Fw: [BITES-L] bites Oct. 5/10
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From: Doug Powell <dpowell@KSU.EDU>
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Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2010 05:11:02 -0500
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ReplyTo: Doug Powell <dpowell@KSU.EDU>
Subject: [BITES-L] bites Oct. 5/10
bites Oct. 5/10
Oklahoma salmonella outbreak grows; Iowa says that although it's PFGE-matched, their cases aren't linked
Australians fall ill at the Commonwealth Games
Norovirus in BC oysters making people sick; government won't say how many
CANADA: Health hazard alert – Smoked salmon from Sausage Kitchen Fine Sausages & Meats may contain Listeria monocytogenes
IRELAND: Closure orders for food businesses
Too much barfing with weddings
MISSISSIPPI: Inspectors accountable for fair ride, food safety
IFR develops new method for detecting Clostridium botulinum spores
A tandem repeat of a fragment of Listeria monocytogenes internalin B protein induces cell survival and proliferation
COLORADO: Producers urged to participate in updated National Johne's Disease Control Program
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Oklahoma salmonella outbreak grows; Iowa says that although it's PFGE-matched, their cases aren't linked
06.oct.10
barfblog
Ben Chapman
http://barfblog.com/blog/144398/10/10/06/oklahoma-salmonella-outbreak-grows-iowa-says-although-its-pfge-matched-their-ca
According to News9.com, 17 cases of salmonellosis have now been linked together as a cluster of illnesses in Oklahoma grows. Most of the illnesses occured between September 2 and 13 with students in the Mustang School District but school and health officials did not contact parents until last week as the investigation unfolded. An additional three cases, matched genetically, have now been added to the cluster.
Two adult cases have been identified in Oklahoma County as well as another case in Carter County. Investigators are trying to figure out if those cases are connected to the Mustang outbreak. Only one person, an adult, has been hospitalized.
As Doug wrote last week, this sure looks like a common supplier issue with a ready-to-eat product like fresh produce, especially now since the outbreak includes illnesses outside of the school system. Although procuring safe food is about trust, knowing about the risks associated with ingredients/inputs and asking tough questions about how a supplier handles microbial food safety in production, preparation and handling is a responsible thing to do. And it's more than just relying on audits; they are just one part of good procurement practices. Dave Theno, formerly of Jack-in-the-Box summed up the limitation of third-party audits in an interview with USA Today last week saying that, "especially with critical suppliers, you're really betting your business on these guys [auditors]."
In a Bobby McFerrin-esque manner, state health officials in Iowa say not to worry, two Salmonella-positive cases in the state, which are reportedly a genetic match to the Oklahoma cases are not likely linked.
Patty Quinlisk, Iowa's chief epidemiologist, says there's no cause for concern. "We've had two cases," Dr. Quinlisk says. "We investigated both already. There's no link for the two of them to each other. There's no obvious exposure to any particular food products nor does there appear to be any link to people who are getting sick in other parts of the country, including Oklahoma."
Based on their testing and follow-ups, Quinlisk says she's convinced the Iowa cases are not related to the others. Quinlisk says, "We're not asking anyone to do anything nor do we see any potential risk to Iowans, though we will continue to watch this and other strains of diseases like salmonella.
" While there may be a DNA "fingerprint" match between the Iowa and Oklahoma strains of salmonella, Quinlisk says that doesn't mean these people all ate the same type of food or ate in the same restaurant.
"We do a follow-up," Quinlisk says. "We go in and we interview the people and say, what have you been doing? What have you been eating? Have you been traveling? There's no exposure link. There's nothing that our people have been doing that's anything similar to the cases in Oklahoma, in fact they're not even in the same age groups, same kind of living situations or anything like that. They're very different."
http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=13266927
http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-news-mustang-students-salmonella-story,0,1874728.story
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/blog/144338/10/10/01/salmonella-outbreak-oklahoma-students
http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/food/safety/2010-10-01-foodaudits01_ST_N.htm?csp=34news&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+usatoday-NewsTopStories+%28News+-+Top+Stories%29
http://www.radioiowa.com/2010/10/05/iowa-official-says-oklahoma-salmonella-outbreak-not-a-concern-here/
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2b3xk_bobby-mcferrin-don-t-worry-be-happy_music
Australians fall ill at the Commonwealth Games
05.oct.10
barfblog
Rob Mancini
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/blog/144397/10/10/05/australians-fall-ill-commonwealth-games
A good friend of mine is competing in the Commonwealth Games and I'm looking forward to see how everything pans out. Well, it seems as if some of his competition may not be doing so well.
Commonwealth Games organisers have ordered an inspection of all food at the athletes village after Australians fell ill after eating there.
Swimmers Ryan Napoleon and Rob Hurley, and swim coach Matt Brown, suffered a classic case of Delhi Belly on Sunday night after eating a meat bolognese pasta at the village dining hall.
But Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell on Tuesday suggested their sudden sickness may not have come from the village - despite athletes being restricted to the campus apart from training and competition.
"We have asked for a check on the food, but we were not told that it necessarily came from the village, it could have come from anywhere," Fennell said.
"All I am saying, the village food, the caterers, we have asked to inspect fully."
Delhi Games organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi said the food at the village had attracted rave reviews.
Norovirus in BC oysters making people sick; government won't say how many
05.oct.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/144395/10/10/05/norovirus-bc-oysters-making-people-sick-government-won%E2%80%99t-say-how-manyThere are three separate clusters of norovirus associated with raw oysters making people barf in the Vancouver area (that's in Canada) but, as usual, no details were provided by health types on actual numbers of people sick.
CBC News reports the B.C. Centre for Disease Control has confirmed that an outbreak of illness related to eating uncooked Pacific Coast oysters is being caused by a norovirus.
The affected oysters have been traced to a section of Effingham Inlet on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The oysters were harvested between Sept. 7 and Sept. 21.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/10/04/con-norovirus-oysters.html
CANADA: Health hazard alert – Smoked salmon from Sausage Kitchen Fine Sausages & Meats may contain Listeria monocytogenes
05.oct.10
CFIA
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2010/20101005e.shtml
OTTAWA -- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume Smoked Salmon purchased from Sausage Kitchen Fine Sausages & Meats, Ottawa, Ontario, because the product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The affected Smoked Salmon was sold over the counter from one retail location, Sausage Kitchen Fine Sausages & Meats, 5 Byward Market Square, Ottawa, Ontario, from September 10 to October 4, 2010, inclusive.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.
Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with this bacteria may cause listeriosis, a foodborne illness. Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness, however, infections during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.
IRELAND: Closure orders for food businesses
05.oct.10
Irish Times
Elaine Edwards
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/1005/breaking29.html
Enforcement orders were served on five businesses last month for breaches of food safety legislation.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said these included four closure orders served on Nour Foods butcher, 11 Abbey Street, Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo; QW Legend Ltd, trading as Buffet Master, 113 Main Street, Bray, Co Wicklow; Ned's Fast Food Takeaway, Rosenallis, Co Laois; and Zam Zam 1 butcher, Unit 4, Cookstown Enterprise Park, Dublin 24.
Environmental health officers in the west also served a prohibition order on Connolly's Butchers, Main Street, Kinlough, Co Leitrim.
In addition, the HSE South recently took a successful prosecution against Goa Tandoori, 24 Main Street, Charleville, Co Cork.
Mohammed Uzman pleaded guilty to 14 food hygiene-related offences and was fined €350.
HSE Dublin North East prosecuted Superquinn, Pavilions Shopping Centre, Swords, Co Dublin, for a breach of the EU regulations on infant formula. Superquinn was convicted and fined €500.
FSAI chief executive Prof Alan Reilly urged food businesses to make sure that there is a food safety management system in place.
"The onus is on each individual food business to ensure that all staff handling and preparing food are up to date on best safety and hygiene practices.
"It is a legal requirement that all staff handling food are supervised and/or trained in food hygiene commensurate with their responsibilities."
Too much barfing with weddings
05.oct.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/144396/10/10/05/too-much-barfing-weddings
Amy and I got married at city hall in 2006.
We had dinner with a couple of friends.
Then Amy barfed.
It wasn't the food, it wasn't the realization she had married me, it was thought to be her gall bladder.
Six people at a Roseville (California) wedding on the weekend ended up in the hospital, part of about 30 people who were sickened by food after the nuptials.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_16248269?nclick_check=1
MISSISSIPPI: Inspectors accountable for fair ride, food safety
04.oct.10
WAPT
http://www.wapt.com/news/25276342/detail.html
JACKSON, Miss. -- Hundreds of rides were being set up Monday at the State Fairgrounds in Jackson.
Dozens of food vendors got to work early Monday morning, and for them, food safety is serious business.
State health inspectors could start inspections as early as Tuesday afternoon and will continue through the duration of the fair.
"They look to see if your freezer is at the right temperature and for cleanliness and making sure everything is healthy," said food vendor Gracie Yaeger.
The fair opens at 5 p.m. Wednesday and runs through Oct. 17. Click here for Mississippi State Fair ticket and event information.
IFR develops new method for detecting Clostridium botulinum spores
01.oct.10
Institute of Food Research
http://www.ifr.ac.uk/info/news-and-events/NewsReleases/101001Cbotulinumsporetest.html
The Institute of Food Research has collaborated in the development of a new method for detecting spores of non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium is the major health hazard associated with refrigerated convenience foods, and these developments give the food industry and regulators more quantitative information on which to base the procedures that ensure food safety. Botulism is a rare but deadly form of food poisoning that can be caused by consuming tiny quantities of botulinum neurotoxin. The botulinum neurotoxin is the most potent toxin known (just 30ng of neurotoxin is sufficient to cause illness and even death), and the consumption of as little as 0.01g of food in which C. botulinum has grown can result in botulism. The majority of cases of foodborne botulism are caused by two bacteria known as non-proteolytic C. botulinum and proteolytic C. botulinum. A major difference between these two bacteria is that non-proteolytic C. botulinum is able to grow and produce toxin at 3°C, whilst proteolytic C. botulinum will not grow at temperatures less than 12°C. This ability to grow at form toxin at refrigeration temperatures makes non-proteolytic C. botulinum a major hazard in minimally heated refrigerated foods, such as chilled ready meals. The production incorporates practices and risk assessments based on the latest scientific information, such as spore heat resistance, growth properties of non-proteolytic C. botulinum, and the incidence of these spores in food. The new method of detecting non-proteolytic C. botulinum is providing high quality information on the incidence of spores in food. An important feature of the new method is that it is specific, and enumerates only non-proteolytic C. botulinum spores. Some previous techniques were not optimised to distinguish between non-proteolytic C. botulinum and proteolytic C. botulinum. The new method is very sensitive with a low detection limit that has been achieved by the use of a selective enrichment and large test samples, and importantly this has been confirmed using carefully structured control samples. The robust method was developed as a collaboration between the Nestlé Research Centre, Switzerland and IFR, an institute of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and is designed to provide the data the food industry needs for quantitative microbial risk analysis and the implementation of food safety objectives. This allows the total risk from spores of non-proteolytic C. botulinum in the final meal to be calculated. Modelling the risk of this total spore count rising above safe levels and the frequency that this event occurs will allow the management and control of the process more accountably. Contacts: IFR Press Office: Andrew Chapple, 01603 251490 andrew.chapple@bbsrc.ac.uk Zoe Dunford, 01603 255111, zoe.dunford@bbsrc.ac.uk Notes to Editors: More on botulism and food safety: http://www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/research/current/botulism-food-safety.html http://www.ifr.ac.uk/profile/mike-peck.asp Reference: Development and application of a new method for specific enumeration of spores of nonproteolytic Clostridium botulinum types B, E and F in foods and food materials, Peck, M.W. et al, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 76, 6607-6614 Collaborators: Quality and Safety Department, Nestlé Research Centre, Switzerland Funding: Nestlé Research Centre, Switzerland About IFR: The mission of the Institute of Food Research (www.ifr.ac.uk ) is to undertake international quality scientific research relevant to food and human health and to work in partnership with others to provide underpinning science for consumers, policy makers, the food industry and academia. It is a company limited by guarantee, with charitable status, grant aided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (www.bbsrc.ac.uk )
A tandem repeat of a fragment of Listeria monocytogenes internalin B protein induces cell survival and proliferation
01.oct.10
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol (
Ognoon Mungunsukh, Young H Lee, Ana P. Marquez, Fabiola Cecchi, Donald P. Bottaro, and Regina M Day
http://ajplung.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/ajplung.00094.2010v1
ABSTRACT
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is critical for tissue homeostasis and repair in the lung. HGF is a heterodimeric protein containing 20 disulfide bonds distributed among an amino-terminal hairpin, four kringle domains, and a serine protease-like domain. Due to its complex structure, recombinant production of HGF in prokaryotes requires denaturation and refolding, processes that are impractical for large-scale manufacture. Thus, pharmaceutical quantities of HGF are not available despite its potential applications. A fragment of the Listeria monocytogenes internalin B protein from amino acids 36-321 (InlB36-321) was demonstrated to bind to and partially activate the HGF receptor Met. InlB36-321 has a stable β-sheet structure and is easily produced in its native conformation by E. coli. We cloned InlB36-321 (1xInlB36-321), and engineered a head-to-tail repeat of InlB36-321 with a linker peptide (2xInlB36-321). 1xInlB36-321 and 2xInlB36-321 were purified from E. coli. Both 1x and 2xInlB36-321 activated the Met tyrosine kinase. We subsequently compared signal transduction of the two proteins in primary lung endothelial cells. 2xInlB36-321 activated ERK1/2, STAT3, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathways, whereas 1xInlB36-321 activated only STAT3 and ERK1/2. 2xInlB36-321 promoted improved motility compared with 1xInlB36-321, and additionally stimulated proliferation equivalent to full length HGF. Both the 1x and 2xInlB36-321 prevented apoptosis by the pro-fibrotic peptide angiotensin II in cell culture and ex vivo lung slice cultures. The ease of large scale production and capacity of 2xInlB36-321 to mimic HGF make it a potential candidate as a pharmaceutical agent for tissue repair.
COLORADO: Producers urged to participate in updated National Johne's Disease Control Program
04.oct.10
National Johne's Education Initiative
Teres Lambert
Colorado Springs, CO -- Dairy and beef producers and bovine veterinarians are encouraged to check out the revised Uniform Program Standards for the Voluntary Bovine Johne's Disease Control Program developed by USDA in conjunction with the U.S. Animal Health Association that went into effect Sept 1. The good news for producers and veterinarians is that the updated Control Program is less cumbersome, has three levels of producer involvement and has an easier-to-understand-and-follow system for classifying herds that have a lower risk of transmitting Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP), the bacteria known to cause Johne's disease.
"All producers participating in the revised Voluntary Bovine Johne's Disease Control Program will start with the education component, then they can choose whether to proceed to the management component that incorporates best management practices or move on to the classification component that incorporates best management strategies and testing," states Dr. Michael Carter, National Johne's Disease Control Program Coordinator, National Center for Animal Health Programs, USDA-APHIS-VS. "This is a progressive program, and producers can determine their level of involvement. The more producers know about and test for Johne's disease, the better for them and their customers."
When asked why dairy and beef producers should participate in the Voluntary Bovine Johne's Disease Control Program, Dr. Carter stressed that the incidence of Johne's disease in dairy and beef herds can be reduced significantly when producers know about Johne's disease and implement measures—including testing—to reduce the transmission of MAP. He pointed out that Johne's disease is estimated to be present in 68 percent of U.S. dairy operations and eight out of 100 U.S. beef herds. A National Animal Health Monitoring Systems study found that infected dairy herds experience an average loss of $40 per cow in herds with a low Johne's disease clinical cull rate while herds with a high Johne's disease clinical cull rate lost on average of $227 per cow. Beef cows clinically infected with Johne's disease produce less milk resulting in lighter calves at weaning, and infected cows can be slower to breed back.
"The most significant change in the updated Voluntary Bovine Johne's Disease Control Program is the new six-level testing classification system," adds Dr. Elisabeth Patton, chairman of U.S. Animal Health Association's Johne's Disease Committee. "Producers who participate in the testing component of the Program will find a new six-level classification system that has specific criteria for different sizes of herds: 1-99 head, 100-199 head, 200-299 head and more than 300 head. A significant amount of thought and work went into the development of this new six-level classification system to address concerns with the previous system and to improve the accuracy of herd classification."
To learn more about Johne's disease or to read the revised Uniform Program Standards for the Voluntary Bovine Johne's Disease Control Program—September 2010 in full, go to www.johnesdisease.org. Producers are also encouraged to contact their State Designated Johne's Coordinator. A list of State DJC's is provided at www.johnesdisease.org.
bites is produced by Dr. Douglas Powell and food safety friends at Kansas State University. For further information, please contact dpowell@ksu.edu or check out bites.ksu.edu.
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