Seek and ye shall find: Frozen corn recalled after Listeria-positive

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Cambridge Farms of York, Pa., is voluntarily recalling frozen corn distributed at retail supermarkets in 15 states, including North Carolina.

The company launched the recall after a routine sample collected at a retail location by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. No illnesses have been reported to date.

“This recall is a direct result of our routine surveillance program, where our inspectors collect products commonly purchased by consumers in our state,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “These products are then tested at our Food and Drug Protection Lab for common pathogens such as Listeria, Salmonella and E coli.”

The following products and production codes are included in this recall:

Laura Lynn Frozen Cut Corn in a 16-ounce Polybag UPC 8685401734 

Code SWFF/R10312, Best by 4/11/18
Code SWFFR/10452, Best by 5/09/18
Code SWFF/R10609, Best by 6/6/18

Laura Lynn Frozen Cut Corn in a 32-ounce Polybag UPC 8685401717 

Code SWFF/R 10482, Best by 5/10/18

Key Food Frozen Cut Corn in a 16-ounce Polybag UPC 7329607091 

Code SWFF/R10320, Best by 4/11/18
Code SWFF/R10405, Best by 5/2/18

Better Valu Frozen Cut Corn in a 14-ounce Polybag UPC 7980124561

Code SWFF/R10308, Best by 4/11/18

The above codes will be on the back of the retail package.

Not a Letterman list: Top 6 STECs in Canada

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Douglas Powell

The incidence of the top 6 STEC serotypes was determined in two beef slaughter houses. In total, 328 samples were taken of hides, de-hided carcasses and the plant environment. Samples were enriched in Tryptic Soy Broth containing novobiocin then screened using RT-PCR GeneDisk^Ò system that targeted stx, eae and wzx genes.

It was found that 92.5% (172 of 186) of the hide samples. 72.5% (29 of 40) de-hided samples and 84.3% (86 of 102) of the environmental samples returned presumptive positive results. Serotypes O103, O45 and O121 were most commonly encountered although all the Top 6 serotypes were represented within individual samples. However, attempts to recover the Top 6 serotypes by culturing proved unsuccessful despite screening up to 20 colonies per CHROMAgar^® plate of enriched sample. The reasons for the discrepancy between the RT-PCR and culture methods were found to be due to low levels of the target in enriched samples, presence of virulence factors in different cells and also the transient retention of stx. With regards the latter it was found that strains harboring a full set of virulence factors (eae, stx) were more common in grown cultures held post-incubation at 4 °C for 14 days. Moreover, no stx gene was recovered when isolates were sub-cultured on TSA but was present in the same strains grown on CHROMAgar^®. In total 39 STEC isolates were recovered with the majority harboring stx₁, stx₂, eae and hylA. Only 3 of the isolates had stable complement of virulence factors and were identified as O172:H28, O76:H7 and O187:H52.

Although no Top 6 STEC were isolated the presence of virulent strains on carcasses with the potential to cause Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome is of concern. The significance of those STEC that transiently harbor virulence factors is unclear although clearly impacts on diagnostic performance robustness when screening for the Top 6 non-O157 STEC.

Incidence of Top 6 shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli within two Ontario beef processing facilities: Challenges in screening and confirmation testing

AIMS Microbiology, 2016, 2(3): 278-291. DOI: 10.3934/microbial.2016.3.278

Bannon, M. Melebari, C. Jordao Jr., C.G. Leon-Velarde, K. Warriner

http://www.aimspress.com/article/10.3934/microbiol.2016.3.278

Got a reference for that throwaway in-the-home cause? Salmonella and catered meals in Europe

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Salmonella spp. is the causative agent of a foodborne disease called salmonellosis, which is the second most commonly reported gastrointestinal infection in the European Union (EU).

Although over the years the annual number of cases of foodborne salmonellosis within the EU has decreased markedly, in 2014, a total of 88,715 confirmed cases were still reported by 28 EU Member States.

The European Food Safety Authority reported that, after the household environment, the most frequent settings for the transmission of infection were catering services. As evidenced by the reviewed literature, which was published over the last 15 years (2000–2014), the most frequently reported causative agents were Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium serovars. These studies on outbreaks indicated the involvement of various facilities, including hospital restaurants, takeaways, ethnic restaurants, hotels, in-flight catering, one fast-food outlet and the restaurant of an amusement park. The most commonly reported sources of infection were eggs and/or egg-containing foods, followed by meat- and vegetable-based preparations.

Epidemiological and microbiological studies allowed common risk factors to be identified, including the occurrence of cross-contamination between heat-treated foods and raw materials or improperly cleaned food-contact surfaces.

Salmonellosis associated with mass catering: a survey of European Union cases over a 15-year period

Epidemiology and Infection; Cambridge University Press 2016; DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0950268816001540; 13 pages; Published online: 18 July 2016

Osimani, L. Aquilanti And F. Clementi

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=10411413&fileId=S0950268816001540

FDA shares data on cucumber and hot pepper testing

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Tom Karst of The Packer reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released preliminary results of pathogen testing of cucumbers and hot peppers.

Starting November 2015, the agency began microbiological surveillance sampling and testing of cucumbers and hot peppers because these products have previously been involved in large-scale outbreaks, according to the FDA report. The outbreaks were linked to hospitalizations, and in the case of hot peppers, two deaths, according to the FDA.

The agency is in the midst of testing approximately 1,600 samples for Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157:H7 in cucumbers, and Salmonella spp., Shiga toxin-producing E. coli and E. coli O157:H7 in hot peppers, according to the report.

So far, the FDA said it has tested 452 samples of hot peppers and 352 samples of cucumbers. Of those, 13 of the hot pepper samples and three cucumbers samples tested positive for Salmonella. The rest tested negative for the targeted pathogens, according to the FDA.

The FDA report said the testing continues and offered no conclusions about the results so far.

Are U-Hauls refrigerated? Labs test food prior to US political conventions

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Katie Demeria of the Richmond Times-Dispatch writes that a state lab is working to ensure that the food served at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia is contamination-free.

Virginia’s Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services is currently testing samples of the food — including massive blocks of hamburgers to a case of pork tenderloins — that will be served at the convention, which takes place July 25-28.

Samples of the food came from the vendors selected to supply the convention.

“We’re looking for microbial agents or bacteria that should not be there, such as anthrax,” said Christopher Waggener, lead scientist for microbiology. “We’re also screening for another biothreat agent called ricin and another agent that causes botulism.”

Scientists also are looking for environmental contaminants, such as E. coli or salmonella, as well as radioactive elements that should not be in the food.

The lab will wrap up its tests and report the results today.

Last Friday, 400 pounds of meat arrived at the consolidated laboratory’s building in the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park in downtown Richmond.

“We met USDA inspectors at the door, and they brought a U-Haul down with cases and cases of meat,” Waggener said.

Tajikistan concerned over increasing number of botulism cases

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Asia Plus reports that Tajik Deputy Prime Minister, Azim Ibrohim, who also heads the Council for Food Safety Issues, has expressed concern about increasing number of botulism cases in Tajikistan.

The Council for Food Safety Issues reportedly held a meeting here yesterday.

Speaking at the meeting, Ibrohim demanded that heads of good safety management bodies give reports on implementation of the plan of work for the first half-year of 2016.

It was noted that the number of botulism cases has increased in the country and that the home-canned vegetables are the most common cause of botulism.

Ibrohim ordered the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and other relevant bodies to prepare the guide to home canning.

Ibrohim reportedly drew attention of meeting participants to slow introduction of the ISO 22000 standard.

Campylobacter coli in NZ, 2005-2014

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Campylobacteriosis is one of the most important foodborne diseases worldwide and a significant health burden in New Zealand. Campylobacter jejuni is the predominant species worldwide, accounting for approximately 90% of human cases, followed by Campylobacter coli. Most studies in New Zealand have focused on C. jejuni; hence, the impact of C. coli strains on human health is not well understood.

The aim of this study was to genotype C. coli isolates collected in the Manawatu region of New Zealand from clinical cases, fresh poultry meat, ruminant feces, and environmental water sources, between 2005 and 2014, to study their population structure and estimate the contribution of each source to the burden of human disease.

Campylobacter isolates were identified by PCR and typed by multilocus sequence typing. C. coli accounted for 2.9% (n = 47/1,601) of Campylobacter isolates from human clinical cases, 9.6% (n = 108/1,123) from poultry, 13.4% (n = 49/364) from ruminants, and 6.4% (n = 11/171) from water.

Molecular subtyping revealed 27 different sequence types (STs), of which 18 belonged to clonal complex ST-828. ST-1581 was the most prevalent C. coli sequence type isolated from both human cases (n = 12/47) and poultry (n =44/110). When classified using cladistics, all sequence types belonged to clade 1 except ST-7774, which belonged to clade 2. ST-854, ST-1590, and ST-4009 were isolated only from human cases and fresh poultry, while ST-3232 was isolated only from human cases and ruminant sources. Modeling indicated ruminants and poultry as the main sources of C. coli human infection.

Importance

We performed a molecular epidemiological study of Campylobacter coli infection in New Zealand, one of few such studies globally. This study analyzed the population genetic structure of the bacterium and included a probabilistic source attribution model covering different animal and water sources. The results are discussed in a global context.

Molecular epidemiology of Campylobacter coli strains isolated from different sources in New Zealand between 2005 and 2014

Antoine Nohra a,b, Alex Grinberg b, Anne C. Midwinter a,b, Jonathan C. Marshall a, Julie M. Collins-Emerson a,b and Nigel P. French a,b

A Molecular Epidemiology and Veterinary Public Health Laboratory (mEpiLab), Infectious Disease Research Centre, Hopkirk Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

b Infectious Diseases Group, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Volume 82, Number 14, Pages 4363-4370, doi:10.1128/AEM.00934-16

http://aem.asm.org/content/82/14/4363.abstract?etoc

Algorithms for Salmonella surveillance

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Douglas Powell

The objective of this study was to assess the use of statistical algorithms in identifying significant clusters of Salmonella spp. across different sectors of the food chain within an integrated surveillance programme.

Three years of weekly Salmonella serotype data from farm animals, meat, and humans were used to create baseline models (first two years) and identify weeks with counts higher than expected using surveillance algorithms in the third (test) year.

During the test year, an expert working group identified events of interest reviewing descriptive analyses of same data. The algorithms did not identify Salmonella events presenting as gradual increases or seasonal patterns as identified by the working group.

However, the algorithms did identify clusters for further investigation, suggesting they could be a valuable complementary tool within an integrated surveillance system.

Utility of algorithms for the analysis of integrated Salmonella surveillance data

Epidemiology and Infection, Volume 144, Issue 10, July 2016, pp. 2165-2175, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0950268816000182

Vrbova, D.M. Patrick, C. Stephen, C. Roberston, M. Koehoorn, E.J. Parmley, N.I. De With, E. Galanis

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=10375411&utm_source=Issue_Alert&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=HYG

Sporadic illnesses, outbreak illnesses, are similiar

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Outbreak data have been used to estimate the proportion of illnesses attributable to different foods. Applying outbreak-based attribution estimates to non-outbreak foodborne illnesses requires an assumption of similar exposure pathways for outbreak and sporadic illnesses. This assumption cannot be tested, but other comparisons can assess its veracity.

Our study compares demographic, clinical, temporal, and geographic characteristics of outbreak and sporadic illnesses from Campylobacter, Escherichia coli O157, Listeria, and Salmonella bacteria ascertained by the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet). Differences among FoodNet sites in outbreak and sporadic illnesses might reflect differences in surveillance practices. For Campylobacter, Listeria, and Escherichia coli O157, outbreak and sporadic illnesses are similar for severity, sex, and age. For Salmonella, outbreak and sporadic illnesses are similar for severity and sex. Nevertheless, the percentage of outbreak illnesses in the youngest age category was lower.

Therefore, we do not reject the assumption that outbreak and sporadic illnesses are similar.

Comparing characteristics of sporadic and outbreak-associated foodborne illnesses, United States, 2004-2011

Emerging Infectious Diseases, Volume 22, Number 7, July 2016, DOI: 0.3201/eid2207.150833

E.D. Ebel, M.S. Williams, D. Cole, C.C. Travis, K.C. Klontz, N.J. Golden, R.M. Hoekstra

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/7/15-0833_article

Lots of recalls but ‘100 times more likely to detect an outbreak than 20 years ago’

Posted on June 12, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Martin Wiedmann, a professor of food safety at Cornell University’s food science department, told CBC News we really are seeing far more food recalls and outbreaks these days, “But that doesn’t mean our food is less safe. It’s the opposite. What happened over the last 20 years and really accelerated over the last two years is the use of completely new DNA fingerprinting tools to detect disease outbreaks. Today, we are 100 times more likely to detect an outbreak than we were 20 years ago.”

Health officials have developed a system to track the genetic makeup of salmonella, Listeria and E. coli. Once a food-related illness outbreak is identified, scientists can match the DNA from contaminated food with the bacteria making people sick, and potentially trace it to the originating food processing plant.

In light of that long list of recalls, and the fact that we’re detecting more outbreaks, shouldn’t they also be steering us away from salad and cantaloupes? After all, based on the recalls, they might sound like risky foods.

Wiedmann says that’s not really so. He points to the reason we see few cases of issues arising from raw milk consumption as an example of why.

“Much, much fewer people consume raw milk,” he said.

“So we don’t hear much about raw milk outbreaks. But we hear about outbreaks with lettuce, so [people think] lettuce must be less safe. Quite the opposite, because you need to consider the total amount of the food produced — what is your chance of getting sick from eating one of these servings.”

Wiedmann also points out that a recall isn’t the same as an outbreak. In most cases, food recalls are precautionary, and the products haven’t actually made anyone sick.

We call them outbreaks now because we can easily link a specific product in California, for example, with a handful of sick people in separate provinces or states, thanks to the DNA fingerprinting Wiedmann mentioned.

The bottom line, he says, is that those high-risk products health officials advise against, like unpasteurized cheese, are actually riskier than the products making news headlines.

A cheese that’s acceptable in the French countryside isn’t in urban Canada, largely because of our cultural biases.

“The challenge is that risk isn’t binary,” Wiedmann said.

“It’s just not like ‘risk’ or ‘no-risk.’ There’s a gradation… And then somewhere in the middle, someone puts a line. And that line is arbitrary, because no food is risk free.”

barfblog

safe food from farm to fork

Tag Archives: Surveillance