Tag Archives: Campylobacter

Better camel milk

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Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan on the survival of Campylobacter jejuni in camel meat slices vacuum-packed and stored at 4 or 10 °C for 30 days. The shelf life of camel meat was 30 days longer using 1% or 2% Citrox in combination with 1% chitosan than when using Citrox alone. The reductions ranged from 4.0 to 3.5 logarithmic cycles during the storage period at both 4 and 10 °C. The quality of camel meat treated with Citrox plus chitosan was also better than that of the control meat and of meat treated with 0.85% NaCl.

Abstract: Camel meat is one of the most consumed meats in Arab countries. The use of natural antimicrobial agents to extend the shelf life of fresh camel meat, control Campylobacter jejuni contamination, and preserve meat quality is preferred. In this study, we determined the antimicrobial effects of using 1% or 2% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan on the survival of C. jejuni in vitro and on camel meat samples during storage at 4 or 10 °C for 30 days in vacuum packaging. We determined the total viable count (TVC (cfu/g)), total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN) content, and pH of the treated camel meat samples every three days during storage. The shelf lives of camel meat samples treated with 2% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan were longer than those of camel meat samples treated with 1% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan at both the 4 and 10 °C storage temperatures, with TVCs of <100 cfu/g after the first ten days and six days of storage at 4 and 10 °C, respectively. The addition of Citrox (1% and 2%) and 1% chitosan to camel meat samples and the application of vacuum storage were more effective than using Citrox (1% and 2%) alone and led to a reduction in C. jejuni in approximately 4.0 and 3.5 log cycles at 4 and 10 °C, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that using a Citrox-chitosan combination improved the quality of camel meat and enhanced the longterm preservation of fresh meat for up to or more than 30 days at 4 °C.

Improving the quality and safety of fresh camel meat contaminated with Campylobacter jejuni using citgrox, chitosan, and vacuum packaging to extend shelf life

Hany M. Yehia 1,2, *, Abdulrahman H. Al-Masoud 1, Manal F. Elkhadragy 3, Shereen M. Korany 3,4, Hend M. S. Nada 5, Najla A. Albaridi 6, Abdulhakeem A. Alzahrani 1 and Mosffer M. AL-Dagal 1

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/4/1152/pdf&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTA4ODk5MjIzOTkyNzc5MjU4OTkyGmY3MjNlYjUzNWU2MmRlNzY6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNEeYwnVN7vKKPk-g30USCQDhsC3tg

Campylobacter at NZ milk producer Lindsay Farm spurs recall

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Louise Gould of the New Zealand Herald reports that Central Hawke’s Bay organic milk producer Lindsay Farm is recalling its raw unpasteurised drinking milk due to campylobacter being detected.

The Ministry for Primary Industries said campylobacter was detected as part of Lindsay Farm’s routine testing program.

The recall affects the farm’s brand Organic Raw Drinking Milk with a use-by date between March 6 and up to and including March 21, 2021.

It’s not the first time the family-owned and operated farm in Waipukurau has had to recall its products.

Last year a 6-year-old girl was hospitalised with campylobacter illness after drinking their raw milk, which prompted MPI to order a recall.

The young girl’s family publicly backed the milk in the aftermath and remain regular consumers of the product.

New Zealand Food Safety’s national food compliance services manager Melinda Sando said people with Lindsay Farm organic raw drinking milk at home should visit the MPI recalls website to check if it is among the batches of recalled product.

She advised that anyone who has any of the recalled products should dispose of them or return them to the supplier, or heat the milk at 70°C and hold at this temperature for one minute.

According to MPI campylobacter bacteria can be potentially fatal, especially for those with weak immune systems.

 

Campylobacteriosis source attribution in NZ

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Background

Following an initial reduction in human campylobacteriosis in New Zealand after the implementation of poultry food chain-focused interventions during 2006–2008, further decline has been relatively small.

We report a year-long study of notified campylobacteriosis cases, incorporating a case control study combined with a source attribution study. The purpose was to generate up-to-date evidence on the relative contributions of different sources of campylobacteriosis in New Zealand.

Methods

The study approach included:

A case-control study of notified cases (aged six months or more) sampled in a major urban centre (Auckland, every second case) and a mixed urban/rural area (Manawatū/Whanganui, every case), between 12 March 2018 and 11 March 2019.

Source attribution of human campylobacteriosis cases sampled from these two regions over the study period by modelling of multilocus sequence typing data of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli isolates from faecal samples of notified human cases and relevant sources (poultry, cattle, sheep).

Results

Most cases (84%) were infected with strains attributed to a poultry source, while 14% were attributed to a cattle source. Approximately 90% of urban campylobacteriosis cases were attributed to poultry sources, compared to almost 75% of rural cases.

Poultry consumption per se was not identified as a significant risk factor. However specific risk factors related to poultry meat preparation and consumption did result in statistically significantly elevated odds ratios.

Conclusions

The overall findings combining source attribution and analysis of specific risk factors indicate that poultry meat remains a dominant pathway for exposure and infection.

Source attributed case-control study of campylobacteriosis in New Zealand, 01 February 2021

International Journal of Infectious Diseases vol. 103

R.J. Lake, D.M. Campbell, S.C. Hathaway, E. Ashmore, P.J. Cressey, B.J. Horn, S. Pirikahu, J.M. Sherwood, M.G. Baker, P. Shoemack, J. Benschop, J.C. Marshall, A.C. Midwinter, D.A. Wilkinson, N.P. French

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.11.167

https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(20)32479-6/fulltext

Foodborne illness source attribution estimates for 2018 for Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter using multi-year outbreak surveillance data, United States, December 2020

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in Dec.2020 that each year in the U.S.an estimated 9 million people get sick, 56,000 are hospitalized, and 1,300 die of foodborne disease caused by known pathogens. These estimates help us understand the scope of this public health problem. However, to develop effective prevention measures, we need to understand the types of foods contributing to the problem.

The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC) is a tri-agency group created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS). IFSAC developed a method to estimate the percentages of foodborne illness attributed to certain sources using outbreak data from 1998 through the most recent year for four priority pathogens: Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter. IFSAC described this method and the estimates for 2012 in a report, peer-reviewed journal article, and at a public meeting. IFSAC derived the estimates for 2018 using the same method used for the 2012 estimates, with some modifications. The data came from 1,459 foodborne disease outbreaks that occurred from 1998 through 2018 and for which each confirmed or suspected implicated food was assigned to a single food category. The method relies most heavily on the most recent five years of outbreak data (2014 – 2018). Foods are categorized using a scheme IFSAC created that classifies foods into 17 categories that closely align with the U.S. food regulatory agencies’ classification needs. Salmonella illnesses came from a wide variety of foods.

More than 75% of Salmonella illnesses were attributed to seven food categories: Chicken, Seeded Vegetables (such as tomatoes), Pork, Fruits, Other Produce (such as nuts), Eggs and Turkey. E. coli O157 illnesses were most often linked to Vegetable Row Crops (such as leafy greens) and Beef. Over 75% of illnesses were linked to these two categories. Listeria monocytogenes illnesses were most often linked to Dairy products and Fruits. More than 75% of illnesses were attributed to these two categories, but the rarity of Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks makes these estimates less reliable than those for other pathogens. Non-Dairy Campylobacter illnesses were most often linked to Chicken. Over 75% of non-Dairy foodborne illnesses were attributed to Chicken, Other Seafood (such as shellfish), and Turkey, with Campylobacter illnesses most often linked to Chicken. An attribution percentage for Dairy is not included because, among other reasons, most foodborne Campylobacter outbreaks were associated with unpasteurized milk, which is not widely consumed, and we think these over-represent Dairy as a source of illness caused by Campylobacter. Removing Dairy illnesses from the calculations highlights important sources of illness from widely consumed foods, such as Chicken.

This collaborative effort to provide annual attribution estimates continues IFSAC’s work to improve foodborne illness source attribution, which can help inform efforts to prioritize food safety initiatives, interventions, and policies for reducing foodborne illnesses. These consensus estimates allow all three agencies to take a consistent approach to identifying food safety priorities to protect public health. For more information on IFSAC projects visit https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/ifsac/projects/index.html.

Rotten chicken supplier in Jordan turns himself in

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Seven people were arrested in relation to the second mass food poisoning incident in Ain al-Basha.

The owner of the restaurant and six of his employees were charged with four offences — causing harm, handling food in unsuitable conditions that made it harmful to human health, handling food that is not safe for human consumption and practicing a craft that causes harm.

The seven individuals will be detained for one week at Al-Balqa Reform and Rehabilitation Center (nice name — dp).

The death of a forty-year-old man, two days after the death of a child, after more than 800 people were exposed to food poisoning for eating contaminatedShawarma meals from a restaurant in the Al-Baqa’a area, northwest of Amman.

The official “Kingdom” television quoted the Minister of Health, Saad Jaber, as announcing the ministry’s registration, “a second death from the mass poisoning incident in al-Baq’a.”

The Ministry of Health announced in a statement last Wednesday that a 5-year-old child had died in hospital due to food poisoning.

“The laboratory tests … showed the presence of bacterial contamination in meat and chicken with the ‘Intercoxis Vials’ and’ Campylobacter” bacterium, “the ministry said.

And the official “Kingdom” television quoted the assistant secretary general for primary health care in the ministry, Adnan Ishaq, as saying that “the failure to cool poultry has spoiled the food and caused poisoning.”

You think that chicken is done? It’s not done (or it’s burnt)

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About one third of foodborne illness outbreaks in Europe are acquired in the home and eating undercooked poultry is among consumption practices associated with illness. The aim of this study was to investigate whether actual and recommended practices for monitoring chicken doneness are safe.

Seventy-five European households from five European countries were interviewed and videoed while cooking chicken in their private kitchens, including young single men, families with infants/in pregnancy and elderly over seventy years. A cross-national web-survey collected cooking practices for chicken from 3969 households. In a laboratory kitchen, chicken breast fillets were injected with cocktails of Salmonella and Campylobacter and cooked to core temperatures between 55 and 70°C. Microbial survival in the core and surface of the meat were determined. In a parallel experiment, core colour, colour of juice and texture were recorded. Finally, a range of cooking thermometers from the consumer market were evaluated.

The field study identified nine practical approaches for deciding if the chicken was properly cooked. Among these, checking the colour of the meat was commonly used and perceived as a way of mitigating risks among the consumers. Meanwhile, chicken was perceived as hedonically vulnerable to long cooking time. The quantitative survey revealed that households prevalently check cooking status from the inside colour (49.6%) and/or inside texture (39.2%) of the meat. Young men rely more often on the outside colour of the meat (34.7%) and less often on the juices (16.5%) than the elderly (>65 years old; 25.8% and 24.6%, respectively). The lab study showed that colour change of chicken meat happened below 60°C, corresponding to less than 3 log reduction of Salmonella and Campylobacter. At a core temperature of 70°C, pathogens survived on the fillet surface not in contact with the frying pan. No correlation between meat texture and microbial inactivation was found. A minority of respondents used a food thermometer, and a challenge with cooking thermometers for home use was long response time. In conclusion, the recommendations from the authorities on monitoring doneness of chicken and current consumer practices do not ensure reduction of pathogens to safe levels. For the domestic cook, determining doneness is both a question of avoiding potential harm and achieving a pleasurable meal. It is discussed how lack of an easy “rule-of-thumb” or tools to check safe cooking at consumer level, as well as national differences in contamination levels, food culture and economy make it difficult to develop international recommendations that are both safe and easily implemented.

Cooking chicken at home: common or recommended approaches to judge doneness may not assure sufficient inactivation of pathogens, 29 April 2020

PLOS One

Solveig Langsrud, Oddvin Sørheim, Silje Elisabeth Skuland, Valérie Lengard Almli, Merete Rusås Jensen, Magnhild Seim Grøvlen, Øydis Ueland, Trond Møretrø

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230928

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0230928

15 sick: Valentine’s Day outbreak at Washington restaurant linked to chicken liver mousse

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Because when I think love and romance, I think chicken liver mousse.

On February 25, 2020, the Grays Harbor County Environmental Health Division learned that a Grays Harbor County resident tested positive for Campylobacter jejuni.  The individual reported a meal at Rediviva Restaurant in Aberdeen, WA on February 14, 2020 as part of their food history.  During the subsequent investigation, Environmental Health learned of at least fourteen more individuals who became ill after eating the Valentine’s Day dinner meal.

Environmental Health believes that the illness was caused by chicken liver mousse.

A site inspection of the facility was conducted on February 26th that revealed multiple risk factors that could have contributed to illness.  Rediviva Restaurant was closed by Environmental Health on February 27th because the inspection resulted in the assignment of 75 or more “red point” violations. Further information regarding the inspection may be viewed on the Grays Harbor County Environmental Health website at https://healthspace.com/Clients/Washington/GraysHarbor/Web.nsf/home.xsp

Rediviva is cooperating with the outbreak investigation and remains closed at this time.

The Valentine’s Day dinner menu continued to be served at Rediviva Restaurant from February 13th through February 21st. 

Campy linked to poultry liver pate

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Despite a sizeable evidence base for the risk of campylobacteriosis associated with eating chicken liver pâté, associated outbreaks continue to occur. In January 2017, six cases of campylobacteriosis reported having eaten a Christmas set-menu meal at the same hotel in North Yorkshire, England on the same day. A retrospective cohort study was undertaken to test the null hypothesis that consumption of individual food items was not associated with an increased risk of illness.

There were 19 cases of campylobacteriosis linked to the outbreak; seven confirmed and 12 probable cases. Chicken liver pâté was the food item most strongly associated with illness (P < 0.001) with a corresponding high crude relative risk (12.95). This relationship was supported by multivariable analysis, sensitivity analyses and a clear dose–response relationship. Three cases reported an incubation period of <24 h, consistent with other outbreaks of campylobacteriosis associated with consumption of poultry liver. The findings were suggestive of a single point source exposure with a strong association between the consumption of chicken liver pâté and campylobacteriosis.

This outbreak highlights that despite evidence that simple cooking techniques can ensure that all campylobacter are killed during cooking, outbreaks continue to occur. Public and professional awareness needs to be raised through a strategic communication plan to reduce the risk of further outbreaks of campylobacteriosis linked to incorrectly cooked chicken liver dishes.

An outbreak of campylobacteriosis at a hotel in England: the ongoing risk due to consumption of chicken liver dishes

Epidemiology and Infection vol. 148 no. 32

Wensley (a1), S. Padfield (a1) (a2) and G. J. Hughes (a1

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S095026882000028X

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/article/an-outbreak-of-campylobacteriosis-at-a-hotel-in-england-the-ongoing-risk-due-to-consumption-of-chicken-liver-dishes/94DE2951174C2C652921BE05A9C20B6E

Reducing campy in poultry processing

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Campylobacter persistence through poultry processing is an important food safety issue in many developed countries. This investigation aimed to determine the effectiveness of peracetic acid (PAA) in reducing Campylobacter during processing. 

Campylobacter jejuni was tested against PAA using laboratory-based food matrices under conditions that mimicked commercial poultry processing interventions, including scalding and chilling. The assessments utilised two Campylobacter poultry strains (2674 and 2704) with testing performed in three different food matrices (Buffered peptone water (BPW), chicken breast meat and meat-based broth) and under eight processing conditions. Campylobacter inactivation was measured across eight processing conditions which mimicked scalding (3.5 min, 54.5 °C and 57 °C) and chilling (30 min, 4 °C, with/without 80 ppm PAA), and combinations of scalding and chilling (with/without 80 ppm PAA).

The organic matter in the meat-based broth protected Campylobacter against PAA, resulting in less Campylobacter inactivation compared to BPW and meat matrices. Processing conditions with PAA demonstrated a greater Campylobacter inactivation compared to those without PAA. Chilling with PAA, without prior scalding, led to a greater Campylobacter inactivation than any other processing conditions within BPW and with meat.

This suggests a potential mechanism that heat exposure cross-protects Campylobacter allowing them to better survive subsequent PAA treatment. Importantly, strain 2674, known to be relatively resistant to chlorine, was more susceptible to PAA than strain 2704. This investigation suggests PAA to be an effective processing alternative applicable to secondary immersion chilling tanks when little or no organic matter accumulates and may be able to achieve greater Campylobacter inactivation. The study demonstrates PAA could be beneficial in controlling Campylobacter during poultry processing.

Effect of peracetic acid on campylobacter in food matricies mimicking commercial poultry processing

Food Control

Stanley H.ChenabNarelleFeganaChawalitKocharunchittbJohn P.BowmanbLesley L.Duffya

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2020.107185

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956713520301018