55%), and various O157:non-H7 (41%) serotypes were not previously reported regarding their pathogenic potential.
Although lacking Shiga toxin (stx) and eae genes, serotypes O157:H1, O157:H2, O157:H11, O157:H42, and O157:H43 carried several virulence factors (iha, terD, and hlyA) also found in virulent serotype E. coli O157:H7.
Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) showed the O157 serogroup was diverse, with strains with the same H type clustering together closely. Among non-H7 isolates, serotype O157:H43 was highly prevalent (65%) and carried important enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) virulence markers (iha, terD, hlyA, and espP).
Isolates from two particular H types, H2 and H11, among the most commonly found non-O157 EHEC serotypes (O26:H11, O111:H11, O103:H2/H11, and O45:H2), unexpectedly clustered more closely with O157:H7 than other H types and carried several virulence genes.
This suggests an early divergence of the O157 serogroup to clades with different pathogenic potentials. The appearance of important EHEC virulence markers in closely related H types suggests their virulence potential and suggests further monitoring of those serotypes not implicated in severe illness thus far.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Volume 81, Issue 2, January 2015, Pages 569-577
L. Rump, N. Gonzalez-Escalona, W. Ju, F. Wang, G. Cao, S. Meng, and J. Meng
Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are among the most commonly used disinfectants. There has been concern that their widespread use will lead to the development of resistant organisms, and it has been suggested that limits should be place on their use.
While increases in tolerance to QACs have been observed, there is no clear evidence to support the development of resistance to QACs. Since efflux pumps are believe to account for at least some of the increased tolerance found in bacteria, there has been concern that this will enhance the resistance of bacteria to certain antibiotics.
QACs are membrane-active agents interacting with the cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria and lipids of viruses. The wide variety of chemical structures possible has seen an evolution in their effectiveness and expansion of applications over the last century, including non-lipid-containing viruses (i.e., noroviruses).
Selection of formulations and methods of application have been shown to affect the efficacy of QACs. While numerous laboratory studies on the efficacy of QACs are available, relatively few studies have been conducted to assess their efficacy in practice. Better standardized tests for assessing and defining the differences between increases in tolerance versus resistance are needed.
The ecological dynamics of microbial communities where QACs are a main line of defense against exposure to pathogens need to be better understood in terms of sublethal doses and antibiotic resistance.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Volume 81, Issue 2, January 2015, Pages 464-469
Charles P. Gerba
http://aem.asm.org/content/81/2/464.abstract?etoc
To better understand how Philadelphia enforces food regulations, The Inquirer and Philly.com created a database of nearly 70,000 inspection reports. The public can query www.philly.com/cleanplates for restaurants, school lunchrooms, nursing homes, even prisons (they are particularly clean), back to mid-2009.
Some inspectors’ comments are not for the squeamish.
When one visited Jack’s Firehouse, the Fairmount eatery with historic cachet, on July 23, she found foods “not covered throughout the establishment” and cheese and bacon held warm enough to breed bacteria.
Mouse droppings were seen in 20 different locations – “on prep table next to small dough mixer,” “on shelves in the walk-in cooler,” and even “on deli slicer.”
The 33 separate violations were a record for Jack’s, but many were not new. The restaurant had been described as “not satisfactory” in nine of its 10 previous inspections over four years.
At inspection No. 11, inspector Tiana Montgomery-Noel wrote in her July report that the place should “cease and desist” all operations until it met two conditions: “zero mouse droppings” and having a certified food-safety worker present at all times. Owner Mick Houston closed voluntarily and met both requirements in four days; he has vowed to do better.
There is no evidence that violations there or elsewhere led to foodborne illness.
In the consumer-friendliness arena, Philadelphia is far from alone in not summarizing findings for diners. Bucks and Montgomery Counties don’t do this either. Many food-safety experts say oversimplification can lead to misunderstandings. But summaries are “easier for the public to understand,” said Lydia Johnson, food-safety director for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, which conducts most inspections around the state outside Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Johnson said her staff would handle ongoing serious violations with “a progressive response” – a warning letter followed by citations, administrative hearings, and, if necessary, fines.
With all that can go wrong in a full-service establishment, it’s hard to get a perfect report.
Selling the raw milk for human consumption is illegal in Australia but many health stores offer the product for cosmetic use, suggesting people can bathe in the substance.
This has allowed the unpasteurised milk to be available in several niche outlets in Sydney positioned alongside regular pasteurised milk.
UNSW’s Associate Professor of Food and Microbiology, Julian Cox, said marketing raw milk as a cosmetic product was nothing but retailers attempting to dodge the ban and could lead to infection.
Certain bacteria can get into the raw milk during the milking process if the cow has mastitis, or “milk fever,” he explained.
This can trigger skin infections in humans if they use it on the skin and it comes into contact with wounds or burns.
“In mastitis, bacteria can be present at very high levels in raw milk,” Associate Professor Cox said.
“Pseudomonas aeruginosa is well known to cause problems with wounds and burns, high levels could be a problem even with topical or cosmetic use — without consumption.”
Pasteurisation removes such a threat.
“Pasteurisation is something we have had in place for a century.” he said.
“It keeps milk at a safe and important part of the food supply.”
Sydney Children’s Hospital department head of paediatric gastroenterology, Dr Avi Lemberg, said people needed to be reminded that infectious diseases are still a risk despite medical advancements.
“People have come to believe that infectious diseases are no longer a risk by things like pasteurization and also immunization, but in fact they are saving millions of lives every year around the world,” Dr Lemberg said.
“The really young and the elderly are those who will be most affected.”
Dr Lemberg also criticised the cosmetic marketing for raw milk.
“It’s a mask so people can take it home and so-call have a ‘more natural’ lifestyle,” he said.
Bondi man and armchair epidemiologist Bill Tucker is an avid raw milk supporter.
The 55-year-old believes the drink has health benefits and the controversy and health fears surrounding it are unnecessary.
“I believe it’s got good bacteria. They have it everywhere else in the world like Europe. I can’t see a problem with it,” he said outside The Health Emporium in Bondi.
“There are a few germs. I think that’s why people get allergies, a few more germs would toughen people up.”
Fellow shopper Deborah Whitebread also supports the sale and production of raw milk.
She said milk was best straight from the cow and people should have the freedom to choose whether or not they drink it.
A 30-year-old woman, who also did not want to be named, said she was aware they sold raw milk for bathing yet she was suspicious of how customers actually use the product.
“It is mainly health food stores that it is sold in and I guess it is giving people the opportunity if they want to use it for cosmetic purposes that it is there,” she said.
“But I think from people who I know who use it they don’t use it for cosmetic purposes they use it to consume at home.
“It’s a thing that I would not give to children or myself.”
The new year brings new guesses as to what will be the next big food thing, when really it’s just an exercise in food porn.
And sometimes dangerous.
The Epoch Times predicts that grass fed meat will be hot because blah… blah … blah … oh, “grass-fed is virtually free from the threat of E. coli outbreaks – another major plus for meat-eaters.”
No it’s not: handle and cook carefully, and use a damn thermometer (Last night I was having dinner with mom-in-law and Sorenne at a steakhouse while Amy was doing French club stuff at this conference in Vancouver. When the server asked how I wanted Sorenne’s sliders, I said, 165F. When she asked how I wanted my steak I said, 140F. She insisted they had a thermometer out back but …).
And from the New Zealand Herald, in advice every pregnant woman should ignore, the author says it’s false that “pregnant women should avoid eating unpasteurized cheeses, shellfish and other “edgy” foods.”
They’re not edgy, they’re microbiolgically dangerous because the immune system of expectant moms is ratcheted down by a factor of 10 to avoid harming the fetus. To say that rates of listeriosis are lower in France where pregnant woman eat unpasteurized cheese (and this applies to any refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods) is to ignore deficiencies in surveillance and that one of the largest cheese producers said it was switching to all pasteurized in 2008 because it didn’t want any more bodies – born or unborn.
Ken Gruen, a retired Philadelphia restaurant inspector (“sanitarian”) who advises food establishments at Philadelphia International Airport told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “If the bathroom is kept in good condition – it’s clean, there is soap, there are paper towels, there is not a lot of litter on the floor – probably the kitchen is the same.”
Maybe but not necessarily.
Other signs of general sloppiness, health, and hygiene could be indicators as well. Is the knife used to slice limes at the bar left on the counter without cleaning? Has the buffet been ignored for hours? If the kitchen is visible, are workers wearing gloves? Is your waiter a mess?
More specific measures, like storing cheese at temperatures that are too cold for dangerous microbes, are noted in official inspection reports – if you have the patience and knowledge to interpret them.
To make them easier to understand – there are hundreds of potential code violations – all restaurants in New Jersey must display overall findings as “Satisfactory,” “Conditionally Satisfactory,” or “Unsatisfactory,” although the sign may not be visible from outside. Some cities (Toronto, Pittsburgh) post green, yellow, or red placards in the window. Another handful (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco) put up consumer-friendly A-B-C letter grades.
Philadelphia does none of the above.
No scoring system “has been found to be effective for food safety,” said Palak Raval-Nelson, who oversees inspections of nearly 12,000 food establishments for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.
In fact, there is limited evidence that inspections themselves protect against foodborne illness. They are a snapshot in time: Only a stroke of luck would have the sanitarian present at the exact moment that a refrigerator malfunctions or a cook shows up sick.
But they may work in a different way.
“No one wants to be embarrassed,” said Doug Powell, a food-safety consultant in Australia and anchor of barfblog. “So inspections and disclosure systems make [restaurateurs] try harder. And it also contributes to the public conversation about food safety.”
Food-safety laws are written and enforced almost entirely at the state and local levels. Since the late 1990s, most jurisdictions, including Philadelphia, have adopted U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendations that for the first time are based on the science of disease transmission. Cooking to a temperature high enough to kill microorganisms is a high-priority item; ceilings with missing tiles is low.
“It is really hard, I think, for a consumer to make very much sense of these detailed reports,” said food-safety specialist Craig Hedberg, a professor in the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health.
But Hedberg doesn’t think inspections prevent much sickness anyway.
“We talk about food-borne illness like it’s a single thing,” Hedberg said. In reality, there are several kinds, each causing extremely uncomfortable (and sometimes dangerous) diarrhea and abdominal cramps, from one day to a week:
Between 10 percent and 20 percent of outbreaks are due to salmonella, increasingly carried on fresh produce that will be served without cooking. It’s not visible, and washing often fails to remove it.
Chopping and mixing quantities of, say, parsley or tomatoes, as most full-service restaurants must do, could spread the contamination through the entire batch, however. “The restaurant will simply be a pass-through,” Hedberg said. “The best they can do is try not to make the problem worse.”
And an inspection will not stop it.
Another 10 percent to 20 percent of outbreaks are traced to Clostridium perfringens. The bacteria grow and produce a toxin when spores germinate after cooking if foods are not cooled quickly enough before storage. It used to be more common, and has been successfully reduced through the priority that inspectors place on temperature control and cross-contamination, Hedberg said.
More than 50 percent of outbreaks in the United States are norovirus. It is spread when infected workers handle salads and serve sandwiches. Frequent hand washing helps, but ill employees simply should not show up for work. “Workers can come in sick a few hours a year,” Hedberg said, enough to start an outbreak but unlikely to be spotted during an inspection.
So what would work?
For a 2006 paper in the Journal of Food Protection, Hedberg led a team that compared various characteristics of 22 restaurants that had experienced outbreaks of food-borne illness and 347 that had not. The main difference was the presence of a certified kitchen manager – someone who has the power to change attitudes and atmosphere. These managers are regular kitchen employees or supervisors who have received additional training in food safety. They can spot and respond to risks, like sending home workers with symptoms of norovirus.
Toronto’s DineSafe program began in 2001. The most critical violations are noted in simple language on a green, yellow, or red sign posted out front. Ninety-two percent of restaurants get a “green” on their first inspection, said Sylvanus Thompson (above, left, pretty much as shown), associate director of Toronto Public Health. Polls show the program is overwhelmingly popular.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the results of findings from additional tests performed on samples collected from Bidart Bros. apple processing plant. 
Test results confirm two strains of Listeria monocytogenes were found at the apple processing facility and are believed to be the same strains associated with the outbreak. Those same strains were also found in Bidart Bros. apples collected from a retailer by the FDA. Today, the CDC confirmed that the majority of the persons made ill reported consuming caramel-coated apples. “The results are devastating to the Bidart family,” says Leonard Bidart, President Bidart Bros. “As a family-owned grower operating in California since the 1930s, we place safety at the forefront of everything we do. Our hearts go out to all who have been impacted by the apple-related listeriosis outbreak. “From the moment we learned of the issue, we committed ourselves to cooperating completely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the California Department of Public Health.” The FDA notified Bidart Bros. of the results of the additional testing today. 
Given the findings from the latest test results, and out of an abundance of caution, the company has instituted a voluntary recall of all Bidart Bros. Granny Smith and Gala apples still available in the marketplace. Bidart Bros. is contacting all of their retailers with specific instructions as to how to return those apples to Bidart Bros. Bidart Bros. last shipped Granny Smith apples to customers on December 2, 2014.