Fw: [BITES-L] bites July 29/10 -- II
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Subject: [BITES-L] bites July 29/10 -- II
bites July 29/10 -- II
57 people barfing after weddings at Illinois banquet hall
18 sick with salmonella from duck eggs in Ireland
Diamond China in Las Vegas closed by health types
US: Former CEO of Seafood Importing Corporation sentenced to federal prison for importing falsely labeled fish
GERMANY and FRANCE: Hyglos honored with 2010 Food Safety Innovation award for technology used in bioMerieux's VIDAS® UP E. coli O157 (Including H7)
WASHINGTON: Mechanism uncovered behind Salmonella virulence and drug susceptibility
Multidrug-resistant salmonella isolates from retail chicken meat compared with human clinical isolates
Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 retention on solid surfaces and peroxide resistance is enhanced by dual-strain biofilm formation
Molecular epidemiology of ampicillin resistance in Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli from wastewater and clinical specimens
Antimicrobial effects of hypochlorite on Escherichia coli in water and selected vegetables
Quantification of Anisakis simplex allergens in fresh, long-term frozen, and cooked fish muscle
Ensuring and promoting food safety during the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Intestinal mucosa adherence and cytotoxicity of a sorbitol-fermenting, shiga-toxin-negative Escherichia coli O157:NM isolate with an atypical Type III secretion system
Detection of CTX-M-14 and TEM-52 extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in fecal Escherichia coli isolates of captive ostrich in Portugal
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57 people barfing after weddings at Illinois banquet hall
29.jul.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/143413/10/07/29/57-people-barfing-after-weddings-illinois-banquet-hall
Chicago Breaking News reports that at least four people were hospitalized and 53 others reported illnesses after attending wedding parties this month at a banquet hall in south suburban Mokena, Illinois, leading Will County health officials to try to determine the cause.
The Health Department is looking for others who may have gotten sick after attending weddings at Di Nolfo's Banquet Inn and Catering on July 16 and 17.
Health officials believe the source of the illness is norovirus. Health officials collected and tested food from Di Nolfo's, 9425 W. 191st Street, but did not find any significant violations. None of Di Nolfo's employees have reported illnesses, officials said.
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/07/57-report-sickness-after-weddings-at-mokena-banquet-hall.html
18 sick with salmonella from duck eggs in Ireland
29.jul.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/143412/10/07/29/18-sick-salmonella-duck-eggs-ireland
That's Sorenne (right, pretty much as shown) enjoying a duck egg omelet made with duck eggs from our friend, Kate the vet. Kate is exceedingly conscientious about cleanliness and I take pains to avoid cross-contamination in the kitchen.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today reissued its advice on the safe consumption of duck eggs, following the confirmation of five new cases of Salmonella Typhimurium DT8.
The FSAI states that these five cases are in addition to the thirteen cases associated with duck egg consumption during an outbreak earlier in the year.
It is reiterating its advice to consumers to only consume duck eggs that have been thoroughly cooked and to cease using raw duck eggs in any dishes that will not be cooked thoroughly prior to eating. It continues to recommend that good hygiene practices are followed, such as washing hands and preparation surfaces after handling or using duck eggs.
In light of these new cases, the FSAI advises caterers to be particularly strict in adhering to best hygiene practices and to only serve duck eggs or duck egg products that have been thoroughly cooked prior to consumption. It also reiterates the need for strict procedures to be followed at all times to avoid cross contamination between raw and cooked foods.
http://www.fsai.ie/news_centre/press_releases/29072010.html
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/blog/141848/10/04/28/3-irish-children-sick-salmonella-after-licking-spoon
Diamond China in Las Vegas closed by health types
29.jul.10
barfblog
Doug Powell
http://www.barfblog.com/blog/143414/10/07/29/diamond-china-las-vegas-closed-health-types
KNTV 13 Action News in Las Vegas continues its weekly dirty dining segment, this time focusing on Diamond China on Sahara near Valley View, which received 57 demerits in a recent inspection, and was closed by the Southern Nevada Health District.
Pictures taken by the Health District show raw meat thawing next to scallops and mixing juices. Beef was also found thawing with fish. Raw duck was found hanging next to and touching what inspectors call a dirty shelf.
Inspectors say a worker prepared chicken and never washed his hands before moving on to cut some fish. Dirty dishes filled the hand sink making it unusable.
The report says, "Servers, cook prep, cook never washed hands at all during inspection."
Diamond China reopened with an A rating after it was inspected again.
Diamond China has been open for 13 years. This is third time it has been shut down since opening.
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/blog/143227/10/07/21/dirty-dining-vegas-style
http://www.ktnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12887136
US: Former CEO of Seafood Importing Corporation sentenced to federal prison for importing falsely labeled fish
29.jul.10
FDA
http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/CriminalInvestigations/ucm220519.htm
NEWARK, N.J. -- Thomas George, the former Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Seafood Corporation, was sentenced today to 22 months in prison for importing falsely labeled fish from Vietnam and evading over $60 million in federal tariffs, as well as selling over $500,000 in similarly misbranded fish purchased from another importer, United States Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
George, 61, of Old Tappan, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz on January 26, 2010, to an Information charging him with one count of importing falsely labeled goods into the United States and one count of selling falsely labeled fish in the United States with the intent to defraud. United States District Judge Faith S. Hochberg imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From January 2003 to June 2006, George maintained a business relationship through Sterling Seafood with a seafood distribution company located in Vietnam. As part of that business relationship, Sterling Seafood regularly purchased fish in the catfish family, Pangasius hypophthalmus, sometimes referred to as Vietnamese catfish. Sterling Seafood would then resell the fish in the United States.
In the interest of fairly regulating commerce in the U.S., the U.S. Department of Commerce establishes anti-dumping duties or tariffs on certain imported products - taxes imposed to increase the price of goods so they do not provide unfair competition to comparable goods produced locally. In January 2003, an anti-dumping duty or tariff was placed on all imports of Vietnamese catfish into the United States because catfish was being marketed at a significantly lower price than was market rate at that time. That initial anti-dumping order imposed a duty of up to 63.88 percent on all catfish subject to the order, and was adjusted based on market conditions.
At his plea hearing, George admitted that from 2004 to 2006, he agreed with the Vietnamese distribution company to engage in a scheme to falsely identify and declare the purchase and importation of the Vietnamese catfish in order to evade the applicable anti-dumping duties. George stated that he specifically instructed the Vietnamese company to fraudulently identify the Vietnamese catfish as "grouper" on commercial contracts, purchase orders, and other documents because grouper was not subject to any anti-dumping duties. Additionally, George admitted that from 2004 to 2005, he purchased over $500,000 of similarly misbranded Vietnamese catfish that was imported from Vietnam by a Virginia corporation and then sold that misbranded Vietnamese catfish throughout the United States.
George's 22-month sentence represents 18 months on Count One and 22 months on count two, to run concurrently. In addition to the prison term, Judge Hochberg sentenced George to a year of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution in the amount of $64,173,839.16. George also paid a $50,000 community service payment to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to be expressly earmarked for research into the identification of fish and other marine organisms. This sentence does not preclude him from facing additional civil penalties.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations in Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Peter T. Edge; the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Robert E. Perez; the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, Northeast Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew Cohen; and the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas P. Doyle, Metro Washington Field Office with the investigation of this case. The Department of Justice's Environmental Crimes Section, under the direction of Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environmental and Natural Resources Division, also handled the prosecution.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zahid N. Quraishi of the United States Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Newark and Elinor Colbourn of the Department of Justice's Environmental Crimes Section.
GERMANY and FRANCE: Hyglos honored with 2010 Food Safety Innovation award for technology used in bioMerieux's VIDAS® UP E. coli O157 (Including H7)
29.jul.10
PR Newswire
bioMerieux
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hyglos-honored-with-2010-food-safety-innovation-award-for-technology-used-in-biomerieuxs-vidas-up-e-coli-o157-including-h7-99566874.html
MARCY-L'ETOILE, France and REGENSBURG, Germany -- bioMerieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, and Hyglos GmbH, the leader in applied phage protein technology, today announced that a team of scientists who developed a new diagnostic tool for food microbiologists is the recipient of the 2010 Food Safety Innovation Award given by the International Association of Food Protection (IAFP). Visit www.biomerieux-usa.com or www.biomerieux-usa.com/iafp2010.
The scientists are recognized for the development of phage recombinant proteins, which offer best-in-class specificity and sensitivity for the targeted capture and detection of bacteria from a sample. Bacteriophages are highly specific viruses that only infect bacteria. For the first time in history, a phage protein has replaced antibodies in a commercially diagnostic test, bioMerieux's VIDAS® UP E. coli O157 (including H7). The assay is able to detect even low levels of contamination by E. coli O157:H7, a potentially lethal strain of Escherichia coli that has caused many food outbreaks in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Europe.
"This award is a great honor for us as well as an important recognition of the high level of expertise, energy and investment that we have dedicated to develop new, enhanced bacteria-recognizing molecules for use in food testing systems," said Dr. Monika Walter, Manager Operations, Hyglos GmbH. "We appreciated the potential of using biochemically re-engineered phage proteins instead of live bacteriophages, and have gained extensive know-how, as well as generated a number of patents in this field," stated Dr. Walter. "We are very pleased to have partnered with bioMerieux to develop our technology on VIDAS®, the world's leading automated system for food-borne pathogen detection."
"Through our collaboration with Hyglos, we have integrated the latest technology available for pathogen screening on the VIDAS® platform to meet the food industry's need for highly specific assays, able to detect even low levels of critical pathogens," said Alexandre Merieux, bioMerieux Corporate Vice President, Industrial Microbiology. "On behalf of bioMerieux, I would like to congratulate the Hyglos scientists for this achievement and contribution to improving food safety."
The award, sponsored by Walmart, will be presented to the scientists, represented by Dr. Walter, on August 4th during the IAFP Annual Meeting awards reception and banquet at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif., USA.
WASHINGTON: Mechanism uncovered behind Salmonella virulence and drug susceptibility
29.jul.10
University of Washington
Leila Gray
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-07/uow-mub072910.php
Although mechanism had not been recognized before, evidence shows similar mechanism of protein modification occurs in all 5 kingdoms of life
Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism in Salmonella that affects its virulence and its susceptibility to antibiotics by changing its production of proteins in a previously unheard of manner. This allows Salmonella to selectively change its levels of certain proteins to respond to inhospitable conditions.
Although the mechanism had not been recognized before, the scientists were intrigued to find evidence of a similar mechanism in all five kingdoms of life – animals, plants, fungi, protista, and monera.
The findings were published today, July 29, in Molecular Cell. The senior author of the study is Dr. Ferric C. Fang, professor of microbiology, laboratory medicine, and medicine at the University of Washington (UW). Fang also directs the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The lead author is William Wiley Navarre, who began the study as a postdoctoral fellow in the Fang lab and is now an assistant professor at the University of Toronto.
Salmonella enters the gut when people eat contaminated food, and can sometimes spread to other parts of the body. Illness outbreaks and grocery recalls related to Salmonella are often in the news. Babies, young children, the elderly, and people with cancer or HIV are especially prone to severe illness from Salmonella.
Salmonella is adaptable and can withstand many of the body's attempts to fight it. The bacteria live and multiply in a special compartment inside the cells of an infected person or animal. Salmonella can alter its physiology as it moves from a free-swimming life to its residence in a host cell. Salmonella's metabolism also changes over time to make use of the nutrients available in the host cell, and to survive damage from the build-up of oxidants and nitric oxide in the infected cell.
While screening mutant Salmonella that were resistant to a form of nitric oxide that normally stops the bacteria from dividing, Navarre, Fang and their research collaborators found mutations in two little-known genes. These are the closely linked poxA and yjeK genes. In a number of bacteria, these two genes are associated with a third gene that encodes the Bacterial Elongation Factor P, which is involved in protein production.
The researchers discovered that these three genes operate in a common pathway that is critical for the ability of the Salmonella bacteria to cause disease and resist several classes of antibiotics. Salmonella with mutations in either the poxA gene or the yjeK genes, the study noted, appear to be nearly identical and show similar changes in proteins involved in metabolism. Strains with mutations in both genes resemble the single mutant strains, an observation that suggests the two genes work in the same pathway.
The mutant strains exhibited many abnormalities under stressful conditions.
"The wide spectrum of compounds that dramatically inhibited the growth of these mutant strains suggest that the defect lies in a general stress response," the researchers noted. The mutant bacteria measurably differed from the wild-type Salmonella under 300 different conditions. In addition, their aberrant production of virulence factors reduces their ability to survive in the host.
The researchers' analysis also suggests that the way poxA and yjeK modify the bacterial protein elongation factor is essential in the production of proteins that allow the bacteria to use alternative energy sources when they are deprived of nutrients, as occurs after they enter host cells.
Unexpectedly the researchers found that the Salmonella with mutations in poxA and yjeK continued to respire inappropriately under nutrient-poor conditions in which wild-type Salmonella cease respiration.
Perhaps the mutant strains don't know when to quit. Wild-type Salmonella might enter a state of suspended animation to weather harsh conditions, whereas the mutants fail to respond properly to environmental stress. The fact that the mutants continue to respire when they are in dire straits might lead to the production of toxic oxygen-containing compounds.
"This might explain," the authors suggested, "why the mutants are broadly sensitive to a large number of unrelated compounds and cellular stresses."
The researchers also noticed a resemblance between the astounding manner in which the poxA gene modifies the bacterial elongation factor to regulate stress resistance, and the way a similarly acting factor is regulated in plant and animal cells.
During the manufacture of a protein, transfer RNA, also called tRNA, normally places an amino acid at the end of a growing chain of protein building blocks. A certain type of enzyme normally hands the tRNA the amino acid for it to place. However, in this study, researchers have shown for the first time that the poxA enzyme steps in and directly attaches an amino acid to the Elongation Factor P protein, rather than to the tRNA.
Fang said, "Sometimes it seems as if the most basic discoveries in biology have already been made. It was fun and unexpected to learn something new about a process as fundamental as protein synthesis."
"This is an interesting illustration of molecular evolution," Fang continued. "This essential, but previously unrecognized mechanism, for regulating the production of proteins appears to have been conserved over evolutionary time and continues to take place in cells belonging to all five kingdoms of life."
Future studies in his lab will address the specific reasons behind the defective stress response in poxA- and yjeK-deficient bacteria and the explanation for its different effects on the amounts of individual proteins. The lab will also look further into the roles of the normal poxA and yjeK proteins, the intriguing way in which the bacterial elongation protein is modified, the apparent universality of this protein-modifying mechanism in living cells and its conservation throughout the course of evolution.
Multidrug-resistant salmonella isolates from retail chicken meat compared with human clinical isolates
27.jul.10
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease
Nkuchia M. M'ikanatha, Carol H. Sandt, A. Russell Localio, Deepanker Tewari, Shelley C. Rankin, Jean M. Whichard, Sean F. Altekruse, Ebbing Lautenbach, Jason P. Folster, Anthony Russo, Tom M. Chiller, Stanley M. Reynolds, Patrick F. McDermott
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2009.0499
Abstract
Aim: To examine the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella in chicken meat and correlate with isolates from ill humans.
Methods: We isolated Salmonella from raw chicken purchased from a randomly selected sample of retail outlets in central Pennsylvania during 2006–2007. Salmonella isolates from meat were compared, using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, to isolates in the PulseNet database of Salmonella recovered from humans.
Results: Of 378 chicken meat samples, 84 (22%) contained Salmonella. Twenty-six (31%) of the Salmonella isolates were resistant to ≥3 antimicrobials and 18 (21%) were resistant to ceftiofur. All ceftiofur-resistant isolates exhibited reduced susceptibility (minimum inhibitory concentration >2μg/mL) to ceftriaxone and carried a blaCMY gene, as detected by polymerase chain reaction. Among the 28 Salmonella serovar Typhimurium isolates, 20 (71.4%) were resistant to ≥3 antimicrobials and 12 (42.9%) were resistant to ceftiofur. One ceftiofur-resistant Salmonella serovar Typhimurium poultry isolate exhibited a rare pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern indistinguishable from a human isolate in PulseNet; both isolates carried the blaCMY-2 gene.
Conclusions: These data demonstrate the presence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella in poultry meat, including blaCMY plasmid-mediated genes that confer resistance to both ceftiofur, used in poultry, and ceftriaxone, used for treating salmonellosis in humans. This study illustrates the potential for molecular subtyping databases to identify related Salmonella isolates from meat and ill humans, and suggests that chicken could be a source for multidrug-resistant salmonellosis in humans.
Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 retention on solid surfaces and peroxide resistance is enhanced by dual-strain biofilm formation
27.jul.10
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease
Gaylen A. Uhlich, Donna P. Rogers, Derek A. Mosier
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2009.0503
Abstract
In a previous study we showed that an Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain that was unable to form biofilm was retained in large numbers in dual-strain biofilms formed with an E. coli O-:H4 companion strain. In this study we tested additional companion strains for their ability to retain E. coli O157:H7 strain 0475s. Companion strains producing biofilm that withstood aggressive washes were able to significantly increase serotype O157:H7 retention. Dual-strain biofilms with certain companion strains retained higher percentages of strain 0475s, and that ability was independent of biofilm total cell numbers. Tests with additional non-biofilm-forming E. coli O157:H7 strains showed that enhancement by companion strains was not unique to strain 0475s. Experiments using an E. coli companion strain with deletions of various curli and cellulose genes indicated that dual-strain biofilm formation was dependent on companion strain properties. Strain 0475s was not able to generate biofilm or persist on plastic when grown in broth with a biofilm-forming companion and separated by a 0.2μm porous membrane, indicating a requirement for intimate contact with the companion strain. When dual-strain biofilms and planktonic cells were challenged with 5% H2O2, strain 0475 showed greater survival in biofilms with certain companion strains compared to the corresponding planktonic cells. The results of this study indicate that non-biofilm-forming E. coli O157:H7 strains are retained on solid surfaces associated with biofilms generated by companion strains. However, properties other than biofilm mass enable certain companion strains to retain greater numbers of E. coli O157:H7.
Molecular epidemiology of ampicillin resistance in Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli from wastewater and clinical specimens
27.jul.10
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease
Sarina Pignato, Maria Anna Coniglio, Giuseppina Faro, Martine Lefevre, François-Xavier Weill, Giuseppe Giammanco
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2009.0504
Abstract
Molecular epidemiology at local scale in Sicily (Italy) of ampicillin resistance in Salmonella spp. isolates from municipal wastewater (n=64) and clinical specimens (n=274) is described in comparison with previously examined Escherichia coli isolates (n=273) from wastewater. High prevalence of antibiotic resistance (28.9%) with highest resistance rates against ampicillin (22.7%) was observed in E. coli isolates. Different resistance rates were observed in Salmonella according to the serovars, with prevalences of the same order in both wastewater and clinical isolates belonging to the same serovar (e.g., 91.7% ampicillin resistance in wastewater isolates vs. 70.8% in clinical isolates of the Salmonella serovar Typhimurium and 0% ampicillin resistance in both wastewater and clinical isolates of the Salmonella serovar Enteritidis). The β-lactam resistance gene blaTEM was present in both wastewater and clinical Salmonella spp. isolates, with the exception of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolates with a typical six-drug resistance pattern AmpChlSulTeStrSp that had the blaPSE-1 gene. The blaTEM gene was present in all the E. coli isolates but one had the blaSHV gene. Several E. coli and some Salmonella isolates were positive for class 1 integrons with variable regions of 1.0 or 1.5kb containing aadA1, dfrA17-aadA5, or dfrA1-aadA1 gene cassettes, whereas Salmonella serovar Typhimurium isolates with the six-drug resistance pattern were positive for both 1.0 and 1.2kb integrons. Polymerase chain reaction replicon typing demonstrated the presence of multireplicon resistance plasmids in several isolates of E. coli, containing two to four of the replicons IncF, IncI1, IncFIA, and IncFIB, whereas other isolates showed resistance plasmids with only IncF, IncP, or IncK replicons. Replicon IncI1 was detected in one Salmonella isolate, whereas other isolates belonging to different serovars had IncN replicons. Analysis of isolates from wastewater can be a useful epidemiologic tool to monitor the prevalence of antibiotic resistance and genetic elements related to antibiotic resistance in Salmonella clones circulating in the human population.
Antimicrobial effects of hypochlorite on Escherichia coli in water and selected vegetables
27.jul.10
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease
Osman Erkmen
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2009.0509
Abstract
In this study, the antimicrobial effects of hypochlorite (HOCl) on Escherichia coli in tap water were investigated. The effects of 0.1% thyme oil and 100mg/L HOCl on E. coli on vegetables (lettuce, parsley leafs, and red pepper) were also studied. E. coli was reduced by 2.54, 3.33, 3.93, 4.87, and 5.57log colony forming units (cfu)/mL with 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 10, and 50mg/mL HOCl, respectively. There was an increase of more than 30% in the inactivation of E. coli with 10°C rise in temperature, a remarkable increase in antimicrobial activity at pH 5.0 was also observed with 5.62log cfu/mL reductions in 30sec, as well as marked neutralization of the effect in the presence of 0.1% peptone in water was noted. Biphasic kinetics in the inactivation curves of E. coli was observed. HOCl, thyme oil, and their mixture reduced the number of E. coli between 1.23 and 3.75log cfu/mL after 5-min exposure on vegetables. The degree of E. coli inactivation depends on concentration of residual chlorine, suspending medium, type of vegetables, and the use of thyme essential oil.
Quantification of Anisakis simplex allergens in fresh, long-term frozen, and cooked fish muscle
27.jul.10
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease
Ana Isabel Rodríguez-Mahillo, Miguel González-Muñoz, Cristina de las Heras, Margarita Tejada, Ignacio Moneo
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2009.0517
Abstract
Fish-borne parasitic zoonoses such as Anisakiasis were once limited to people living in countries where raw or undercooked fish is traditionally consumed. Nowadays, several factors, such as the growing international markets, the improved transportation systems, the population movements, and the expansion of ethnic ways of cooking in developed countries, have increased the population exposed to these parasites. Improved diagnosis technology and a better knowledge of the symptoms by clinicians have increased the Anisakiasis cases worldwide. Dietary recommendations to Anisakis-sensitized patients include the consumption of frozen or well-cooked fish, but these probably do not defend sensitized patients from allergen exposure. The aim of our work was to develop a sensitive and specific method to detect and quantify Anisakis simplex allergens in fish muscle and its derivatives. Protein extraction was made in saline buffer followed by preparation under acid conditions. A. simplex antigens were detected by IgG immunoblot and quantified by dot blot. The allergenic properties of the extracts were assessed by IgE immunoblotting and basophil activation test. We were able to detect less than 1 ppm of A. simplex antigens, among them the allergen Ani s 4, in fish muscle with no cross-reactions and with a recovery rate of 82.5%. A. simplex antigens were detected in hakes and anchovies but not in sardines, red mullets, or shellfish. We detected A. simplex allergens in cooked hakes and also in hake stock. We proved that A. simplex allergens are preserved in long-term frozen storage (−20°C±2°C for 11 months) of parasitized hakes. Basophil activation tests have proven the capability of the A. simplex–positive fish extracts to induce allergic symptoms.
Ensuring and promoting food safety during the 2008 Beijing Olympics
27.jul.10
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease
Gerald G. Moy, Fanfan Han, Junshi Chen
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2009.0473
Abstract
In preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Chinese authorities undertook a range of measures to strengthen food safety along the entire food supply continuum from production to consumption to protect the large number of athletes and spectators anticipated. In addition, food safety promotion campaigns targeting Olympic visitors as well as Beijing residents were carried out. Based on an assessment of various indicators, these efforts were successful in reducing the risk of foodborne disease during the Beijing Olympics and promoting safer food for Beijing residents. The food safety experiences of the 2008 Beijing Olympics might be usefully applied to major sporting events and mass gatherings in the future.
Intestinal mucosa adherence and cytotoxicity of a sorbitol-fermenting, shiga-toxin-negative Escherichia coli O157:NM isolate with an atypical Type III secretion system
27.jul.10
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease
Brigitte Lefebvre, Moussa S. Diarra, John M. Fairbrother, Éric Nadeau, Maurice Dubois, François Malouin
Abstract
Reports show that sorbitol-fermenting (SF) Escherichia coli O157 isolates are implicated in animal and human diseases and may represent new emerging pathogens. We investigated the cytotoxicity and interaction with intestinal tissues of an SF, Shiga-toxin-negative E. coli O157:NM isolate. This bovine isolate was negative for stx genes and was not cytotoxic for Vero cells. We found that this E. coli O157 isolate possesses an intimin of type β, whereas the translocated intimin receptor Tir and type III secretion system components EspA, EspB, and EspD were of type α. In contrast, Shiga-toxin-positive O157:H7 isolates usually possess variants of type γ. The isolate did not present typical O157:H7 attaching and effacing lesions in the newborn pig ileal in vitro organ culture model. However, extensive effacement and elongation of the microvilli were observed. In vitro organ culture results suggest that such an SF, Shiga-toxin-negative O157:NM isolate found in cattle may potentially cause disease, such as diarrhea without hemolytic uremic syndrome, in humans.
Detection of CTX-M-14 and TEM-52 extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in fecal Escherichia coli isolates of captive ostrich in Portugal
27.jul.10
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease
Catarina Carneiro, Carlos Araújo, Alexandre Gonçalves, Laura Vinué, Sergio Somalo, Elena Ruiz, Inna Uliyakina, Jorge Rodrigues, Gilberto Igrejas, Patricia Poeta, Carmen Torres
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2009.0494
Abstract
The main aim of this study was to determine the frequency of antibiotic resistance among Escherichia coli isolates recovered in Levine agar plates from 54 fecal samples of captive ostriches from a farm in the South of Portugal. Fifty-four nonselected E. coli isolates were obtained (one/sample) and the phenotypes and genotypes of antibiotic resistance were characterized. The following numbers of isolates showed antibiotic resistance: ampicillin (nine), tetracycline (seven), streptomycin (three), amoxicillin–clavulanic acid, cefoxitin, or gentamicin (one), and cefotaxime, ceftazidime, azthreonam, imipenem, nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (zero). The blaTEM gene was identified in six out of nine ampicillin-resistant isolates, and the tet(A) or tet(B) genes in five out of seven tetracycline-resistant isolates. Mutations at positions −42, −18, −1, and +58 of ampC promoter region were identified in one cefoxitin-resistant isolate. Further, the occurrence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)–producing E. coli isolates was estimated in the 54 fecal samples of ostriches using cefotaxime-supplemented Levine agar plates for ESBL-positive E. coli recovery. Three samples contained ESBL-positive E. coli isolates of which one isolate/sample was characterized, leading to the detection of the following beta-lactamases: blaCTX-M-14a+blaTEM-1b (two isolates) and blaTEM-52c (one isolate). The three ESBL-positive isolates were classified into the phylogroup B1, and contained class 1 integrons with the gene cassettes dfrA17+aadA5 (one isolate) and aadA1 (two isolates). This study adds to our knowledge about the wide dissemination of ESBL-producing E. coli isolates in different ecosystems, including captive ostriches, that could be transferred to humans through the food chain.
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