Harmful strains of E. coli

Failure to test for six strains of E. coli leaves gaps in nation's food safety network
Two years ago, a 13-year-old girl killed by E. coli, but the strain that sickened the Ohio teen falls outside federal regulations, with neither government officials nor food manufacturers testing for it. IEH Laboratories, north of Seattle, found that about 1 percent of ground beef samples were tainted by six harmful E. coli strains (O26, O45, O111, O121, O145, and O103 )-- including the one that killed the teen -- that are not regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
But a push is afoot to change that. The CDC has called for stepped-up testing, and on Thursday, Wal-Mart announced a beef safety program aimed at curbing these strains and other pathogens. Public health officials in Ohio, Michigan and New York are looking into an outbreak of E. coli O145 that has sickened perhaps dozens of people. In Colorado, 10 inmates were sickened by E. coli O111, the same strain that killed the 13-year-old girl. Health officials in Ohio and Michigan are testing food samples, but so far no one knows what the culprit was. The agency has named only E. coli O157:H7 a hazardous adulterant, requiring testing and recalls. "It's by far the most common cause of illness and outbreaks. The six other strains E. coli O26, O45, O111, O121, O145, and O103 -- are considered less pervasive, sickening an estimated 37,000 people a year and killing nearly 30. But they could be causing more illnesses that labs don't detect because they're not testing for them. The USDA is looking at regulating the additional strains.As part of President Barack Obama's emphasis on food safety, Vilsack has ordered a complete review of the USDA's food safety regulations, said Caleb Weaver, the agency's chief spokesman.
Source: Oregon local news. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/failure_to_test_for_six_strain.html

Salmonella Found In Chocolate Chips

The company shut down the production line for thorough cleaning that revealed Salmonella absence.

Nestle briefly stopped production of chocolate chips at its Burlington, Wisconsin plant two weeks ago after company testing revealed Salmonella contamination in a batch produced April 22.

The company shut down the production line for thorough cleaning. Tests conducted on chocolate chip batches produced before and after the batch that tested positive were negative for Salmonella.

Nestle spokeswoman Laurie MacDonald told the local newspaper, the Journal-Times, that none of the contaminated chocolate chips left the plant. "That product remains under our control. All this routine testing is done all the time. "It's costly but necessary. Basically, the system worked."

A batch of chocolate chips produced at the same plant was found to be contaminated with Salmonella in mid-February, and two samples of Toll House refrigerated cookie dough made at a Virginia factory tested positive for E. coli bacteria in January. In both instances, the problem was identified before the product was distributed.

In 2009, a nationwide E. coli outbreak was traced to the consumption of Nestle Toll House cookie and brownie dough produced at the Nestle USA Danville, Virginia plant. Nestle temporarily laid off workers at its Danville plant, while investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected the plant in an effort to determine where E. coli bacteria could have been introduced to the dough manufacturing process.

FDA officials later announced that three strains of E. coli O157:H7 had been isolated from cookie dough products, but that the investigation into the source of E. coli in the Nestle USA plant did not reveal the source of contamination.

Source: FoodSafetyNews

FDA seeks industry comments on food safety during transport

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on establishing guidance intended to reduce the risk of food contamination during transportation.

The agency has asked the food industry to comment on rule proposals to govern the transportation of foods in the United States, as well as calling for comments from the transportation sector and consumer interest organizations.
Previous food contamination incidents in the US include a multi-state salmonella outbreak in 1994 due to ice-cream mix being hauled in a tanker that had been used to transport raw liquid eggs. And the FDA also said that there had been potential for cross-contamination during transportation in the 2009 salmonella outbreak linked to peanut products, as salmonella was found in products distributed in 1,700-pound tanker containers.
FDA's associate commissioner for food protection, Jeff Farrar said: “Our aim is to look at every component of the system to assess hazards, and to take science-based action where appropriate to maximize the safety of our food from farms all the way to consumers' tables. Although contamination of food product during commercial transport is relatively infrequent, the potential harm can be widespread and serious."
The FDA has said it will work with the US Departments of Agriculture and Transportation in developing regulation proposals.
The newly published ANPRM calls for more information from industry about current practices for safe transportation of food intended for human consumption, including whether and how information is shared among those involved, whether trucks used for transporting food are also used for other goods, and what reasonable grounds there might be for exemptions to any foreseeable rules intended to prevent contamination.
Aporte: Leidy Beltrán
Fuente: Food Quality News
http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Legislation/FDA-seeks-industry-comments-on-food-safety-during-transport?utm_source=RSS_text_news

Leche cruda: ¿peligro público o decisión personal?

Los consumidores de leche no pasteurizada dicen que es más saludable mientras que los científicos y reguladores dicen que no es inocua.

En Estados Unidos, mucha de la leche de vaca del rancho South Pork es pasteurizada ya que el tratamiento con calor reduce la probabilidad de que las personas se enfermen al beberla.
Pero cada mes, 300 galones de leche se mantienen cruda ya que alrededor de 60 clientes de forma regular llegan a comprar la leche de esa manera.
Esta elección ha puesto a los dueños de la granja en una disputa entre los que defienden la “opción personal” de escoger lo que queremos comer y entre las autoridades de salud pública.
El gobierno federal y casi todas las agencias de salud pública de Estados Unidos se oponen al consumo de leche cruda debido a que puede acarrear bacterias patógenas incluyendo la E. coli O157:H7, Listeria y Campylobacter. En el mes de Marzo, 13 personas en el estado de Michigan se enfermaron por Campylobacter, en un brote asociado a leche cruda de una granja de Indiana del Norte.

Los consumidores de leche cruda argumentan que ellos deberían decidir si corren el riesgo o no, ya que creen que la leche que no ha sido procesada es mas nutritiva y puede ayudar en algunas dolencias como las alergias, asma y males gástricos, lo que las agencias de salud pública niegan ya que dicen que no hay pruebas de ello.
“Es más que un problema de salud, es un tema de derechos humanos” dice Kathryne Pirtle de Addison, una músico profesional quien bebe leche cruda para eliminar sus dolores crónicos desde hace 25 años.

La FDA prohíbe la venta de leche cruda interestatal pero los estados regulan su venta dentro del estado y la venta actualmente es legal en 27 estados bajo ciertas circunstancias, incluso en los estados de California, Conneticut y Pensylvannia donde la leche cruda se vende en supermercados.

Fuente: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-04-22/health/ct-met-raw-milk-20100422_1_raw-milk-cow-share-cow-s-milk

Raw poultry leads sources of listeria in chicken plants: study

Incoming raw poultry is the primary source of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in chicken cooking plants.

Researchers of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service and the University of Georgia conducted the study in a new plant before and after operations began, allowing them to track sources of contamination including employees, incoming fresh air, raw meat and the surrounding environment.

Potential sources were tested by taking samples of soil and water around and near the plant's exterior, and by testing heavily traveled floor surfaces after shift changes. Researchers also collected and tested samples from incoming air from air vent filters and from monthly swabs of incoming raw meat. The plant was free of listeria when first built; floor drains were then sampled almost monthly to determine when the facility would become colonized with the pathogen. Four months after operations began, listeria was detected in floor drains, suggesting the organism had been introduced by an outside source.

None of the bacteria was detected from any floor samples in the plants entryways, locker room or cafeteria or from air vent filters. Incoming raw poultry meat was the only source consistently found to be positive for listeria, the study concluded. The scientists said quality assurance in the test plant was "exceptional" and included an extensive, proactive sampling plan.

Fuente: www.meatingplace.com

Pennsylvania Dairy's Raw Milk Permit Suspended

Campylobacter jejuni was found in creamery's raw milk
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that it had suspended the permit allowing Pasture Maid Creamery in New Castle, PA, to sell raw milk for human consumption. The move came Monday after testing revealed Campylobacter in the creamery's raw milk.

Campylobacter jejuni is found in a wide variety of healthy domestic and wild animals including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, wild birds, dogs, cats, rodents, and marine mammals. The bacteria usually live in the intestines as part of the animal's normal flora, and is shed in feces.

Most Campylobacter species do not cause any signs of illness in the animal host.Ingestion of Campylobacter jejuni by humans causes can diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, and muscle pain. Symptoms typically appear two to five days after exposure. Most cases are mild, do not require hospitalization, and are self-limited; however, Campylobacter jejuni infection, or campylobacteriosis, can be severe and life-threatening.

Campylobacteriosis may cause appendicitis or infect other organs. It can also enter the blood stream. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a severe complication of campylobacteriosis that can lead to paralysis. An estimated one in 1,000 cases of Campylobacter jejuni infection results in death.According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, at least six people became ill with campylobacteriosis after consuming raw milk from Pasture Maid Creamery in February.

Freezing raw milk will not kill Campylobacter jejuni; anyone who has purchased raw milk from Pasture Maid Creamery is urged to discard the milk.

Anyone ill with symptoms of campylobacteriosis should contact their health care provider and report their illness to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Source: FoodSafetyNews

Norovirus es el responsable de cuadros entéricos en Antofagasta

Autoridades de salud de la región confirmaron que el Laboratorio de Virología de la Universidad de Chile identificó el agente causal del brote de cuadros gastrointestinales que afecta a la Región de Antofagasta.

Según los resultados entregados por la Seremi de Salud, se trata del "norovirus", que se caracteriza por causar cuadros de diarrea aguda, dolor abdominal y vómitos, de aproximadamente tres días de duración, pero que -por lo general- no provoca deshidratación en los pacientes.
El agente fue aislado en 16 muestras de deposiciones. Los "norovirus" se encuentran en las deposiciones o vómitos de personas infectadas o en superficies que han estado en contacto con personas enfermas.
Esta situación viene a confirmar la hipótesis dada a conocer por el Consejo Regional Antofagasta del Colegio Médico, lo que debiera obligar a las autoridades a acelerar al máximo el retiro de basura dispuesta en contenedores que permanecen desde hace semanas sin un correcto aseo en esta ciudad.
Esta situación resulta preocupante, debido al notorio aumento de vectores como moscas y roedores cercanos a los domicilios, lo que se suma a la proximidad de Semana Santa, fecha en que cada año se produce un colapso de desperdicios en esta ciudad.

Contagios

De acuerdo al informe sanitario, este virus es fácilmente transmisible de una persona a otra. Para prevenir su aparición se recomienda un frecuente lavado de manos, con agua y jabón, antes de consumir alimentos y después de ir al baño o mudar bebés.
También se sugiere consumo de agua potable o bien agua hervida (en los casos que esto no sea posible), además de consumir pescados y mariscos cocidos.
La semana pasada, la subsecretaria de Salud Pública, Liliana Jadué, se reunió en Antofagasta con las principales autoridades de salud de para analizar el aumento de enfermedades gastrointestinales en la región, donde ya han sido notificados más de 12 mil casos. Tras la visita se reforzó el plan de acción para enfrentar el brote entérico y, junto con ello, se reforzó la presencia de personal en los servicios de urgencia.
La Seremi de Salud informó que se mantiene vigilancia sobre todos los centros asistenciales de la región, los que deben notificar los casos atendidos.
El organismo también manifestó que desde la aparición del brote, el pasado 8 de marzo, se han entregado más de mil volantes con recomendaciones para prevenir enfermedades entéricas.

Vectores

El presidente del Regional Antofagasta de la Orden, doctor Aliro Bolados, aseguró que el comportamiento de este tipo de virus obliga a extremar las medidas de precaución, principalmente de aseo personal, como también lo que guarda relación con el colapso de basura en Antofagasta.
"Es un germen muy poco frecuente y que posee una altísima tasa de diseminación. En Inglaterra antecedió la aparición del brote de A H1N1, por lo que hay que estar atentos", puntualizó.
Bolados alertó además que el "norovirus" es altamente transmisible a través de vectores, como moscas o roedores, por lo que no se descarta una relación con los problemas sanitarios que existen debido a la acumulación de basura en los contenedores por largo tiempo, tal como ha ocurrido en la ciudad.

Fuente:http://www.colegiomedico.cl/Default.aspxtabid=760&selectmoduleid=2494&ArticleID=391

Aporte: Gisela González H.

Confirman caso de Cólera en Antofagasta

Las muestras de la niña enferma fueron enviadas al ISP en Santiago para establecer si se trata del tipo epidémico. Sería el primero en 12 años.

El Hospital Regional de Antofagasta detectó este lunes el caso de una niña de un año y 6 meses infectada con cólera.

La información fue anunciada por el Dr. Antonio Cárdenas, jefe del Servicio de Pediatría del centro asistencial, al "Mercurio de Antofagasta", donde confirmó la presencia de la bacteria Vibrio cholerae en la menor.

Ante el hallazgo, las muestras de la pequeña fueron enviadas al Instituto de Salud Pública (ISP), en Santiago, para esclarecer si corresponde o no al brote epidémico.

De comprobarse lo anterior, sería el primero de este tipo en 12 años, dado que el último de ellos se registró en 1998.

La detección del germen ocurre en medio de una crisis por la acumulación de basura en Antofagasta, luego que el municipio le caducara el contrato a la empresa encargada de recoger los desechos.

Asimismo, se da justo cuando la ciudad ha sido afectada por un brote diarreico que ya totaliza 13 mil personas víctimas del Norovirus.

Fuente: http://www.emol.com/

A “Watershed Moment” for Food Safety in USA.

Nearly 400 experts gathered in Washington DC to discuss the best tools for measuring progress on food safety.

The meeting was hosted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and was attended by leaders in science, public health, consumer advocacy, and the food industry.

Mariano-Florentino Cuellar, special assistant to the President for Justice and regulatory policy at the White House Domestic Policy Council, emphasized the importance of measuring the food safety burden in order to comply with the principles laid out in the President’s Food Safety Working Group, which are prioritizing prevention, strengthening surveillance and enforcement, and improving response recovery.

Deputy Undersecretary for food safety at USDA, Jerold Mande said: “The importance of this meeting can be described in one sentence: What doesn’t get measured doesn’t get done”. “This is a watershed moment in food safety” he added, “These opportunities do not come often. But when they do, they significantly change our trajectory as businesses and regulators alike”

Mande also discussed the importance of the measuring progress and said how crucial is to know exact data (number of people getting sick, contaminants, implicated food, etc), before decisions are taken in this matters.

Challenges in estimating the burden of foodborne illness.

There are a great number of challenges that must be faced in order to estimate the total burden of foodborne illness, being one of the most importants that only a small fraction of illness are actually confirmed by laboratory testing and reported to public health agencies. This leads, for example, to problems in choosing which diseases must be put under routine surveillance.

CDC is currently updating its foodborne illness estimates, wich have remained the same since 1999: 76 millions illnesses, 325000 hospitalizations, and 5000 deaths annually.

CDC officials and experts are all cautioning, however, that whatever the new numbers are, they cannot be compared to the 1999 estimates to indicate a trend, as the methodologies and data sources are fundamentally different. Finally, they expect to release the new results within a year, although with limited resources and ongoing epidemiological investigations, the timing remains uncertain.

Source: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/04/watershed-moment-for-food-safety-says-mande/#comments

Researchers Report Progress on E. coli Test

Pathogen and its toxins can be detected in food samples

It’s not the pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 pathogen itself that harms people who eat ground beef or other foods that contain it. Rather, it’s the toxins that this E. coli produces that do the actual damage. Proper testing of food should look for both, though, since it is possible for one to be present without the other.
That usually means two separate tests. But now scientists with the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture report significant advances toward a single test that can detect both pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 and its toxins.
J. Mark Carter, leader of a research unit at the research service’s office in Albany, Calif., said the test, described last week at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, uses tiny polystyrene beads that are coated with antibodies for the proteins found on the bacteria and two of the major toxins it produces. The beads are mixed with a sample of ground beef that has been further chopped up in a blender, and then separated from the sample and analyzed.
Dr. Carter said that in addition to its two-in-one nature, the test is also quicker than current E. coli tests, with results in less than 24 hours rather than about a week. In addition to ground beef, he said, it could be used on lettuce and other vegetables. More work is required, but the plan is to have a commercialized test in a few years that could be used by governments and the food industry itself.
Source: NYTimes