BARFBLOG WEEKLY - JULY 14, 2017 (IAFP TRAVELLING HOME
EDITION)
Posted by Doug Powell on 07/12/2017 from Barfblog
The Norwegian
Food Safety Authority has detected Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC)
in four unpasteurized milk products.
Mattilsynet
said 82 unpasteurized milk products were examined and STEC was isolated
from three products from Norwegian companies and a French cheese. Stx
genes were also detected in 20 samples.
E. coli O-,
stx2a was found in a Norwegian-produced soft red cheese of cow's milk
and rømme (a type of blue cheese) and E. coli O26, Stx1 and eae was in
fresh cheese from goat milk. E. coli O113, stx2d was detected in French
chèvre.
Joe
Whitworth of Food Quality News reports Mattilsynet took 714
samples of pasteurized and unpasteurized dairy products - mainly
cheeses - as part of a monitoring
program from 2010 to 2016 – including 184 samples last
year.
Samples in
2016 consisted of 102 produced from pasteurized milk and 82 of
unpasteurized milk from stores, importers and manufacturers.
These products
consisted of cow's milk (139), goat (33), sheep (11) and a mixture of
these (1).
The monitoring
program was done to acquire knowledge on hygiene of dairy products on
the Norwegian market.
Posted by Doug Powell on 07/10/2017 from Barfblog
In 2013, raw pork
was the suspected vehicle of a large outbreak (n = 203 cases) of
Salmonella Muenchen in the German federal state of Saxony. In 2014, we
investigated an outbreak (n = 247 cases)
caused by the same serovar affecting Saxony and three further federal states
in the eastern part of Germany.
Evidence from
epidemiological, microbiological and trace-back investigations strongly
implicated different raw pork products as outbreak vehicles. Trace-back
analysis of S. Muenchen-contaminated raw pork sausages narrowed the
possible source down to 54 pig farms, and S. Muenchen was detected in
three of them, which traded animals with each other. One of these farms
had already been the suspected source of the 2013 outbreak. S. Muenchen
isolates from stool of patients in 2013 and 2014 as well as from food
and environmental surface swabs of the three pig farms shared
indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns.
Our results
indicate a common source of both outbreaks in the primary production of
pigs. Current European regulations do not make provisions for
Salmonella control measures on pig farms that have been involved in
human disease outbreaks. In order to prevent future outbreaks,
legislators should consider tightening regulations for Salmonella
control in causative primary production settings.
Two
consecutive large outbreaks of salmonella muenchen linked to pig
farming in Germany, 2013 to 2014: Is something missing in our
regulatory framework?
Eurosurveillance,
vol. 22, no. 18, 4 May 2017, A Schielke, W Rabsch, R Prager, S Simon, A
Fruth, R Helling, M Schnabel, Siffczyk, S Wieczorek, S Schroeder, B
Ahrens, H Oppermann, S Pfeiffer, SS Merbecks, B Rosner, C Frank, AA
Weiser, P Luber, A Gilsdorf, K Stark, D Werber
http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=22793
Posted by Ben Chapman on 07/10/2017 from Barfblog
In late 2016
six cases of botulism were linked to dried salted fish products in
Germany and Spain. According to
24.my.info a woman from the Kirovohrad region of Ukraine
died from botulism also linked to dried fish (something may be lost in
translation).
In the town of
Novoukrainka of Kirovohrad region woman died from botulism after eating
dried fish, which she bought personally in the store ATB city of
Kharkiv. It is reported Kirovohrad regional laboratory center.
According to
the report, the first symptoms of the disease in women appeared on July
6 near midnight, four hours after eating dried fish, which she (her
words) bought personally in the store ATB city of Kharkiv.
Posted by Ben Chapman on 07/10/2017 from Barfblog
There's not a
lot of trichina in the U.S. food supply anymore. It used to be a much
more important pathogen. In the 1940s, when the US Public Health
Service started tracking the illness, there was around 400 cases a
year. Now
there's about 20.
A couple of the more notable incidents were reported in MMWR
last week - two outbreaks in Alaska linked to raw
walrus.
During July
2016–May 2017, the Alaska Division of Public Health (ADPH) investigated
two outbreaks of trichinellosis in the Norton Sound region associated
with consumption of raw or undercooked walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) meat;
five cases were identified in each of the two outbreaks. These were the
first multiple-case outbreaks of walrus-associated trichinellosis in Alaska
since 1992.
The walrus
consumed during the implicated meal in the second outbreak had been
harvested and butchered by patients F and I during the previous 1–3
months, and the meat had been stored frozen in unlabeled bags in their
respective household chest freezers. The meat was prepared by patient
H, who reported that she boiled it for approximately 1 hour, after
which the exterior was fully cooked, but the interior remained
undercooked or raw, which was the desired result; interviewed persons
reported that many community members prefer the taste and texture of
undercooked or raw walrus meat to that of fully cooked meat.
These
outbreaks also highlight the importance of culturally sensitive public
health messaging. In areas where wild game species are harvested for
subsistence, traditional methods of collecting, handling, preparing,
storing, and consuming meat often have great cultural significance;
however, some of these methods can be inconsistent with public health
best practices. Rather than promoting or proscribing specific methods,
public health messages that focus on communicating risks and explaining
the manner and magnitude of risk reduction that can be achieved using
different approaches (e.g., alternative methods of preparing meat for
consumption) enable members of the target population to make informed
decisions that integrate their traditional practices with their
awareness and tolerance of risks.
Posted by Doug Powell on 07/13/2017 from Barfblog
Kavin
Senapathy of the Genetic
Literacy Project writes the makers of the viral 2015 “Organic
Effect” video, which claimed that switching to an all organic diet can
eliminate pesticides from the body, are no longer allowed to
promote the video or its claims, ruled the Swedish Patent
and Market Court on July 3rd following three days
of hearings in mid-May.
The Coop chain
of Swedish grocery stores must not use the video or
make unsubstantiated claims about organic and conventional food or
pay a fine of one million Swedish Krona (about $120,000 USD). The
Swedish Crop Protection Association (“Svenskt Växtskydd”), a trade
association of nine Swedish crop protection companies, filed the
lawsuit [in 2016], citing misleading and inaccurate advertisement.
The “Organic
Effect” video … totally [omits] the crucial fact that organic farming
does use pesticides, albeit different than the ones used in
conventional agriculture. Even though the pesticides used in organic
farming tend to be naturally derived, whether a substance is synthetic
or natural in origin, in and of itself, has no bearing on its toxicity
or environmental impact.
Further, as
Switzerland-based biologist Iida
Ruishalme pointed out at
her Thoughtscapism blog, the video left out information that
conflicted with the video’s shaky pro-organic assertions.
The GLP
aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of
news, opinion, and analysis.
See the crap below.
Posted by Doug Powell on 07/13/2017 from Barfblog
FOX 5
reports a
hepatitis A outbreak in the San Diego area has claimed the life of a
fifth person, county health officials reported Wednesday.
[caption id="attachment_194859" align="alignright"
width="300"] Vaccinations to help prevent Hepatitis A and B,
where given by HEP Team to those interested, free of cost. Second day
of the 26th Annual Sunset Junction Street Fair with food, games rides
and health information for the hundred attending on Sunday. (Photo by
Carlos Chavez/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)[/caption]
The outbreak
now totals 228 cases and required the hospitalization of 161 of those
sickened, according to the county Health and Human Services Agency. So
far, the disease has mostly affected the homeless population and/or
users of illegal drugs, with seven out of every 10 cases affecting
those populations. One of every five people sickened with hepatitis A also
has hepatitis C.
But according
to a couple of barfblog.com
types, the outbreak has led to the cancellation of food events in
September.
Public health
investigators have not identified any common food, drink or drug source
as a contributing cause to this outbreak, officials said. Hepatitis A
is most commonly spread via contaminated food or water, sexual contact
or sharing drug paraphernalia.
“It is
imperative that anyone at risk for hepatitis A get vaccinated,” said
Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health officer. “We cannot stress
this enough — get vaccinated and make sure you wash your hands after
going to the bathroom.”
“Lives are at
risk,” Wooten said. “Protect yourself, your family and the community.”
County health
officials have been working with homeless services providers, community
health clinics, faith-based organizations, substance abuse treatment
providers, hospital emergency departments, jails and probation
facilities to conduct vaccination clinics for people who are at risk of
catching the illness. It can take up to nearly two months after exposure
to develop symptoms, but the disease can be prevented if people get
immunized within two weeks of exposure, the HHSA said.
Posted by Doug Powell on 07/13/2017 from Barfblog
Lewis
Pennock of the Mirror reports a 46-year-old woman vomited so violently
her bladder exploded in a horrific case of food
poisoning.
The woman, who
had eaten dodgy seafood, was rushed to hospital after spending all
night being sick until her condition deteriorated to the point her
bladder ruptured.
A serving of
gone-off seafood is thought to have left the woman with severe food
poisoning, before her symptoms spiralled.
Surgeons who
inspected the damage found a 3cm tear in the organ, a report in the British
Medical Journal said, which is an incredibly rare side
effect of vomiting.
The BMJ Case
Report, authored by four medics from West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS
Trust, said the extreme injury was a "rare" reaction.
The unnamed
woman, thought to be from Watford, had been eating dinner in a
restaurant when she fell ill with food poisoning and began to vomit.
She went home
but began to feel worse - and the vomiting became so intense her
bladder was ruptured.
She decided to
seek medical attention when the frequency and intensity of the vomiting
caused her to bleed heavily from her vagina, experts said.
The woman, who
had no history of a weakened bladder, was unable to go to the toilet
despite having a full bladder.
The BMJ report
said: "Spontaneous bladder rupture is a rare entity, with very few
reports in the literature."
It added:
"This unusual case is important, as it has demonstrated that even
normal, healthy bladders may rupture during episodes of high intra-abdominal
pressure."
Posted by Doug Powell on 07/13/2017 from Barfblog
Alex
Lasker of AOL News reports a New Hampshire mom is demanding an
apology from a Manchester McDonald's after her son emerged from the
fast-food restaurant's play pen covered in human waste.
Justina
Whitmore says that when she allowed her 5-year-old son to use the
location's play area, she could never have imagined what would happen
to him inside.
"I was
still eating and the next thing I knew he came out and just stated
there was poop all inside the slide," she told WFXT. "When he
came out, he was covered in poop."
Whitmore's son
says that he was playing tag with another child who apparently soiled
his diaper when the pair went down the yellow slide together.
"It was
because he went down the slide first," he said. "And then I
couldn't help it and it went all over me."
Although the
incident itself was pretty disgusting, Whitmore says that the real
reason she is angry has more to do with the way McDonald's employees
handled the situation.
According to
the outraged mom, the location had no soap in the bathroom, and when
she asked employees for assistance and cleaning materials they just
laughed at her.
Posted by Doug Powell on 07/12/2017 from Barfblog
Consumption of raw or undercooked pork meat and liver is
the most common cause of hepatitis E infection in the EU, said the European
Food Safety Authority.
More than
21,000 cases of hepatitis E infections have been reported in humans
over the last 10 years, with an overall 10-fold increase in this
period.
Rosina
Girones, chair of EFSA’s working group on hepatitis E, said: “Even if
it is not as widespread as other foodborne diseases, hepatitis E is a
growing concern in the EU. In the past, people thought the main
source of infection was drinking contaminated water while
travelling outside the EU. But now we know the main source of
transmission of the disease in Europe is food.”
Domestic pigs
are the main carriers of hepatitis E in the EU. Wild boars can also
carry the virus, but meat from these animals is less commonly consumed.
Experts from
EFSA’s Panel on Biological Hazards recommend that Member States
increase awareness of public health risks associated with raw and
undercooked pork meat and advise consumers to cook pork meat
thoroughly. They also recommend the development of suitable methods for
detecting hepatitis E in food.
This
scientific advice builds on a previous scientific opinion on the occurrence
and control of foodborne viruses published in 2011.
The European
Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has today also
published a report on hepatitis
E in humans which assesses testing, diagnosis and
monitoring methods and reviews available epidemiological data.
Hepatitis E is
a liver disease caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV).
Most people
who contract hepatitis E display no or mild symptoms. However, in some
cases especially for those with liver damage or patients with a weak
immune system, it can lead to liver failure – which can be fatal.
Posted by Ben Chapman on 07/12/2017 from Barfblog
My experience
as a dishwasher was short lived. When I was in grad school studying
restaurant food safety I volunteered at a local restaurant. I wanted to
know what it was like, even just a little bit, to be a food handler -
figuring I'd be better at food safety if I understood the pressures of
the job. I spent most of my time in the dish pit, listening to Tom
Petty working with fun folks, who were into lots of different
substances.
One day, one of my last, I was doing salad prep, and trying to wash my
hands between handling lettuce (with bare hands) and dirty dishes. The
chef yelled at me because we didn't have time to waste - and I skipped
the whole handwash process.
That's my self-reported story. Researchers in the UK (Jones and
colleagues) published a paper a
couple of weeks ago about the self reported behaviors of
chefs, managers and catering students. They didn't fare much better
than I had. And surveys have their limitations.
Foodborne
disease poses a serious threat to public health. In the UK, half a
million cases are linked to known pathogens and more than half of all
outbreaks are associated with catering establishments. The UK Food
Standards Agency (FSA) has initiated the UK Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
in which commercial food establishments are inspected and scored with
the results made public. In this study we investigate the prevalence of
food risk increasing behaviours among chefs, catering students and the
public. Given the incentive for respondents to misreport when asked
about illegal or illicit behaviours we employed a Randomised Response
Technique designed to elicit more accurate prevalence rates of such
behaviours. We found 14% of the public not always hand-washing
immediately after handling raw meat, poultry or fish; 32% of chefs and
catering students had worked within 48 hours of suffering from
diarrhoea or vomiting. 22% of the public admitted having served meat
“on the turn” and 33% of chefs and catering students admitted working
in kitchens where such meat was served; 12% of the public and 16% of
chefs and catering students admitted having served chicken at a
barbeque when not totally sure it was fully cooked. Chefs in
fine-dining establishment were less likely to wash their hands after
handling meat and fish and those who worked in award winning
restaurants were more likely to have returned to work within 48 hours
of suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting. We found no correlation
between the price of a meal in an establishment, nor its Food Hygiene
Rating Score, and the likelihood of any of the food malpractices
occurring.
Posted by Doug Powell on 07/11/2017 from Barfblog
My next
door-neighbour, Doug, the retired microbiologist (go figure) sent me
this from his travels in the Northern New South Wales, which is
somewhat close to us in Brisbane.
From a small museum in Tenterfield, in Northern NSW:
|
No comments:
Post a Comment