Multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 infections (STEC O157:H7) in 13 states

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Eastern Canada has been experiencing an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to romaine lettuce. Since the lettuce is eaten raw, this increases the likelihood of acquiring the infection. It appears now that the states are experiencing a similar outbreak. The CDC is performing whole genome sequencing to determine if this outbreak is related to the Canadian romaine lettuce outbreak.

CDC, several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are
investigating a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 infections (STEC O157:H7) in 13 states. Seventeen illnesses have been reported from California (3), Connecticut (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Michigan (1), Nebraska (1), New Hampshire (2), New York (1), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (1), Virginia (1), Vermont (1) and Washington (1). Illnesses started on dates from November 15 through December 8, 2017. The Public Health Agency of Canada also is investigating an outbreak of STEC O157:H7 infections in several provinces.
CDC is performing whole genome sequencing on samples of bacteria making people sick in the United States to give us information about whether these illnesses are related to the illnesses in Canada. Preliminary results show that the type of E. coli making people sick in both countries is closely related genetically, meaning the ill people are more likely to share a common source of infection.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has identified romaine lettuce as the source of the outbreak in Canada. In the United States, state and local public health officials are interviewing sick people to determine what they ate in the week before their illness started. CDC is still collecting information to determine whether there is a food item in common among sick people, including leafy greens and romaine.
Because we have not identified a source of the infections, CDC is unable to recommend whether U.S. residents should avoid a particular food. This investigation is ongoing, and more information will be released as it becomes available.

Birthday wishes — a grandson skating

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Many thanks to all the kind – and the all-too-sarcastic – birthday wishes I received today in Brisbane, Australia.

Now that I’m 55, where are those early meal specials at 3 p.m.? It’s OK, I get up at 4 a.m. through a combination of birds, cats and a dog.

Sometimes I don’t.

Marriage is like that.

Best parts of the day: 22-year-old daughter giving me a hug this morning and saying, happy birthday, dad.

30-year-old daughter sending me a video of 5-year-old son Gabe, first time on the ice, in a park, in Waterloo, Ontario (that’s in Canada).

Many thanks to everyone.

dp

 

Minnesota food plant worker gets jail time for contaminating chicken

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Elizabeth Licata of Fox News reports an employee at a chicken processing plant in Minnesota has been convicted of intentionally contaminating chicken and causing a massive poultry recall in 2016.

In June of 2016 the Minnesota-based GNP Company had to recall almost 56,000 pounds of “Gold’n Plump” and “Just BARE” branded chicken after it was found to be contaminated by sand and black soil. After an investigation, 37-year-old Faye Slye of Cold Spring, Minnesota, reportedly confessed to contaminating chicken with plastic bags of dirt and sand she’d filled from the plant’s parking lot.

Slye was reportedly filmed by the company’s surveillance cameras, and there was dirt and sand from the parking lot on her sleeves.

Slye has been convicted of two counts of causing damage to property in the first degree, a felony, and she’s been sentenced to 90 days in prison. She will also be on probation for five years, and she also has to pay $200,000 to the company in restitution for causing the recall. The tainted products were reportedly shipped to foodservice and retail operations nationwide, and nearly 28 tons of poultry had to be recalled and destroyed.

35 infants sick with Salmonella: France to probe Lactalis

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Medical Xpress reports that French prosecutors have opened a probe into salmonella contamination and a major international recall of baby milk produced by dairy giant Lactalis, a legal source told AFP on Tuesday.

The investigation will focus on possible charges of causing involuntary injuries and endangering the lives of others but also possible cheating and failures in carrying out a product recall, the source said.

Reports of some 20 children falling sick after consuming Lactalis powdered milk—sold under several different brand names in France and abroad, including Picot and Milumel—first emerged in early December.

The company, one of the world’s largest producers of dairy products, ordered a first major recall on December 10 of nearly 7,000 tonnes of packets produced by a contaminated factory in Craon, northwest France.

At the time, it said it did not know how much of the potentially dangerous powder had been consumed or was in shops around the world and it announced a second, wider recall on December 21.

The group has now recalled all of its production from the Craon factory since February 15, blaming the contamination on renovation work carried out earlier this year.

The company believes the salmonella outbreak can be traced to an evaporation tower used to dry out the milk at the factory it acquired in 2006.

The plant had suffered salmonella contamination the previous year.

10 family members sick with Salmonella in Israel: Probably raw egg mousse

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The Yeshiva World reports that 10 family members, adults and children, visited the emergency room of Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak on Monday, 7 Teves, presenting with severe intestinal illness. Three of them were hospitalized in the pediatric ward. The illness began after eating homemade mousse prepared from raw eggs.

The microbiological laboratory at the hospital identified the suspicious growth as salmonella and tomorrow, Tuesday, the suspicions of doctors will be confirmed. For the time being, the family is ill and suffering.

Still a grunt: Seahawks LB K.J. Wirght beat a nasty bout of food poisoning to lead Seattle to 21-12 win over Dallas

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I hate it – and hate is a strong word – when athletes or musicians talk.

Yes, you have a voice, but can it be better than, “Uh, yeah, we gave it 110 per cent out there, just trying to win one for the team.”

In addition to all the pucks I took to the head playing goalie since 1967 (the last time the Leafs won a Cup), I played four years of linebacker, receiver and kickoff/punt returner for my high school team.

I was a grunt.

Go get ‘em, said coach, head first, with shitty helmets.

So my head’s been knocked around a lot in ways it probably wasn’t designed for.

I’m reading Ken Dryden’s book on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and will report on that later.

Still, it’s a little scary, not to know what’s going on all the time, feeling distant and distracted, and knowing there will be no diagnosis until I’m dead.

Whatevs, I got great support.

Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright recovered from a concussion that forced him to miss last week’s game against the Rams, only to get felled by a bout of food poisoning the day before Seattle’s eventual 21-12 win over Dallas.

Wright said he ate some lasagna on the team’s Delta Airlines charter flight from Seattle to Dallas on Friday, and felt ill immediately afterward.

“I think it was the lasagna,” Wright said. “As soon as I had my last bite, about five minutes later, my stomach got tore up, and, uh, it ws all over from there. … It was coming out both ends.”

Food poising usually doesn’t happen within 5 minutes, unless it’s chemical contamination.

Microbes, even the toxin-producing ones, take a few hours.

Wright said he did not leave his hotel room on Saturday, and that the Seahawks’ doctors came in to give him IVs and some nausea medicine.

“He was in bed all day yesterday,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “Those guys played like crazy to hold (Dallas) down.”

Wright said he felt better by Sunday morning and was able to start against Dallas. He came up big for the Seahawks twice, tallying six tackles, picking off Dallas quarterback, Dak Prescott once and recovering two fumbles.

“Shout out to our doctors and trainers,” Wright said. “They’re tremendous and they took good care of me.”

(that’s the equipment I has circa 1972; the puck hurt, a lot, especially on the head)

Salmonella found by USDA in Canadian deli products

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Piller’s Fine Foods, a Waterloo, Canada establishment, is recalling approximately 1,076 pounds of ready-to-eat salami and speck products that may be adulterated with Salmonella, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

The problem was discovered when an FSIS sample of the ready-to-eat salami product was confirmed positive for Salmonella. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

FSIS and the company are concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ freezers.

The ready-to-eat speck prosciutto and salami items were produced on Sept. 22 and Oct. 12, 2017, respectively. The following products are subject to recall:

Vacuum-sealed random weight plastic packages containing “Black Kassel Piller’s Dry Aged D’Amour Salami” with Best Before date of May 12, 2018

Vacuum-sealed random weight plastic packages containing “Black Kassel Piller’s Dry Aged Speck Smoked Prosciutto” with Best Before date of May 12, 2018.

These items were produced in Canada and were shipped to distribution centers in California, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey and New York.         

12 stricken with E. coli O157 in UK burgers linked to Sainsbury’s

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A supermarket’s own brand of beef burgers have been recalled in fears that customers might be struck down with the E.coli bug, just before Christmas.

Sainsbury’s issued an urgent product recall after customers apparently fell ill after eating the Aberdeen British Beef burgers.

Public Health England (PHE) has linked a dozen cases of E.coli to the range and Sainsbury’s have cleared the product from their shelves. All the people that fell ill have all recovered, PHE have said.

The bug has been linked to Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference ­Aberdeen Angus quarter-pounder burgers, 454g packets, which are sold in the frozen section.

The Food Standards Agency warned shoppers: “If you have bought any of the batches, do not eat them.”

Product: Taste the Difference 4 pack Aberdeen Angus British Beef Quarter Pounders (Frozen)

Pack size: 454g

Batches with ‘Best Before’ dates: July 2018, September 2018 and October 2018

3 hospitalized after consuming camel meat in Kenya

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George Kithuka of KBC reports that residents of Muruangai village in Samburu central are said to have feasted on the uninspected camel carcass that left them with serious symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting.

A mother and her two children are among residents of Muruangai village admitted to the Samburu county referral hospital for close monitoring.

According to a nurse at the facility, the patients were brought to the hospital complaining of severe diarrhea and vomiting.

The sub county disease surveillance coordinator says his office received a call that an entire village was complaining of similar symptoms and on arrival, it was established that residents had consumed uninspected meat.

Food Safety Talk 142: Silver Balls

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The episode opens, as it often does with a discussion of popular culture and hockey. Listener feedback covers suggestions for rapid response training for outbreak investigations. The food safety talk focuses on Listeria and apples, as well as the ongoing Listeria outbreak in South Africa, and it’s relationship to HIV. For dessert, there is a discussion of raw milk and cookies (local New Jersey edition), topped with silver sprinkles.

Episode 142 can be found here and on iTunes.

Show notes so you can follow along at home: