Sign in or 
Share this
Europe: Food/Waterborne Illness Outbreaks 2010
France- Ham knuckles with staph, oysters with noro fell 94 at French rugby cocktail party
31 Dec. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
The Institut de Veille Sanitaire in France reported that on Feb. 20, 2010, the Fire and Rescue Service informed the Regional Health Authorities that symptoms such as stomach ache, nausea, vomiting were diagnosed among 15 people taking part in a rugby match cocktail party. One person was taken to the local emergency hospital service and a total of 94 cases and 110 controls were reported among the people taking part in the cocktail party.
Armenia- 12 cases of botulism in 2010
29 Dec. 2010
Aysor [edited] [BITES]
Twelve cases of food poisoning was recorded due to botulism in 2010. Ninteen people suffered, including one of person who was 14 years old. The poisonings were caused as a result of eating homemade souses of red pepper, cucumber, tomato, caviar of eggplant, and canned bean. In order to avoid botulism poisoning the Ministry of Health is reminding citizens to avoid eating homemade canned foods.
Sweden- Over 11,000 sick in cryptosporidium outbreak; source found
11 Dec. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
Investigators in Ostersund, Sweden, report that they traced a cryptosporidium outbreak that has sickened more than 11,000 residents to a multifamily dwelling. The parasite may have entered the city's water supply through a sewage line mistakenly connected to a rainwater drainage system.
Related Stories:
Sweden- 5,700 sick as Swedish city traces source of cryptosporidium in water supply
2 Dec. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
The water system in Östersund, in northern Sweden, has been found to contain an area with high levels of cryptosporidium which has resulted in thousands of people ill and the city's water undrinkable. The details of the tests were passed on to police and prosecutors. Nearly one in ten residents of Östersund has now been hit by a stomach bug caused by the parasite in the municipal water supply.
Sweden- A foodborne outbreak of cyclospora infection in Stockholm
20 Nov. 2010
BioPortfolio [edited] [BITES]
During May and June of 2009 an outbreak of Cyclospora cayetanensis infection involving 12 laboratory-confirmed and six probable cases was detected in Stockholm County, Sweden. Imported sugar snap peas from Guatemala were the suspected vehicle, based on information obtained from patient questionnaires. This is the first reported outbreak of cyclosporiasis in Sweden and the second in Europe.
Norway- E. coli VTEC outbreak
11 Nov 2010
The Foreigner [edited] [ProMed]
Three children from Oslo, Akershus, and Ostfold are in hospital with a serious kidney disease following Escherichia coli infection. It is believe that all three have developed potentially fatal hemolytic-uremic syndrome. It is too early to say whether the 3 cases are connected, but an investigation is ongoing.
Kazakhstan- Hepatitis A in school children
1 Nov. 2010
Vesti.kz, News Agency [edited] [ProMed]
An outbreak of hepatitis A has affected schoolchildren in a city in the Pavlodar province, located in north eastern Kazakhstan. On 1 Nov 2010 another school [school # 12] has been placed under quarantine in order to contain the outbreak. An epidemiological analysis has established that the new case in school # 12 had been in contact with some of the pupils in school # 11 who were diagnosed as hepatitis A cases. The public health authorities of Pavlodar province have announced that all those who have been contact with the affected schoolchildren will be kept under observation for 35 days and all will receive hepatitis A vaccine. The original case was from a schoolgirl, who is believed to have contracted the infection from contaminated watermelon. Hepatitis A virus is transmitted via fecal contaminated food and water, and annually affects about 10 million people worldwide.
Netherlands- Salmonella in steak tartare sickens teenagers
4 Nov. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
Eurosurveillance reports today about the fourth food-borne outbreak in recent years linked to consumption of steak tartare and other raw beef products in the Netherlands. In 2006 to 2008, despite intensive monitoring and control programs, Salmonella was still found in-store in raw meats intended for direct consumption. Consumers, in particular parents of young children, should be reminded of the potential danger of eating raw or undercooked meat. The full report is available at: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19705
France- Salmonellosis from frozen hamburger
12 Nov 2010
Before It's News [edited] [ProMed]
A report released on November 10th, 2010 concluded that 500 people, mostly middle school and high school students in Poitiers, were made ill between the 19the and 22nd of October 2010, after eating hamburgers containing salmonella. Twenty people had to be hospitalized. The investigation has identified the food source as a batch of frozen beef patties produced by an Italian company.
Related stories:
France- Sick in French salmonella outbreak tops 100
4 Nov. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
Over 100 people have been confirmed sick by salmonella in ground beef patties in Poitiers, France. The source of original contamination has not been uncovered.
France- Salmonella sickens 52
3 Nov. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
Health authorities have confirmed salmonella in 52 people which has been linked to ground beef patties. The distributor that provided the contaminated burgers was asked to recall and destroy the entire lot. The meat is believed to have been imported.
UK- Outbreak of Salmonella cases linked to bean sprouts continues
31 Oct. 2010
Medical News Today [edited] CAHFS-DailyNews
An outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly infection from contaminated bean sprouts in England and Scotlandis continues. The Health Protection Agencies (HPA) Centre for Infections (CFI) in Colindale has now identified 190 confirmed S. Bareilly cases in England, Wales (five of the cases) and Northern Ireland (two cases) since the beginning of August 2010 to present. The CFI normally sees fewer than 10 cases in a typical month. Health Protection Scotland has identified 21 confirmed cases in the same period. Both the HPA and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) stress that bean sprouts are safe to eat provided that they are washed and cooked until piping hot before consumption or are clearly labeled as ready-to-eat.
Related story:
UK- 225 now sick from salmonella in sprouts
14 Nov. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
An U.K. outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly infection associated with contaminated bean sprouts is ongoing, although fewer new cases of illness are now being recorded. The Health Protection Agency's Centre for Infections (CFI) in Colindale has identified 204 cases of S. Bareilly in England, Wales (5 of the cases) and Northern Ireland (3 of the cases) since the beginning of August - nearly six times the number that the CFI would normally expect to see in that timescale.
UK- Hepatitis E, Foodborne
22 Oct 2010
Daily Telegraph online [edited] [ProMed]
A rare liver disease, hepatitis E, has killed 3 people and caused at least 55 more across illnesses in the UK. Hepatitis E is generally thought to be caused by poor sanitary conditions and previously it had been assumed that British sufferers had caught the disease abroad. Recent patients seen in hospitals for hepatitis E did not fit the usual criteria. In the cases being seen in the UK, it is the middle aged and elderly, particularly men that are being affected and the main contact may be raw pork. It is acknowledged that pigs and pork can harbor the hepatitis E virus and that this may be the cause of the disease in cases where there has not been any foreign travel. People are being advised to take care when preparing pork and to make sure it is cooked properly and hands are washed after handling it raw.
UK- 4 children sick with salmonella at a nursery
19 Oct. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
A salmonella outbreak at another nursery has been reported in the UK. Four children who attend a nursery have been confirmed as suffering from Salmonella group B infection.
Estonia- Salmonella strikes 13 preschoolers
19 Oct. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
An outbreak of salmonella at a nursery school in Tabasalu, a small town just outside Tallinn, has been reported to have caused illness among 13 children and one assistant teacher last week. Five of the children had to be hospitalized. The Health Board Public Relations Manager told the reporters that though laboratory tests had not yet confirmed the source of the outbreak, it probably originated in a batch of scrambled eggs.
Ireland- Smoked salmon recall due to possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes
28 September 2010
FSAI [edited] [BITES]
Galway Bay Seafoods Smoked Salmon is recalling all batches with an approval number of IE GY 0015 EC and with use by dates up to and including 06.10.2010. Retailers who have received implicated batches are requested to display in-store notices to consumers. Listeriosis is serious and can be life threatening in vulnerable individuals.
Spain- Angiostrongylus, first report
28 September 2010
RTVC.es [edited] [ProMed]
The Institute of Tropical Diseases of the Canary Islands has discovered a parasite in the island of Tenerife that may affect the population through the consumption of lettuce. The parasite lives in the lungs of 40% of the rats tested. The parasite is transferred from animals to slugs and snails through their eggs. This parasite (of still unknown origin) has come to the island of Tenerife, perhaps through imported food. A study to identify this parasite, which affects the brain, is being done in all of the Canary Islands.
UK- Spring Hill Pure Spring Water recalled
27 September 2010
Food Standards Agency [edited] [BITES]
Spring Hill Pure Spring Water with a ‘best before’ date of 15 August 2011 is being recalled in Northern Ireland, because the product is contaminated with E.coli and may be a risk to health. E.coli is a bacterium that can cause food poisoning. No other Spring Hill Pure Spring Water products are known to be affected.
France- Aujeszky’s Disease
23 September 2010
Agrodigital.com [edited] [ProMed]
After 2 cases of Aujeszky's disease were notified by the French authorities, 3 more cases have been confirmed. There have been no reported cases since 2009. Previously, between 2005 and 2009, none were confirmed. So far, 95 of the 96 French departments are free of the disease.
UK- Salmonella due to Bean Sprouts
22 September 2010
BBC News Scotland [edited] [ProMed]
Health experts are urging people to take extra care when preparing bean sprouts after an outbreak of an unusual type of Salmonella. The warning comes after 68 people in England and 15 people in Scotland tested positive for Salmonella enterica serotype. The outbreak came to light after routine testing by a salad producer found the bacteria in bean sprouts.
UK- Woman killed by campylobacter
25 September 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
A woman, age 57, from York has died from food poisoning after doctors battled to save her life. Test results came back showing she was suffering from food poisoning, probably caused by chicken, and she was prescribed antibiotics. Doctors said her kidneys had failed because of the bug, and she was placed in intensive care and given dialysis. However, other organs began to fail, and she died on Thursday, September 16.
Hungary- Kitchen leads to 181 sick with salmonella at 16 nurseries
22 September 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
A salmonella outbreak in 16 nurseries and primary schools in central Hungary has made 181 children ill. The infection was first reported on September 8 and developed sporadically. The affected institutions were all served by the same central kitchen and three of the kitchen staff tested positively for the bacterium.
Italy- Food poisoning, mussels
20 September 2010
La Repubblica, ANSA [edited] [BITES]
Increasing numbers of cases of people poisoned by spoiled or contaminated mussels are occurring in Italy. An analysis of the mussels is being done which should give more information on the causes of the illnesses. More than 30 people have experienced symptoms of food poisoning after eating and were forced to go to hospitals in the area. Still others have turned to the doctor by phone. Symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever have occurred. Diarrheal shellfish poisoning (DSP), a toxin-associated illness associated with production in dinoflagellates, which can be associated with mussels could be the diagnosis in Italy. Diarrhea is the most commonly reported symptom, closely followed by nausea and vomiting.
Greek island- A waterborne Campylobacter jejuni outbreak
11 August 2010
Epidemiology and Infection [edited] [BITES]
A case-control and a case-crossover study were performed to investigate a Campylobacter jejuni outbreak in Crete in 2009. Most cases originated from rural areas, served by a different water-supply system from that of the adjacent town. Thirty-seven cases and 79 controls were interviewed; cases were interviewed for two different time periods for the case-crossover study. Stool cultures, PFGE and MLST subtyping were run in human samples. There is strong epidemiological evidence that tap water was the vehicle of the outbreak.
Ireland- Largest outbreak in recent years linked to Salmonella on duck eggs
14 September 2010
FSAI [edited] [BITES]
The investigation into the current outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium DT8 linked with the consumption of duck eggs is ongoing, with five new cases in August. The total number of confirmed cases to date to 24 and it is now the largest food poisoning outbreak of salmonellosis recorded in recent years in Ireland. The people infected have ranged from 5 months to 80 years of age. The confirmed cases are nationwide. The FSAI advises 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.
Ireland- Recall of chilled cooked mussels due to diarrhetic shellfish poisoning toxin
10 Sept. 2010
FSAI [edited] [BITES]
A seafood company is recalling mussels due to the possibility of elevated levels of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) toxin. Mussels from the production area were sampled under the National Biotoxin sampling programme on August 25th, the results were positive for DSP toxin and the production area was then closed. The implicated mussels with a use by date of 14/09/2010 should not be eaten as they could cause illness. Symptoms are diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain which starts 30 minutes to a few hours after ingestion. Consumers who may have already consumed this product and are feeling unwell should seek medical advice. Food business operators who have sold these chilled cooked mussels have been asked to display a Point of Sale notice advising consumers not to eat the affected mussels.
UK- Agency advice on scombrotoxic fish poisoning
16 August 2010
Food Standards Agency [edited] [BITES]
The Food Standards Agency is reminding caterers and consumers of the importance of refrigerating fish properly, following a number of incidents involving scombrotoxic fish poisoning during the summer. Scombrotoxic fish poisoning is linked to eating fish from the family that includes tuna, mackerel, and herring. It is caused when fish and fish products are not refrigerated correctly. Warmer temperatures allow bacteria to multiply and produce a chemical called histamine at levels that can make people ill if it’s eaten. Cooking the fish will not destroy histamine. Four incidents of scombrotoxic fish poisoning have been reported to the Health Protection Agency between the end of June and the end of July, which resulted in 10 people becoming ill. All of the outbreaks involved catering establishments and are thought to have resulted from poor food handling or inadequate refrigeration.
The Agency advises caterers and consumers to: * put fish in the fridge or freezer (in covered containers) as soon as possible – ensure that fridges or chilled display equipment are set at a temperature of 5°C or below, and freezers are set to a minimum of -18°C * thaw fish in the fridge overnight, or to thaw it more quickly, use a microwave. Use the ‘defrost’ setting and stop when the fish is icy but flexible * wash hands thoroughly before and after handling fish * buy fish from a reliable source As well as following this advice for fresh fish, it also applies to fish products (e.g. canned tuna after it’s been opened).
France- E. coli O26 positive; Carrefour recalls frozen hamburger patties
15 August 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
Escherichia coli O26 H11 has been found in ground beef, prompting the large distribution group Carrefour to recall a batch of frozen hamburger patties sold under the brand name Carrefour Discount with a best-by date of June 18, 2011. The frozen hamburger patties have a sanitation stamp IE 565 EC. The Carrefour group explained in a press release that consumers who have purchased products with this stamp should not eat them and must return them to the store where they will be reimbursed.
UK- Warning about drinking 'Zam Zam' water
30 July 2010
Food Standards Agency [edited] [BITES]
As Muslims observe Ramadan, the FSA advises that people should consider avoiding drinking bottled water described or labeled as 'Zam Zam’ water. This is because tests have shown Zam Zam water sold in the UK, or brought into the UK for personal consumption, contains high levels of arsenic or nitrates. Zam Zam water is sacred to Muslims and comes from a specific source in Saudi Arabia. Under Saudi law, Zam Zam water cannot be exported from Saudi Arabia for sale. Any water on sale in the UK that is labeled as Zam Zam is therefore of uncertain origin. If consumers find any water on sale that is labelled as Zam Zam, they should contact the local authority enforcement office at their local council so they can investigate further.
UK- Food fraud teamwork comes to rescue of World Cup fans
13 Jun 2010
The U.K. Food Standards Agency provided financial support and advice to enable Salford Trading Standards to seize 436 bottles of counterfeit and illicit alcohol in advance of the World Cup.
A five-day operation, partially funded by the Agency, was carried out across the city by the council, customs officers and the police and separate seizures were made in 25 out of 75 pubs and off licenses that were raided.
Counterfeit alcohol is dangerous because it is sold without any of the safety checks that accompany legal food and drink production. This means there is no guarantee the product is what it says on the label. Trading standards officers found that some bottles contained excessive levels of methanol which can cause serious health effects including blindness.
UK- Sickness bug strikes coach tour from Hereford 10 Jun 2010
Hereford Times [edited][FSNet]
A coach party from Hereford has been struck by a sickness bug during a trip to Scotland.
Passengers on a coach tour of the northern Isles caught a suspected bout of norovirus last week.
Eleven people were confined to their cabins after falling ill on the Hjaltland ferry from Shetland to Aberdeen.
Operators were forced to suspend services for 48 hours after three crew members then came down with sickness and diarrhea symptoms.
Passengers started feeling ill last Friday evening (Jun 4) within an hour of boarding the overnight crossing from Lerwick.
Denmark- Campylobacter outbreak from city water in Koge, Denmark
03 Jun 2010
Don’t connect drinking water pipes to the pipe for contaminated water from the treatment plant: That’s what happened in the Danish town of Køge in 2007 when at least 120 people fell ill.
Residents are once again being asked to boil water after 45 people reported diarrhea and severe stomach cramps. Inspectors are in the process of determining the source of the present contamination.
According to Berlingske Tidende newspaper, businesses and public institutions that use water in the preparation of food are also being contacted by regional food authorities for instructions on how to deal with the current situation.
Spain- Nationwide outbreak of Salmonella serotype Kedougou associated with infant formula, 2008 03 Jun 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 22 [edited][FSNet]
On 5 August 2008, the National Centre of Microbiology in Madrid, Spain, notified an increase in Salmonella Kedougou isolations compared to 2007, with 21 cases including 19 children under one year of age. Active case finding and a matched case-control study were carried out to confirm this increase, identify source, transmission mode and risk factors in order to implement control measures. Cases were defined as any child under one year of age with S. Kedougou isolated since 1 January 2008, and were matched for age, sex, medical practitioner and diagnosis week with controls who were selected among patients of the cases' medical practitioners. An ad hoc questionnaire was completed for cases and controls and a univariate analysis was conducted to identify risk factors. Researchers found 42 isolates from 11 of the 19 Spanish Regions. Completed questionnaires were available for 39 of 42 patients identified; 31 were children under one year of age and fulfilled the case definition. The median age of the 31 cases was 4.3 months and 13 were male. Main symptoms were diarrhea (n=31) and fever (n=13). Ten cases required hospitalisation. All 31 cases had consumed infant formula milk of Brand A which was associated with illness in the univariate analysis. All patient isolates showed indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Five milk samples from three cases' households were negative for Salmonella. Our results suggest that Brand A was the transmission vehicle of S. Kedougou in the outbreak that occurred in Spain between January and August 2008. Food safety authorities recalled five batches of Brand A milk on 26 August 2008. No further cases have been detected as of 15 September 2009.
France-88 sick withSalmonellafrom dry sausage INVS [edited][translated][FSNet] 30 May 2010
The institute for sanitary surveillance is now investigating an outbreak of salmonellosis from Salmonella 4,12 :i :-, in collaboration with the concerned partners: the National Center for Salmonella Reference, The Laboratory for studies and research on food quality and processing from the French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA), the General Management of Health, and the General Management of Food. As of May 28, 2010, 88 cases of salmonellosis tied to this outbreak have been identified, of which 46 women and 42 men, aged from 1 to 89 years old (median age 8 years old).
Forty-four cases have been investigated to date. Among these, 18 people have been hospitalized and have since returned home.
The questioning of patients about the food they consumed during the 7 days preceding their illness showed a high frequency of consumption of dry sausage bought from the same brand.
The identified batch of dried sausage was recalled by the producer on May 27, 2010.
Related stories
5 Jun 2010- French Sausage maker expands recall of dried sausage
eFoot Alert [edited][ProMed]
03 Jun 2010- Study of Salmonella serotype 4,[5],12:i:- in the European Union
Eurosurveillance [edited][ProMed] 17 Jun 2010- Nationwide outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype ,12:I- infections in France linked to dried pork sausage, March-May 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 24
UK- Infant boy recovers from botulism 23 May 2010
The Sun [edited][FSNet]
A baby boy was temporarily blinded and paralyzed as the botulism he contracted at 16-weeks-old ravaged his body.
Six months after his parents were faced with the decision of whether to turn off his life support as baffled medics feared the worst, the patient is doing great.
When the limp and ill boy was first taking to physicians, he was admitted to hospital and, after a battery of tests, a Glasgow-based doctor ordered a test for infantile botulism for him.
Clostridium botulinum can cause sickness in very young children, and infants under the age of 1 years old are most at risk. Honey may contain Clostridium botulinum spores which can grow in the digestive tract of children less than one-year-old because their digestive system is less acidic. The bacteria produces toxin in the body and can cause severe illness. Even pasteurized honey can contain botulism spores and should be not be given to children under the age of 12 months.
Related stories
02 Jun 2010- Parents reminded that Honey is not suitable for babies
Food Standards Agency [edited][FSNet]
The Food Standards Agency is reminding parents not to feed honey to babies who are under a year old. This follows a case of the rare but serious illness, infant botulism.
There have only been 11 confirmed cases of infant botulism in the past 30 years, but three of these have occurred in the past year and all have had possible links to honey. The most recent case involved a 15-week-old baby.
Honey is safe for children over the age of one, but a younger baby’s gut is not sufficiently developed to be able to fight off the botulism bacteria.
UK- Four-year-old boy needs new kidney after E. coli in Egypt
20 May 2010
A four-year-old boy from Canterbury, U.K., was struck down with E. coli on a family holiday will now need a kidney transplant, his parents reportedly revealed today.
The couple all had stomach upsets after eating at a hotel in the popular resort of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt in September 2008.
When they returned home, their son quickly became increasingly ill and was taken to hospital.
Norway- Nearly 100 sick on cruise ship in Norway 06 May 2010
Bloomberg Businessweek [edited][FSNet]
A major cruise operator says 94 people were stricken with vomiting and diarrhea while on a five-day voyage around northern Europe.
It was the third outbreak of gastrointestinal illness in three months aboard the reported ship.
In March the ship was briefly placed under quarantine after hundreds of people came down with gastroenteritis in a separate cruise off Brazil.
Denmark: Salmonella chicken shipped abroad
05 May 2010
The Copenhagen Post [edited][FSNet]
Several farms where Salmonella outbreaks were reported allegedly continued to sell their chickens to companies abroad
While Danish food authorities and the poultry industry are struggling to keep foreign chickens with Salmonella out of the country, infected meat is still being exported for sale abroad, news sources reported.
The poultry industry has made efforts in recent years to have its domestically-sold chicken be 100 percent Salmonella free. But that hasn’t prevented farmers from shipping those birds that don’t meet that requirement to foreign slaughterhouses.
Ireland-Salmonella outbreak linked to duck eggs
23 Apr 2010
Belfast Telegraph [edited]
Safety chiefs in Ireland have launched a probe into a salmonella outbreak linked to duck eggs. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is hunting for the source of the eggs after six confirmed cases in recent months.The authority said it was working closely with Government officials, the Health Service Executive and local authorities to control the outbreak and prevent further cases. Safety chiefs in Ireland have launched a probe into a salmonella outbreak linked to duck eggs. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is hunting for the source of the eggs after six confirmed cases in recent months.The authority said it was working closely with Government officials, the Health Service Executive and local authorities to control the outbreak and prevent further cases.
Cluster of botulism among Dutch tourists in Turkey, June 2008
08 Apr 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 14 [edited][FSNet]
In June 2008, three Dutch tourists participating in a mini-cruise in Turkey needed urgent repatriation for antitoxin treatment because of symptoms of botulism. An outbreak investigation was initiated into all nine cruise members, eight of whom developed symptoms. C. botulinum type B was isolated in stool culture from four of them. No other patients were notified locally. Food histories revealed locally purchased unprocessed black olives, consumed on board of the ship, as most likely source, but no leftovers were available for investigation. C. botulinum type D was detected in locally purchased canned peas, and whilst type D is not known to be a cause of human intoxication, its presence in a canned food product indicates an inadequate preserving process. With increasing tourism to areas where food-borne botulism is reported regularly special requests for botulism antitoxin may become necessary. Preparing an inventory of available reserve stock in Europe would appear to be a necessary and valuable undertaking.
The Netherlands- Consumption of fresh juice: how a healthy food practice caused a national outbreak of Salmonella Panama gastroenteritis
06 Apr 2010
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. April 2010, 7(4): 375-381. [edited][FSNet]
Harold Noël, Agnetha Hofhuis, Rob De Jonge, et al.
In spring 2008, 15 Salmonella Panama laboratory-confirmed cases were reported within 2 weeks, twice the average annual number of reported cases of this infrequent serotype in The Netherlands. To identify the source responsible for this national outbreak, researchers carried out an epidemiological, microbiological, and trace-back investigation. In total, 33 cases were reported, and a matched case–control study (23 cases/24 controls) identified consumption of fresh (unpasteurized) fruit juice purchased from a large retailer as the only significant risk factor for illness. Though the bacterium could not be isolated from fruit juice, the minimal pH value for growth of the causative strain of the outbreak (3.4) was compatible with survival in fruit juice implicated in the outbreak. The outbreak strain showed acid resistance and adaptive properties that may explain how it could have caused infection through fresh orange juice. This is the first documented outbreak related to fresh fruit juice consumption in western Europe since 1922. A growing number of consumers who are seeking healthy food practices are exposed to the infectious risks related to unpasteurized fresh fruit juice. Labeling regulations should be adapted to properly indicate to the consumers that unpasteurized fresh fruit juices remain vulnerable to microbial contamination. Frequent microbiological screening and strict compliance with food safety procedures should reduce the infectious hazards of fresh fruit juices.
France- Staphyloccal food poisoning
01 Apr 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 13 [edited][ProMed]
At the end of 2009, 6 food poisoning outbreaks caused by Staphylococci were reported in France. Soft cheese made from unpasteurized milk was found to be the common source of the outbreaks. Staphylococcal enterotoxin type E was identified and quantified in the cheese using both official and confirmatory methods of the European Union Reference Laboratory (EU-RL). This is the 1st report of food poisoning outbreaks caused by Staphylococcal enterotoxin type E in France. Staphylococcal food poisoning is one of the most common food-borne diseases worldwide resulting from the ingestion of Staphylococcal
enterotoxins preformed in food by enterotoxigenic strains of coagulase-positive staphylococci, mainly S. aureus. As Staphylococcal enterotoxins are heat stable, they may be present in food when S. aureus are absent. Moreover, not all strains of S. aureus are enterotoxigenic. Therefore, a conclusive staphylococcal food poisoning diagnosis is mainly based on the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxins in food. To date, 21 staphylococcal enterotoxins have been described: staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) A (SEA) to SElV all possess superantigenic activity whereas only some (SEA to SEI, SER, SES and SET) have been proven to be emetic.
These toxins are produced by enterotoxigenic strains of coagulase-positive Staphylococci (mainly S. aureus) in food with high protein content.
As unpasteurized cow milk cheese was the common and single food associated with all outbreaks according to the epidemiological investigation, they were obviously incriminated in the food poisonings described here. Moreover, the etiological agent could be determined because of (i) the symptoms of the cases, (ii) the high number of coagulase-positive staphylococci recovered from remains of cheese incriminated in the outbreak and (iii) the amounts of staphylococcal enterotoxins recovered from cheese samples. Moreover, the present study appears to be the 1st one where SEE was not only detected but also quantified in the food vehicle. In outbreak number 6, SEE amount found in cheese sample was equal to 0.45 ng/g.
This study illustrates that the French national surveillance system is able to detect rare events. The Staphylococcal food poisoning outbreaks linked to SEE ingestion described here were quickly identified through a close collaboration between the Health Emergency Mission, the National institute for public health surveillance and the EU-RL with laboratories involved in food surveillance for coagulase-positive Staphylococci and staphylococcal
enterotoxins and the good cooperation of all parties involved. The rapid recall of contaminated cheese batches by the French Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fishery prevented further cases. Due to the distribution across Europe of the incriminated type of cheese, the EU Member States were informed by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).
United Kingdom: Veggie burger and chips put mother in a coma
28 Mar 2010
Wales Online [edited][FSNet]
A young mum has revealed how a veggie burger and portion of chips contaminated with E. coli O157 almost killed her.
Doctors warned her husband she had a less than 10% chance of survival as she slipped into a coma that was to last for five weeks.
The recovering 32-year-old has now revealed to Wales on Sunday that she is unable to sue the chip shop that almost claimed her life because the owner was not insured.
Star ratings from zero, the lowest, to five are a hygiene score awarded by environmental health inspectors. The fish bar had been awarded zero stars in August 2008 and was due for another inspection when the woman and other customers, including a toddler, fell ill.
Premises given zero stars are generally allowed to remain open while they take steps to improve cleanliness.
Norovirus outbreaks linked to oyster consumption in the United Kingdom, Norway, France, Sweden, and Denmark 2010
25 Mar 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 12 [edited][FSNet]
T Westrell (), V Dusch, et al.
This paper reports on several simultaneous outbreaks of norovirus infection linked to the consumption of raw oysters. Since January 2010, 334 cases in 65 clusters were reported from five European countries: the United Kingdom, Norway, France, Sweden and Denmark.
United Kingdom: In January 2010, local authorities in the UK notified 22 possible foodborne clusters of gastroenteritis associated with consumption of oysters in restaurants, affecting over 120 people to the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Investigations identified norovirus genogroup I (GGI) and genogroup II (GGII) in stool samples taken from cases in nine of the 22 clusters and in oysters in three of these clusters.
Norway: In Norway, eight clusters of gastroenteritis involving 39 cases were notified between 22 January and 6 February 2010. Cases became ill after having eaten oysters from one importer distributed to six different restaurants in Oslo. No stool samples were collected. The local food
France: Six foodborne clusters of gastroenteritis were notified linking the consumption of oysters originating from the same area in Brittany as the area incriminated in the Norwegian clusters. The French clusters occurred in weeks two to nine 2010, and involved 22 cases. The cases had consumed oysters mainly in restaurants but also in their homes.
Sweden: Fourty-eight persons in 15 clusters developed acute gastroenteritis after having eaten oysters at a restaurant in Stockholm. Two additional persons ate oysters at another restaurant in Stockholm and also developed acute gastroenteritis.
Denmark: Twenty-seven norovirus cases in six clusters who had consumed oysters at three different restaurants were reported from January to March 2010. Norovirus of both GG I and II were detected in oysters and in stool samples collected from cases in the outbreaks. This is a common finding in oyster-related outbreaks and reflects an environmental source of contamination. It is likely that current reports underestimate the true burden of norovirus infection in the community following consumption of oysters as restaurant-associated outbreaks are more commonly reported to public health authorities than outbreaks occurring in a household setting. Even though norovirus contamination in oysters is a known source of gastrointestinal outbreaks, the number of such events in the first three months of 2010 is considered unusual in several of the involved countries and is above what is normally observed at the EU level. Related Stories
25 Mar 2010- Norovirus outbreaks linked to oyster consumption in the United Kingdom, Norway, France, Sweden, and Denmark, 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 12 [edited][ProMed]
A possible foodborne outbreak of hepatitis A in the Netherlands, Jan-Feb 2010
18 Mar 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 11 [edited][FSNet]
As of 1 March 2010, a total of 11 primary cases with onset of symptoms between 31 December 2009 and 10 February 2010, were identified with identical hepatitis A genotype IB strains in the Netherlands. A relation with Australian and French foodborne outbreaks occurring in 2009 and 2010 is suspected. Ten of the 11 primary cases indicated that they had consumed one or more products containing semi-dried tomatoes during their incubation period.
The cases included in the cluster were defined as all reported hepatitis A infections in the Netherlands with date of onset of disease from 15 December 2009 until present, with viruses with an identical sequence in a fragment of the VP1-2A region.
The cases included for a case control study were defined as all reported hepatitis A infections in the Netherlands with date of onset of disease from 15 December 2009 until present. Exclusion criteria were:
· most probable source of infection outside the Netherlands or outside any western European country,
· most probable route of transmission sexual contact between men,
· detection of a non-related HAV strain,
· secondary cases.
As of 1 March 2010, a total of 11 primary cases, six male and five female aged between 20 and 63 years, with onset of symptoms between 31 December 2009 and 10 February 2010, have been identified with identical HAV genotype 1B strains. Ten of the 11 primary cases indicated that they had consumed one or more products containing semi-dried tomatoes during their incubation period. The 11th case could not be reached. Two additional cases infected with the same strain are considered to be secondary cases. Both were closely related to a primary case and their onset of symptoms was approximately two weeks after the onset date of the suspected index case.
Researchers identified a cluster of patients infected with an identical HAV IB strain. As the partial strain sequence showed a 100% match with viruses found as the cause of foodborne outbreaks in Australia, and high similarity with the HAV strain causing a recent foodborne outbreak in France, a possible common source to these outbreaks is currently being investigated. Trace back investigations so far showed a highly complex market for one of the products considered as a possible source (semi-dried tomatoes), and failed to identify a common link between all cases. Related stories
20 May 2010- A foodborne outbreak of Hepatitis A in the Netherlands related to semi-dried tomatoes in oil, January-February 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 20 [edited][FSNet]
Between 31 December 2009 and 10 February 2010, 13 patients were infected by an identical hepatitis A virus strain not previously detected in the Netherlands. They had not been abroad and were widely distributed over the Netherlands. A case-control study including 12 cases and 44 controls identified semi-dried tomatoes in oil as the source of the outbreak (odds ratio: 20.0; 95% confidence interval: 1.5-274). The virus was not detected in any of 81 tested food samples.
Cases of Salmonella urbana in Findland, the Czech Republic and Latvia, Jan-Feb 2010
18 Mar 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 11 [edited][FSNet]
A cluster of 14 cases of Salmonella Urbana cases in Finland, the Czech Republic and Latvia were identified in January-February, 2010. The majority of cases (11) were male and children under 16 years of age. The investigation is currently ongoing and comparison of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles of the isolates suggests that the cases may have a common source of infection.
Twelve of the cases were children under 16 years. The median age was five years (age range 11 months old to 35 years old). Eleven were males. Three cases had a bacterial invasive disease, Salmonella isolated from blood or synovial fluid. Ten cases were hospitalised. Seven cases were from different parts of Finland, six from different parts of the Czech Republic and one from Latvia. In Finland, the descriptive epidemiological study suggested that all cases could have been exposed to dogs and all children had eaten raisins. In the Czech Republic, the epidemiological investigation revealed contact with dogs only in two cases and consumption of raisins in one case. No potential common source was detected in the Czech cases. The Latvian case had had no contact with dogs and had not consumed raisins, but the family had a cat whose feed was sampled and tested with negative results. The dog faeces, dog treats and raisins collected from the homes of the Finnish cases tested negative for Salmonella. PFGE profiles from the three countries, Finland, the Czech Republic and Latvia, were indistinguishable when compared to each other (Figure 1) indicating that the infections might have had a common source. Since the beginning of February, no further cases of S. Urbana have been detected in the three countries. Most of the cases had accumulated in two weeks in January in all three countries. The cases detected in the beginning of February were in a cancer patient without gastrointestinal symptoms (Salmonella found in blood) and an adult male who was considered a secondary case to his children that also suffered from gastrointestinal symptoms. When tested, however, the family members were negative for Salmonella. The accumulation of most cases with gastrointestinal symptoms in two weeks (Figure 2) suggests that the source of the infection could have been a product with a short shelf-life such as a batch of fresh produce, or a minor contamination of some other product. To date however, the source of the outbreak remains unknown.
Russia- Rotavirus
12 Mar 2010
oreanda.ru [in Russian trans. & summ. Corr.ATS, edited][ProMed]
There were 395 rotavirus infection cases registered in Komi republic in 2010, which is 52 percent more compared with the same period of 2009. More than 80 percent of cases were children mainly from childcare and preschool institutions. Higher age groups experienced rotavirus infection less frequently, [probably] referring to their symptoms as functional dyspepsia.
The incidence of all cause enteric infections in 2010 (1530 cases) exceeded the 2009 indicator by 35.4 percent. The cases of [bacterial] dysentery were few and stayed at the same level as in 2009.
Meanwhile, viral diarrhea and unknown cause diarrheas increased. The sanitary doctors advise [the public] to follow common hygiene rules during this seasonal of raised rotavirus infection rates. Related stories
10 Feb 2010- Rotavirus and gastroenteritis cases in children, Murmank region
Murmank News Agency [trans. Corr.ATS, edited][ProMed]
The incidence of enteric infections has increased in Murmansk. There were 87 cases in January 2010 compared with 23 in December 2009. This represents an increase of about 20-40 percent above the annual average rate. This situation is a consequence of rotavirus infections. Children are a risk group, and there have been 7 outbreaks in Murmansk preschools. Disinfection measures in schools and kindergartens have been intensified, and some simple infection control procedures have been implemented, such as washing and peeling fruit, hand washing, and avoidance of the use of tap water for drinking.
09 Feb 2010- Rotavirus cases in Tryokhgornii, Chelyabinsk region
Novii Region 2 News Agency [trans. Corr.ATS, edited][ProMed]
09 Feb 2010- Rotavirus cases in Ufa, Bashkortostan Republic
Novii Region 2 News Agency [trans. Corr.ATS, edited]
[ProMed]
09 Feb 2010- Rotavirus cases in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Region
Nakanune.ru News Agency [trans. Corr.ATS, edited][ProMed] 05 Feb 2010- 360 people sickened with Rotavirus by drinking contaminated holy water adn.es/Internacioal (Translated from Spanish by Jorge Gonzalez) [edited][ProMed]
France- Three sailors die of food poisoning on oil tanker
10 Mar 2010
Agence France-Presse [edited][FSNet]
It was reported that three sailors have died of food poisoning on an oil tanker traversing the Channel between Britain and Europe, French maritime authorities said Wednesday.
The captain reported the deaths overnight, French officials were reported as saying, adding that the source of the food poisoning was not known.
French officials have sent a helicopter with two gendarmes and a doctor for a preliminary investigation.
Further cases of E. coli confirmed at UK nursery school
05 Mar 2010
Your Local Guardian [edited][FSNet]
It was reported that 13 people from an infant and nursery school in Feltham, have been confirmed to have E. coli O157, along with one pupil from a nearby Feltham junior school.
Environmental health officers reportedly completed a deep clean of the site to eliminate traces of infection and only children who have had the all-clear from the Health Protection Agency are being allowed back into class.
Books, toys, plants and equipment were thrown out as part of the clean-up. Related stories
11 Feb 2010- Rare Salmonella hits Canterbury school children
Kent News [edited][FSNet] 09 Feb 2010- E. coli strikes second nursery
The Hounslow Chronicle [edited][ProMed]
08 Feb 2010- More pupils infected by E. coli bug
The Hounslow Chronicle [edited] 03 Feb 2010-Feltham Hill Infants & Nursery closed after suspectedE. colioutbreak Radio Jackie News [edited][FSNet]
Detection of Cryptosporidium species and sources of contamination with Cryptosporidium hominis during a waterborne outbreak in northwest Wales
01 Mar 2010
IWA Publishing [edited][FSNet]
Rachel M. Chalmers; Guy Robinson; Kristin Elwin; Stephen J. Hadfield; Euron Thomas; John Watkins; David Casemore; David Kay
As part of investigations into the cause of a waterborne outbreak of Cryptosporidium hominis infection linked to a mains water supply, surface waters and wastewater treatment plants were tested for Cryptosporidium spp. Oocyst counts in base flow surface water samples ranged from zero to 29 per 10 L. Oocyst counts in effluent from a community wastewater treatment plant were up to 63 fold higher and breakout from one septic tank five logs higher. There were no peak (storm) flow events during the investigation. C. hominis, four named genotypes (cervine, muskrat II, rat, W19) and six new small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequences were identified. Four of the new sequences were closely related to Cryptosporidium muskrat genotype I, one was closely related to the fox genotype and one to Cryptosporidium canis. C. hominis was found extensively in the catchment, but only at sites contaminated by wastewater, and in the treated water supply to the affected area. All were gp60 subtype IbA10G2, the outbreak subtype. Multiple routes of contamination of the reservoir were identified, resulting in persistent detection of low numbers of oocysts in the final water. This work demonstrates the utility of genotyping Cryptosporidium isolates in environmental samples during outbreak investigations.
Sweden- A foodborne Norovirus outbreak at a manufacturing company
27 Feb 2010 Epidemiology and Infection (2010), 138 : 501-506
T. P. ZOMER, B. DE JONG, et al. [edited][FSNet]
Over 400 office workers from the same unit of a manufacturing company in Stockholm County, Sweden, fell ill with gastroenteritis. A retrospective cohort study of office workers in the affected unit demonstrated that canteen visitors on one day had an increased risk of compared to non-visitors. A second study, investigating canteen visitors' consumption of particular food items, showed that both tomatoes from the salad buffet and hamburgers were the most likely vehicles of infection. Norovirus GI.3 (Desert Shield) was identified in stool samples from three office workers and from a food handler who prepared the tomatoes for the salad buffet and hamburger ingredients before vomiting at the workplace on 12 November. The outbreak could have been prevented if the food items prepared by the food handler some hours before vomiting had not been served.
Wales- Eight with Salmonella in hospital
24 Feb 2010
BBC News
Health officials in Newport are investigating eight cases of Salmonella at the city's hospital.
A hospital spokesman was quoted as saying it was not yet clear whether those suffering from the bacterial infection had caught it in the community or in hospital.
GPs in the area have been contacted to alert them to the possibility the bug may be present in the community.
Salmonella is usually associated with eating contaminated foods. The eight people are said to be recovering well.
Austria- Prolactal cheese with Listeria kills seven, sickens dozens
24 Feb 2010
Eurosurveillance
Twelve people have been hospitalised with Listeria infections, nine of them having become ill after eating deadly Quargel cheese produced by a Styrian firm.
The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) was reported as saying that a 57-year-old man became the seventh person to die from eating the tainted cheese. The previously known deaths -- four Austrians and two Germans --occurred in 2009.
AGES said that all infections occurred before Prolactal's tainted cheese was taken off supermarket shelves on January 23.
Health authorities have struggled to link the listeriosis deaths to Prolactal's cheese, because the cases occurred only sporadically and the disease has a long incubation period. Related stories
03 Mar 2010- Serious food control problems
Austrian Independent [edited][FSNet] 28 Feb 2010- Error caused deadly Austria cheese contamination
Times of Malta [edited][FSNet]
United Kingdom- Piles of vomit in restaurant and cockroaches in bedrooms on holiday
20 Feb 2010
Northampton Chronicle [edited][FSNet]
The Northampton Chronicle & Echo reported s this morning that piles of vomit, cockroaches in bedrooms and inedible food are among a litany of allegations raised by a group of Northampton (U.K.) holidaymakers in a High Court claim against tour operators First Choice.
Five groups from the town are suing the firm over an alleged "holiday from Hell" in the Dominican Republic, which they say led to them suffering food poisoning.
More than 400 holidaymakers are claiming about £3 million in damages in total, with allegations including faeces in the swimming pool, "stone-cold" food, flies and birds being allowed to pick at the buffet, and a hotel which smelt of sewage.
United Kingdom- Tourists struck down with Salmonella at Spanish resort
20 Feb 2010
A man, 64, was rushed to hospital with Salmonella poisoning after he became ill while staying at a crisis-hit Spanish hotel on Tenerife’s west coast.
The Paisley Daily Express reportedly said the pair were among dozens of British tourists who were struck down by gastric problems after staying at the same hotel in the Acantilado de los Gigantes resort on Tenerifes west coast.
Germany- Foodborne Norovirus outbreak at a military base, 2009
17 Feb 2010
BMC Infectious Diseases 2010, 10:30 [edited][FSNet]
Maria Wadl, Kathrin Scherer, Stine Nielsen
Norovirus is often transmitted from person-to-person. Transmission may also be food-borne, but only few norovirus outbreak investigations have identified food items as likely vehicles of norovirus transmission through an analytical epidemiological study. During 7-9 January, 2009, 36 persons at a military base in Germany fell ill with acute gastroenteritis. Food from the military base's canteen was suspected as vehicle of infection, norovirus as the pathogen causing the illnesses. An investigation was initiated to describe the outbreak's extent, to verify the pathogen, and to identify modes of transmission and source of infection to prevent further cases.
The investigation indicated that consumption of norovirus-contaminated salad caused the peak of the outbreak on 7-9 January. Strict personal hygiene and proper disinfection of environmental surfaces remain crucial to prevent norovirus transmission.
Russia- Shigellosis, milk (Yakutia) 11 Feb 2010
Belarusian News [in Russian, machine trans., edited][ProMed]
According to media sources, the Office of Rospotrebnadzor [Federal Service for Consumer Affairs and Human Welfare] in Yakutia has suspended for 5 days the activity of the Yakutsk dairy factory, due to production of contaminated milk, which poisoned 155 people, including 108 children.
According to a representative of Rospotrebnadzor, 33 individuals had a bacteriologically confirmed diagnosis of dysentery caused by Shigella flexneri.
Denmark- Outbreaks of gastroenteritis linked to lettuce, January 2010
11 Feb 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 6 [edited][FSNet]
At least 11 linked outbreaks of gastroenteritis with a total of 260 cases have occurred in Denmark in mid January 2010. Investigations showed that the outbreaks were caused by norovirus of several genotypes and by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Lettuce of the lollo bionda type grown in France was found to be the vehicle.
From 18 to 20 January 2010, a series of outbreaks of gastroenteritis were reported to Danish authorities. Outbreak investigations were initiated by the Danish food control authority in cooperation with Statens Serum Institut (SSI), the National Food Institute, the Food and Veterinary Administration as well as the medical officers and several clinical microbiological laboratories in Copenhagen. The epidemiological, microbiological and food investigation are still ongoing; here the authors report on the current status of the investigation of these outbreaks.
The lollo bionda lettuce was reported to be produced in France, grown outdoors in the south-western part of the country.
Questionnaire studies were performed for several of the outbreaks. These showed a link between illness and consumption of sandwiches containing lettuce. In one larger group of people, a retrospective cohort study was performed. Eight different food items were available and were inquired about. Questionnaires were distributed to 60 persons of whom 44 responded; 34 reported to have been ill. Pooling of the three types of sandwiches that contained lettuce gave a relative risk of 6.2.
Since neither norovirus nor ETEC are zoonotic agents, we speculate that human faecal matter may have been the source of the contamination, possibly via contaminated water.
In this outbreak, the detection methods used for analyses for ETEC in the lettuce may not have been optimal, for instance the lettuce was stored frozen between the viral and the bacterial analyses. Norovirus is the disease agent giving rise to most food-borne outbreaks in Denmark. However, series of linked norovirus outbreaks occur relatively rarely and ETEC outbreaks are also quite rare. The last large such outbreak occurred in 2006 and was also caused by imported fresh produce. Related stories 26 Jan 2010- Over 200 sick with Norovirus liked to lettuce from France 03 Feb 2010- Suspicion of French Lollo Bionda lettuce confirmed
Fodevarestyrelsen [edited][FSNet] 11 Feb 2010- Outbreaks of gastroenteritis linked to lettuce, Denmark, January 2010
Eurosurveillance edition 2010; 15(6) [edited]
Russia- 200 children hospitalized after eating Chinese fruits
04 Feb 2010
ProMED-mail [edited]
Over 200 children, most of them younger than 3 years, were hospitalised with acute intestinal infection after eating fruits imported from China, media sources reported on Sunday [31 Jan 2010].
According to doctors, the children were poisoned after eating imported fruits -- bananas, apples, and citrus fruits -- mostly supplied from China.
Health authorities are taking measures to contain the spread of the [infection] which has affected the entire Magadanskaya Oblast in the country's Far East, with children hit hardest, media sources reported.
Austria and Germany-Listeriosis outbreak caused by acid curd cheese "Quargel", 2009
04 Feb 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 5 [edited][FSNet]
R Fretz, U Sagel, W Ruppitsch, A T Pietzka, A Stöger, S Huhulescu, S Heuberger, J Pichler, et al.
Authors report an outbreak of listeriosis in Austria and Germany due to the consumption of ‘Quargel’ cheese produced by an Austrian manufacturer. At the time of writing this report, the outbreak was known to account for 14 outbreak cases in 2009, including four cases with lethal outcome. On 23 January 2010, the cheese product was voluntarily withdrawn from the market.
On 14 August 2009, the binational Austrian-German Consiliar Laboratory for Listeria in Vienna noticed the occurrence of a new pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern in human isolates of Listeria monocytogenes serotype 1/2a. This consiliar laboratory receives all human isolates from Austria as required by law. In Germany, submission of isolates is voluntary. According to the available information at the time of writing this report, the outbreak clone accounted for 12 of the 46 Austrian cases in 2009 (serotype 1/2a (n=29), 4b (n=9), 1/2b (n=8)). Onset of illness is shown in the Figure. The 12 Austrian outbreak cases (two of them fatal) affected six of nine Austrian provinces. The mean age was 74.5 years (range: 58-88 years), eleven patients were male. In addition, two of 92 available human isolates from Germany in 2009 (total number of cases 389) showed this new PFGE-pattern. The German outbreak cases were two women in their 70s who died in November and December 2009 respectively. They had not visited Austria during the likely period of incubation (up to 70 days).
Since no reliable information was available on food consumed during the incubation period, all surviving Austrian outbreak cases were asked to collect grocery receipts for the three weeks after 3 December, i.e. after they were discharged from hospital, in order to collect information on routine food consumption behaviour. This epidemiological investigation revealed consumption of ‘Quargel’, a type of acid curd cheese available in different flavours, as a highly likely source of this outbreak. Three of seven outbreak cases providing receipts had bought product X produced by the Austrian manufacturer. Regular consumption of Quargel product X was confirmed by eight of nine participating outbreak cases, and consumption of Quargel cheese products was reported by heteroanamnesis for one German outbreak case (data on the second case remain unavailable).
UK: Imported cow aged over 30 months not tested for BSE
25 Jan 2010
Food Standards Agency [edited][FSNet]
The Agency has been notified that a cow aged over 30 months and imported from Romania has not been tested for BSE.
The cow, which was born in Romania, was imported to the UK in December 2007. On 8 October 2009, the cow was slaughtered at age 38½ months. BSE testing is mandatory for cattle born in Romania if they are slaughtered for human consumption at over 30 months of age.
The error was discovered on 9 December during routine cross-checks of slaughter and BSE test data. Subsequent checks indicated that by the time the error was discovered, the carcass had left the premises and that the meat was no longer in the food supply chain. However, as specified risk material was removed, and it is unlikely that the cow was infected with BSE, any risk to human health is extremely low.
31 Dec. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
The Institut de Veille Sanitaire in France reported that on Feb. 20, 2010, the Fire and Rescue Service informed the Regional Health Authorities that symptoms such as stomach ache, nausea, vomiting were diagnosed among 15 people taking part in a rugby match cocktail party. One person was taken to the local emergency hospital service and a total of 94 cases and 110 controls were reported among the people taking part in the cocktail party.
Armenia- 12 cases of botulism in 2010
29 Dec. 2010
Aysor [edited] [BITES]
Twelve cases of food poisoning was recorded due to botulism in 2010. Ninteen people suffered, including one of person who was 14 years old. The poisonings were caused as a result of eating homemade souses of red pepper, cucumber, tomato, caviar of eggplant, and canned bean. In order to avoid botulism poisoning the Ministry of Health is reminding citizens to avoid eating homemade canned foods.
Sweden- Over 11,000 sick in cryptosporidium outbreak; source found
11 Dec. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
Investigators in Ostersund, Sweden, report that they traced a cryptosporidium outbreak that has sickened more than 11,000 residents to a multifamily dwelling. The parasite may have entered the city's water supply through a sewage line mistakenly connected to a rainwater drainage system.
Related Stories:
Sweden- 5,700 sick as Swedish city traces source of cryptosporidium in water supply
2 Dec. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
The water system in Östersund, in northern Sweden, has been found to contain an area with high levels of cryptosporidium which has resulted in thousands of people ill and the city's water undrinkable. The details of the tests were passed on to police and prosecutors. Nearly one in ten residents of Östersund has now been hit by a stomach bug caused by the parasite in the municipal water supply.
Sweden- A foodborne outbreak of cyclospora infection in Stockholm
20 Nov. 2010
BioPortfolio [edited] [BITES]
During May and June of 2009 an outbreak of Cyclospora cayetanensis infection involving 12 laboratory-confirmed and six probable cases was detected in Stockholm County, Sweden. Imported sugar snap peas from Guatemala were the suspected vehicle, based on information obtained from patient questionnaires. This is the first reported outbreak of cyclosporiasis in Sweden and the second in Europe.
Norway- E. coli VTEC outbreak
11 Nov 2010
The Foreigner [edited] [ProMed]
Three children from Oslo, Akershus, and Ostfold are in hospital with a serious kidney disease following Escherichia coli infection. It is believe that all three have developed potentially fatal hemolytic-uremic syndrome. It is too early to say whether the 3 cases are connected, but an investigation is ongoing.
Kazakhstan- Hepatitis A in school children
1 Nov. 2010
Vesti.kz, News Agency [edited] [ProMed]
An outbreak of hepatitis A has affected schoolchildren in a city in the Pavlodar province, located in north eastern Kazakhstan. On 1 Nov 2010 another school [school # 12] has been placed under quarantine in order to contain the outbreak. An epidemiological analysis has established that the new case in school # 12 had been in contact with some of the pupils in school # 11 who were diagnosed as hepatitis A cases. The public health authorities of Pavlodar province have announced that all those who have been contact with the affected schoolchildren will be kept under observation for 35 days and all will receive hepatitis A vaccine. The original case was from a schoolgirl, who is believed to have contracted the infection from contaminated watermelon. Hepatitis A virus is transmitted via fecal contaminated food and water, and annually affects about 10 million people worldwide.
Netherlands- Salmonella in steak tartare sickens teenagers
4 Nov. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
Eurosurveillance reports today about the fourth food-borne outbreak in recent years linked to consumption of steak tartare and other raw beef products in the Netherlands. In 2006 to 2008, despite intensive monitoring and control programs, Salmonella was still found in-store in raw meats intended for direct consumption. Consumers, in particular parents of young children, should be reminded of the potential danger of eating raw or undercooked meat. The full report is available at: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19705
France- Salmonellosis from frozen hamburger
12 Nov 2010
Before It's News [edited] [ProMed]
A report released on November 10th, 2010 concluded that 500 people, mostly middle school and high school students in Poitiers, were made ill between the 19the and 22nd of October 2010, after eating hamburgers containing salmonella. Twenty people had to be hospitalized. The investigation has identified the food source as a batch of frozen beef patties produced by an Italian company.
Related stories:
France- Sick in French salmonella outbreak tops 100
4 Nov. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
Over 100 people have been confirmed sick by salmonella in ground beef patties in Poitiers, France. The source of original contamination has not been uncovered.
France- Salmonella sickens 52
3 Nov. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
Health authorities have confirmed salmonella in 52 people which has been linked to ground beef patties. The distributor that provided the contaminated burgers was asked to recall and destroy the entire lot. The meat is believed to have been imported.
UK- Outbreak of Salmonella cases linked to bean sprouts continues
31 Oct. 2010
Medical News Today [edited] CAHFS-DailyNews
An outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly infection from contaminated bean sprouts in England and Scotlandis continues. The Health Protection Agencies (HPA) Centre for Infections (CFI) in Colindale has now identified 190 confirmed S. Bareilly cases in England, Wales (five of the cases) and Northern Ireland (two cases) since the beginning of August 2010 to present. The CFI normally sees fewer than 10 cases in a typical month. Health Protection Scotland has identified 21 confirmed cases in the same period. Both the HPA and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) stress that bean sprouts are safe to eat provided that they are washed and cooked until piping hot before consumption or are clearly labeled as ready-to-eat.
Related story:
UK- 225 now sick from salmonella in sprouts
14 Nov. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
An U.K. outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly infection associated with contaminated bean sprouts is ongoing, although fewer new cases of illness are now being recorded. The Health Protection Agency's Centre for Infections (CFI) in Colindale has identified 204 cases of S. Bareilly in England, Wales (5 of the cases) and Northern Ireland (3 of the cases) since the beginning of August - nearly six times the number that the CFI would normally expect to see in that timescale.
UK- Hepatitis E, Foodborne
22 Oct 2010
Daily Telegraph online [edited] [ProMed]
A rare liver disease, hepatitis E, has killed 3 people and caused at least 55 more across illnesses in the UK. Hepatitis E is generally thought to be caused by poor sanitary conditions and previously it had been assumed that British sufferers had caught the disease abroad. Recent patients seen in hospitals for hepatitis E did not fit the usual criteria. In the cases being seen in the UK, it is the middle aged and elderly, particularly men that are being affected and the main contact may be raw pork. It is acknowledged that pigs and pork can harbor the hepatitis E virus and that this may be the cause of the disease in cases where there has not been any foreign travel. People are being advised to take care when preparing pork and to make sure it is cooked properly and hands are washed after handling it raw.
UK- 4 children sick with salmonella at a nursery
19 Oct. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
A salmonella outbreak at another nursery has been reported in the UK. Four children who attend a nursery have been confirmed as suffering from Salmonella group B infection.
Estonia- Salmonella strikes 13 preschoolers
19 Oct. 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
An outbreak of salmonella at a nursery school in Tabasalu, a small town just outside Tallinn, has been reported to have caused illness among 13 children and one assistant teacher last week. Five of the children had to be hospitalized. The Health Board Public Relations Manager told the reporters that though laboratory tests had not yet confirmed the source of the outbreak, it probably originated in a batch of scrambled eggs.
Ireland- Smoked salmon recall due to possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes
28 September 2010
FSAI [edited] [BITES]
Galway Bay Seafoods Smoked Salmon is recalling all batches with an approval number of IE GY 0015 EC and with use by dates up to and including 06.10.2010. Retailers who have received implicated batches are requested to display in-store notices to consumers. Listeriosis is serious and can be life threatening in vulnerable individuals.
Spain- Angiostrongylus, first report
28 September 2010
RTVC.es [edited] [ProMed]
The Institute of Tropical Diseases of the Canary Islands has discovered a parasite in the island of Tenerife that may affect the population through the consumption of lettuce. The parasite lives in the lungs of 40% of the rats tested. The parasite is transferred from animals to slugs and snails through their eggs. This parasite (of still unknown origin) has come to the island of Tenerife, perhaps through imported food. A study to identify this parasite, which affects the brain, is being done in all of the Canary Islands.
UK- Spring Hill Pure Spring Water recalled
27 September 2010
Food Standards Agency [edited] [BITES]
Spring Hill Pure Spring Water with a ‘best before’ date of 15 August 2011 is being recalled in Northern Ireland, because the product is contaminated with E.coli and may be a risk to health. E.coli is a bacterium that can cause food poisoning. No other Spring Hill Pure Spring Water products are known to be affected.
France- Aujeszky’s Disease
23 September 2010
Agrodigital.com [edited] [ProMed]
After 2 cases of Aujeszky's disease were notified by the French authorities, 3 more cases have been confirmed. There have been no reported cases since 2009. Previously, between 2005 and 2009, none were confirmed. So far, 95 of the 96 French departments are free of the disease.
UK- Salmonella due to Bean Sprouts
22 September 2010
BBC News Scotland [edited] [ProMed]
Health experts are urging people to take extra care when preparing bean sprouts after an outbreak of an unusual type of Salmonella. The warning comes after 68 people in England and 15 people in Scotland tested positive for Salmonella enterica serotype. The outbreak came to light after routine testing by a salad producer found the bacteria in bean sprouts.
UK- Woman killed by campylobacter
25 September 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
A woman, age 57, from York has died from food poisoning after doctors battled to save her life. Test results came back showing she was suffering from food poisoning, probably caused by chicken, and she was prescribed antibiotics. Doctors said her kidneys had failed because of the bug, and she was placed in intensive care and given dialysis. However, other organs began to fail, and she died on Thursday, September 16.
Hungary- Kitchen leads to 181 sick with salmonella at 16 nurseries
22 September 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
A salmonella outbreak in 16 nurseries and primary schools in central Hungary has made 181 children ill. The infection was first reported on September 8 and developed sporadically. The affected institutions were all served by the same central kitchen and three of the kitchen staff tested positively for the bacterium.
Italy- Food poisoning, mussels
20 September 2010
La Repubblica, ANSA [edited] [BITES]
Increasing numbers of cases of people poisoned by spoiled or contaminated mussels are occurring in Italy. An analysis of the mussels is being done which should give more information on the causes of the illnesses. More than 30 people have experienced symptoms of food poisoning after eating and were forced to go to hospitals in the area. Still others have turned to the doctor by phone. Symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever have occurred. Diarrheal shellfish poisoning (DSP), a toxin-associated illness associated with production in dinoflagellates, which can be associated with mussels could be the diagnosis in Italy. Diarrhea is the most commonly reported symptom, closely followed by nausea and vomiting.
Greek island- A waterborne Campylobacter jejuni outbreak
11 August 2010
Epidemiology and Infection [edited] [BITES]
A case-control and a case-crossover study were performed to investigate a Campylobacter jejuni outbreak in Crete in 2009. Most cases originated from rural areas, served by a different water-supply system from that of the adjacent town. Thirty-seven cases and 79 controls were interviewed; cases were interviewed for two different time periods for the case-crossover study. Stool cultures, PFGE and MLST subtyping were run in human samples. There is strong epidemiological evidence that tap water was the vehicle of the outbreak.
Ireland- Largest outbreak in recent years linked to Salmonella on duck eggs
14 September 2010
FSAI [edited] [BITES]
The investigation into the current outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium DT8 linked with the consumption of duck eggs is ongoing, with five new cases in August. The total number of confirmed cases to date to 24 and it is now the largest food poisoning outbreak of salmonellosis recorded in recent years in Ireland. The people infected have ranged from 5 months to 80 years of age. The confirmed cases are nationwide. The FSAI advises 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.
Ireland- Recall of chilled cooked mussels due to diarrhetic shellfish poisoning toxin
10 Sept. 2010
FSAI [edited] [BITES]
A seafood company is recalling mussels due to the possibility of elevated levels of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) toxin. Mussels from the production area were sampled under the National Biotoxin sampling programme on August 25th, the results were positive for DSP toxin and the production area was then closed. The implicated mussels with a use by date of 14/09/2010 should not be eaten as they could cause illness. Symptoms are diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain which starts 30 minutes to a few hours after ingestion. Consumers who may have already consumed this product and are feeling unwell should seek medical advice. Food business operators who have sold these chilled cooked mussels have been asked to display a Point of Sale notice advising consumers not to eat the affected mussels.
UK- Agency advice on scombrotoxic fish poisoning
16 August 2010
Food Standards Agency [edited] [BITES]
The Food Standards Agency is reminding caterers and consumers of the importance of refrigerating fish properly, following a number of incidents involving scombrotoxic fish poisoning during the summer. Scombrotoxic fish poisoning is linked to eating fish from the family that includes tuna, mackerel, and herring. It is caused when fish and fish products are not refrigerated correctly. Warmer temperatures allow bacteria to multiply and produce a chemical called histamine at levels that can make people ill if it’s eaten. Cooking the fish will not destroy histamine. Four incidents of scombrotoxic fish poisoning have been reported to the Health Protection Agency between the end of June and the end of July, which resulted in 10 people becoming ill. All of the outbreaks involved catering establishments and are thought to have resulted from poor food handling or inadequate refrigeration.
The Agency advises caterers and consumers to: * put fish in the fridge or freezer (in covered containers) as soon as possible – ensure that fridges or chilled display equipment are set at a temperature of 5°C or below, and freezers are set to a minimum of -18°C * thaw fish in the fridge overnight, or to thaw it more quickly, use a microwave. Use the ‘defrost’ setting and stop when the fish is icy but flexible * wash hands thoroughly before and after handling fish * buy fish from a reliable source As well as following this advice for fresh fish, it also applies to fish products (e.g. canned tuna after it’s been opened).
France- E. coli O26 positive; Carrefour recalls frozen hamburger patties
15 August 2010
Barfblog [edited] [BITES]
Escherichia coli O26 H11 has been found in ground beef, prompting the large distribution group Carrefour to recall a batch of frozen hamburger patties sold under the brand name Carrefour Discount with a best-by date of June 18, 2011. The frozen hamburger patties have a sanitation stamp IE 565 EC. The Carrefour group explained in a press release that consumers who have purchased products with this stamp should not eat them and must return them to the store where they will be reimbursed.
UK- Warning about drinking 'Zam Zam' water
30 July 2010
Food Standards Agency [edited] [BITES]
As Muslims observe Ramadan, the FSA advises that people should consider avoiding drinking bottled water described or labeled as 'Zam Zam’ water. This is because tests have shown Zam Zam water sold in the UK, or brought into the UK for personal consumption, contains high levels of arsenic or nitrates. Zam Zam water is sacred to Muslims and comes from a specific source in Saudi Arabia. Under Saudi law, Zam Zam water cannot be exported from Saudi Arabia for sale. Any water on sale in the UK that is labeled as Zam Zam is therefore of uncertain origin. If consumers find any water on sale that is labelled as Zam Zam, they should contact the local authority enforcement office at their local council so they can investigate further.
UK- Food fraud teamwork comes to rescue of World Cup fans
13 Jun 2010
The U.K. Food Standards Agency provided financial support and advice to enable Salford Trading Standards to seize 436 bottles of counterfeit and illicit alcohol in advance of the World Cup.
A five-day operation, partially funded by the Agency, was carried out across the city by the council, customs officers and the police and separate seizures were made in 25 out of 75 pubs and off licenses that were raided.
Counterfeit alcohol is dangerous because it is sold without any of the safety checks that accompany legal food and drink production. This means there is no guarantee the product is what it says on the label. Trading standards officers found that some bottles contained excessive levels of methanol which can cause serious health effects including blindness.
UK- Sickness bug strikes coach tour from Hereford 10 Jun 2010
Hereford Times [edited][FSNet]
A coach party from Hereford has been struck by a sickness bug during a trip to Scotland.
Passengers on a coach tour of the northern Isles caught a suspected bout of norovirus last week.
Eleven people were confined to their cabins after falling ill on the Hjaltland ferry from Shetland to Aberdeen.
Operators were forced to suspend services for 48 hours after three crew members then came down with sickness and diarrhea symptoms.
Passengers started feeling ill last Friday evening (Jun 4) within an hour of boarding the overnight crossing from Lerwick.
Denmark- Campylobacter outbreak from city water in Koge, Denmark
03 Jun 2010
Don’t connect drinking water pipes to the pipe for contaminated water from the treatment plant: That’s what happened in the Danish town of Køge in 2007 when at least 120 people fell ill.
Residents are once again being asked to boil water after 45 people reported diarrhea and severe stomach cramps. Inspectors are in the process of determining the source of the present contamination.
According to Berlingske Tidende newspaper, businesses and public institutions that use water in the preparation of food are also being contacted by regional food authorities for instructions on how to deal with the current situation.
Spain- Nationwide outbreak of Salmonella serotype Kedougou associated with infant formula, 2008 03 Jun 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 22 [edited][FSNet]
On 5 August 2008, the National Centre of Microbiology in Madrid, Spain, notified an increase in Salmonella Kedougou isolations compared to 2007, with 21 cases including 19 children under one year of age. Active case finding and a matched case-control study were carried out to confirm this increase, identify source, transmission mode and risk factors in order to implement control measures. Cases were defined as any child under one year of age with S. Kedougou isolated since 1 January 2008, and were matched for age, sex, medical practitioner and diagnosis week with controls who were selected among patients of the cases' medical practitioners. An ad hoc questionnaire was completed for cases and controls and a univariate analysis was conducted to identify risk factors. Researchers found 42 isolates from 11 of the 19 Spanish Regions. Completed questionnaires were available for 39 of 42 patients identified; 31 were children under one year of age and fulfilled the case definition. The median age of the 31 cases was 4.3 months and 13 were male. Main symptoms were diarrhea (n=31) and fever (n=13). Ten cases required hospitalisation. All 31 cases had consumed infant formula milk of Brand A which was associated with illness in the univariate analysis. All patient isolates showed indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Five milk samples from three cases' households were negative for Salmonella. Our results suggest that Brand A was the transmission vehicle of S. Kedougou in the outbreak that occurred in Spain between January and August 2008. Food safety authorities recalled five batches of Brand A milk on 26 August 2008. No further cases have been detected as of 15 September 2009.
France-88 sick withSalmonellafrom dry sausage INVS [edited][translated][FSNet] 30 May 2010
The institute for sanitary surveillance is now investigating an outbreak of salmonellosis from Salmonella 4,12 :i :-, in collaboration with the concerned partners: the National Center for Salmonella Reference, The Laboratory for studies and research on food quality and processing from the French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA), the General Management of Health, and the General Management of Food. As of May 28, 2010, 88 cases of salmonellosis tied to this outbreak have been identified, of which 46 women and 42 men, aged from 1 to 89 years old (median age 8 years old).
Forty-four cases have been investigated to date. Among these, 18 people have been hospitalized and have since returned home.
The questioning of patients about the food they consumed during the 7 days preceding their illness showed a high frequency of consumption of dry sausage bought from the same brand.
The identified batch of dried sausage was recalled by the producer on May 27, 2010.
Related stories
5 Jun 2010- French Sausage maker expands recall of dried sausage
eFoot Alert [edited][ProMed]
03 Jun 2010- Study of Salmonella serotype 4,[5],12:i:- in the European Union
Eurosurveillance [edited][ProMed] 17 Jun 2010- Nationwide outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype ,12:I- infections in France linked to dried pork sausage, March-May 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 24
UK- Infant boy recovers from botulism 23 May 2010
The Sun [edited][FSNet]
A baby boy was temporarily blinded and paralyzed as the botulism he contracted at 16-weeks-old ravaged his body.
Six months after his parents were faced with the decision of whether to turn off his life support as baffled medics feared the worst, the patient is doing great.
When the limp and ill boy was first taking to physicians, he was admitted to hospital and, after a battery of tests, a Glasgow-based doctor ordered a test for infantile botulism for him.
Clostridium botulinum can cause sickness in very young children, and infants under the age of 1 years old are most at risk. Honey may contain Clostridium botulinum spores which can grow in the digestive tract of children less than one-year-old because their digestive system is less acidic. The bacteria produces toxin in the body and can cause severe illness. Even pasteurized honey can contain botulism spores and should be not be given to children under the age of 12 months.
Related stories
02 Jun 2010- Parents reminded that Honey is not suitable for babies
Food Standards Agency [edited][FSNet]
The Food Standards Agency is reminding parents not to feed honey to babies who are under a year old. This follows a case of the rare but serious illness, infant botulism.
There have only been 11 confirmed cases of infant botulism in the past 30 years, but three of these have occurred in the past year and all have had possible links to honey. The most recent case involved a 15-week-old baby.
Honey is safe for children over the age of one, but a younger baby’s gut is not sufficiently developed to be able to fight off the botulism bacteria.
UK- Four-year-old boy needs new kidney after E. coli in Egypt
20 May 2010
A four-year-old boy from Canterbury, U.K., was struck down with E. coli on a family holiday will now need a kidney transplant, his parents reportedly revealed today.
The couple all had stomach upsets after eating at a hotel in the popular resort of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt in September 2008.
When they returned home, their son quickly became increasingly ill and was taken to hospital.
Norway- Nearly 100 sick on cruise ship in Norway 06 May 2010
Bloomberg Businessweek [edited][FSNet]
A major cruise operator says 94 people were stricken with vomiting and diarrhea while on a five-day voyage around northern Europe.
It was the third outbreak of gastrointestinal illness in three months aboard the reported ship.
In March the ship was briefly placed under quarantine after hundreds of people came down with gastroenteritis in a separate cruise off Brazil.
Denmark: Salmonella chicken shipped abroad
05 May 2010
The Copenhagen Post [edited][FSNet]
Several farms where Salmonella outbreaks were reported allegedly continued to sell their chickens to companies abroad
While Danish food authorities and the poultry industry are struggling to keep foreign chickens with Salmonella out of the country, infected meat is still being exported for sale abroad, news sources reported.
The poultry industry has made efforts in recent years to have its domestically-sold chicken be 100 percent Salmonella free. But that hasn’t prevented farmers from shipping those birds that don’t meet that requirement to foreign slaughterhouses.
Ireland-Salmonella outbreak linked to duck eggs
23 Apr 2010
Belfast Telegraph [edited]
Safety chiefs in Ireland have launched a probe into a salmonella outbreak linked to duck eggs. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is hunting for the source of the eggs after six confirmed cases in recent months.The authority said it was working closely with Government officials, the Health Service Executive and local authorities to control the outbreak and prevent further cases. Safety chiefs in Ireland have launched a probe into a salmonella outbreak linked to duck eggs. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is hunting for the source of the eggs after six confirmed cases in recent months.The authority said it was working closely with Government officials, the Health Service Executive and local authorities to control the outbreak and prevent further cases.
Cluster of botulism among Dutch tourists in Turkey, June 2008
08 Apr 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 14 [edited][FSNet]
In June 2008, three Dutch tourists participating in a mini-cruise in Turkey needed urgent repatriation for antitoxin treatment because of symptoms of botulism. An outbreak investigation was initiated into all nine cruise members, eight of whom developed symptoms. C. botulinum type B was isolated in stool culture from four of them. No other patients were notified locally. Food histories revealed locally purchased unprocessed black olives, consumed on board of the ship, as most likely source, but no leftovers were available for investigation. C. botulinum type D was detected in locally purchased canned peas, and whilst type D is not known to be a cause of human intoxication, its presence in a canned food product indicates an inadequate preserving process. With increasing tourism to areas where food-borne botulism is reported regularly special requests for botulism antitoxin may become necessary. Preparing an inventory of available reserve stock in Europe would appear to be a necessary and valuable undertaking.
The Netherlands- Consumption of fresh juice: how a healthy food practice caused a national outbreak of Salmonella Panama gastroenteritis
06 Apr 2010
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. April 2010, 7(4): 375-381. [edited][FSNet]
Harold Noël, Agnetha Hofhuis, Rob De Jonge, et al.
In spring 2008, 15 Salmonella Panama laboratory-confirmed cases were reported within 2 weeks, twice the average annual number of reported cases of this infrequent serotype in The Netherlands. To identify the source responsible for this national outbreak, researchers carried out an epidemiological, microbiological, and trace-back investigation. In total, 33 cases were reported, and a matched case–control study (23 cases/24 controls) identified consumption of fresh (unpasteurized) fruit juice purchased from a large retailer as the only significant risk factor for illness. Though the bacterium could not be isolated from fruit juice, the minimal pH value for growth of the causative strain of the outbreak (3.4) was compatible with survival in fruit juice implicated in the outbreak. The outbreak strain showed acid resistance and adaptive properties that may explain how it could have caused infection through fresh orange juice. This is the first documented outbreak related to fresh fruit juice consumption in western Europe since 1922. A growing number of consumers who are seeking healthy food practices are exposed to the infectious risks related to unpasteurized fresh fruit juice. Labeling regulations should be adapted to properly indicate to the consumers that unpasteurized fresh fruit juices remain vulnerable to microbial contamination. Frequent microbiological screening and strict compliance with food safety procedures should reduce the infectious hazards of fresh fruit juices.
France- Staphyloccal food poisoning
01 Apr 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 13 [edited][ProMed]
At the end of 2009, 6 food poisoning outbreaks caused by Staphylococci were reported in France. Soft cheese made from unpasteurized milk was found to be the common source of the outbreaks. Staphylococcal enterotoxin type E was identified and quantified in the cheese using both official and confirmatory methods of the European Union Reference Laboratory (EU-RL). This is the 1st report of food poisoning outbreaks caused by Staphylococcal enterotoxin type E in France. Staphylococcal food poisoning is one of the most common food-borne diseases worldwide resulting from the ingestion of Staphylococcal
enterotoxins preformed in food by enterotoxigenic strains of coagulase-positive staphylococci, mainly S. aureus. As Staphylococcal enterotoxins are heat stable, they may be present in food when S. aureus are absent. Moreover, not all strains of S. aureus are enterotoxigenic. Therefore, a conclusive staphylococcal food poisoning diagnosis is mainly based on the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxins in food. To date, 21 staphylococcal enterotoxins have been described: staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) A (SEA) to SElV all possess superantigenic activity whereas only some (SEA to SEI, SER, SES and SET) have been proven to be emetic.
These toxins are produced by enterotoxigenic strains of coagulase-positive Staphylococci (mainly S. aureus) in food with high protein content.
As unpasteurized cow milk cheese was the common and single food associated with all outbreaks according to the epidemiological investigation, they were obviously incriminated in the food poisonings described here. Moreover, the etiological agent could be determined because of (i) the symptoms of the cases, (ii) the high number of coagulase-positive staphylococci recovered from remains of cheese incriminated in the outbreak and (iii) the amounts of staphylococcal enterotoxins recovered from cheese samples. Moreover, the present study appears to be the 1st one where SEE was not only detected but also quantified in the food vehicle. In outbreak number 6, SEE amount found in cheese sample was equal to 0.45 ng/g.
This study illustrates that the French national surveillance system is able to detect rare events. The Staphylococcal food poisoning outbreaks linked to SEE ingestion described here were quickly identified through a close collaboration between the Health Emergency Mission, the National institute for public health surveillance and the EU-RL with laboratories involved in food surveillance for coagulase-positive Staphylococci and staphylococcal
enterotoxins and the good cooperation of all parties involved. The rapid recall of contaminated cheese batches by the French Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fishery prevented further cases. Due to the distribution across Europe of the incriminated type of cheese, the EU Member States were informed by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).
United Kingdom: Veggie burger and chips put mother in a coma
28 Mar 2010
Wales Online [edited][FSNet]
A young mum has revealed how a veggie burger and portion of chips contaminated with E. coli O157 almost killed her.
Doctors warned her husband she had a less than 10% chance of survival as she slipped into a coma that was to last for five weeks.
The recovering 32-year-old has now revealed to Wales on Sunday that she is unable to sue the chip shop that almost claimed her life because the owner was not insured.
Star ratings from zero, the lowest, to five are a hygiene score awarded by environmental health inspectors. The fish bar had been awarded zero stars in August 2008 and was due for another inspection when the woman and other customers, including a toddler, fell ill.
Premises given zero stars are generally allowed to remain open while they take steps to improve cleanliness.
Norovirus outbreaks linked to oyster consumption in the United Kingdom, Norway, France, Sweden, and Denmark 2010
25 Mar 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 12 [edited][FSNet]
T Westrell (), V Dusch, et al.
This paper reports on several simultaneous outbreaks of norovirus infection linked to the consumption of raw oysters. Since January 2010, 334 cases in 65 clusters were reported from five European countries: the United Kingdom, Norway, France, Sweden and Denmark.
United Kingdom: In January 2010, local authorities in the UK notified 22 possible foodborne clusters of gastroenteritis associated with consumption of oysters in restaurants, affecting over 120 people to the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Investigations identified norovirus genogroup I (GGI) and genogroup II (GGII) in stool samples taken from cases in nine of the 22 clusters and in oysters in three of these clusters.
Norway: In Norway, eight clusters of gastroenteritis involving 39 cases were notified between 22 January and 6 February 2010. Cases became ill after having eaten oysters from one importer distributed to six different restaurants in Oslo. No stool samples were collected. The local food
France: Six foodborne clusters of gastroenteritis were notified linking the consumption of oysters originating from the same area in Brittany as the area incriminated in the Norwegian clusters. The French clusters occurred in weeks two to nine 2010, and involved 22 cases. The cases had consumed oysters mainly in restaurants but also in their homes.
Sweden: Fourty-eight persons in 15 clusters developed acute gastroenteritis after having eaten oysters at a restaurant in Stockholm. Two additional persons ate oysters at another restaurant in Stockholm and also developed acute gastroenteritis.
Denmark: Twenty-seven norovirus cases in six clusters who had consumed oysters at three different restaurants were reported from January to March 2010. Norovirus of both GG I and II were detected in oysters and in stool samples collected from cases in the outbreaks. This is a common finding in oyster-related outbreaks and reflects an environmental source of contamination. It is likely that current reports underestimate the true burden of norovirus infection in the community following consumption of oysters as restaurant-associated outbreaks are more commonly reported to public health authorities than outbreaks occurring in a household setting. Even though norovirus contamination in oysters is a known source of gastrointestinal outbreaks, the number of such events in the first three months of 2010 is considered unusual in several of the involved countries and is above what is normally observed at the EU level. Related Stories
25 Mar 2010- Norovirus outbreaks linked to oyster consumption in the United Kingdom, Norway, France, Sweden, and Denmark, 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 12 [edited][ProMed]
A possible foodborne outbreak of hepatitis A in the Netherlands, Jan-Feb 2010
18 Mar 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 11 [edited][FSNet]
As of 1 March 2010, a total of 11 primary cases with onset of symptoms between 31 December 2009 and 10 February 2010, were identified with identical hepatitis A genotype IB strains in the Netherlands. A relation with Australian and French foodborne outbreaks occurring in 2009 and 2010 is suspected. Ten of the 11 primary cases indicated that they had consumed one or more products containing semi-dried tomatoes during their incubation period.
The cases included in the cluster were defined as all reported hepatitis A infections in the Netherlands with date of onset of disease from 15 December 2009 until present, with viruses with an identical sequence in a fragment of the VP1-2A region.
The cases included for a case control study were defined as all reported hepatitis A infections in the Netherlands with date of onset of disease from 15 December 2009 until present. Exclusion criteria were:
· most probable source of infection outside the Netherlands or outside any western European country,
· most probable route of transmission sexual contact between men,
· detection of a non-related HAV strain,
· secondary cases.
As of 1 March 2010, a total of 11 primary cases, six male and five female aged between 20 and 63 years, with onset of symptoms between 31 December 2009 and 10 February 2010, have been identified with identical HAV genotype 1B strains. Ten of the 11 primary cases indicated that they had consumed one or more products containing semi-dried tomatoes during their incubation period. The 11th case could not be reached. Two additional cases infected with the same strain are considered to be secondary cases. Both were closely related to a primary case and their onset of symptoms was approximately two weeks after the onset date of the suspected index case.
Researchers identified a cluster of patients infected with an identical HAV IB strain. As the partial strain sequence showed a 100% match with viruses found as the cause of foodborne outbreaks in Australia, and high similarity with the HAV strain causing a recent foodborne outbreak in France, a possible common source to these outbreaks is currently being investigated. Trace back investigations so far showed a highly complex market for one of the products considered as a possible source (semi-dried tomatoes), and failed to identify a common link between all cases. Related stories
20 May 2010- A foodborne outbreak of Hepatitis A in the Netherlands related to semi-dried tomatoes in oil, January-February 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 20 [edited][FSNet]
Between 31 December 2009 and 10 February 2010, 13 patients were infected by an identical hepatitis A virus strain not previously detected in the Netherlands. They had not been abroad and were widely distributed over the Netherlands. A case-control study including 12 cases and 44 controls identified semi-dried tomatoes in oil as the source of the outbreak (odds ratio: 20.0; 95% confidence interval: 1.5-274). The virus was not detected in any of 81 tested food samples.
Cases of Salmonella urbana in Findland, the Czech Republic and Latvia, Jan-Feb 2010
18 Mar 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 11 [edited][FSNet]
A cluster of 14 cases of Salmonella Urbana cases in Finland, the Czech Republic and Latvia were identified in January-February, 2010. The majority of cases (11) were male and children under 16 years of age. The investigation is currently ongoing and comparison of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles of the isolates suggests that the cases may have a common source of infection.
Twelve of the cases were children under 16 years. The median age was five years (age range 11 months old to 35 years old). Eleven were males. Three cases had a bacterial invasive disease, Salmonella isolated from blood or synovial fluid. Ten cases were hospitalised. Seven cases were from different parts of Finland, six from different parts of the Czech Republic and one from Latvia. In Finland, the descriptive epidemiological study suggested that all cases could have been exposed to dogs and all children had eaten raisins. In the Czech Republic, the epidemiological investigation revealed contact with dogs only in two cases and consumption of raisins in one case. No potential common source was detected in the Czech cases. The Latvian case had had no contact with dogs and had not consumed raisins, but the family had a cat whose feed was sampled and tested with negative results. The dog faeces, dog treats and raisins collected from the homes of the Finnish cases tested negative for Salmonella. PFGE profiles from the three countries, Finland, the Czech Republic and Latvia, were indistinguishable when compared to each other (Figure 1) indicating that the infections might have had a common source. Since the beginning of February, no further cases of S. Urbana have been detected in the three countries. Most of the cases had accumulated in two weeks in January in all three countries. The cases detected in the beginning of February were in a cancer patient without gastrointestinal symptoms (Salmonella found in blood) and an adult male who was considered a secondary case to his children that also suffered from gastrointestinal symptoms. When tested, however, the family members were negative for Salmonella. The accumulation of most cases with gastrointestinal symptoms in two weeks (Figure 2) suggests that the source of the infection could have been a product with a short shelf-life such as a batch of fresh produce, or a minor contamination of some other product. To date however, the source of the outbreak remains unknown.
Russia- Rotavirus
12 Mar 2010
oreanda.ru [in Russian trans. & summ. Corr.ATS, edited][ProMed]
There were 395 rotavirus infection cases registered in Komi republic in 2010, which is 52 percent more compared with the same period of 2009. More than 80 percent of cases were children mainly from childcare and preschool institutions. Higher age groups experienced rotavirus infection less frequently, [probably] referring to their symptoms as functional dyspepsia.
The incidence of all cause enteric infections in 2010 (1530 cases) exceeded the 2009 indicator by 35.4 percent. The cases of [bacterial] dysentery were few and stayed at the same level as in 2009.
Meanwhile, viral diarrhea and unknown cause diarrheas increased. The sanitary doctors advise [the public] to follow common hygiene rules during this seasonal of raised rotavirus infection rates. Related stories
10 Feb 2010- Rotavirus and gastroenteritis cases in children, Murmank region
Murmank News Agency [trans. Corr.ATS, edited][ProMed]
The incidence of enteric infections has increased in Murmansk. There were 87 cases in January 2010 compared with 23 in December 2009. This represents an increase of about 20-40 percent above the annual average rate. This situation is a consequence of rotavirus infections. Children are a risk group, and there have been 7 outbreaks in Murmansk preschools. Disinfection measures in schools and kindergartens have been intensified, and some simple infection control procedures have been implemented, such as washing and peeling fruit, hand washing, and avoidance of the use of tap water for drinking.
09 Feb 2010- Rotavirus cases in Tryokhgornii, Chelyabinsk region
Novii Region 2 News Agency [trans. Corr.ATS, edited][ProMed]
09 Feb 2010- Rotavirus cases in Ufa, Bashkortostan Republic
Novii Region 2 News Agency [trans. Corr.ATS, edited]
[ProMed]
09 Feb 2010- Rotavirus cases in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Region
Nakanune.ru News Agency [trans. Corr.ATS, edited][ProMed] 05 Feb 2010- 360 people sickened with Rotavirus by drinking contaminated holy water adn.es/Internacioal (Translated from Spanish by Jorge Gonzalez) [edited][ProMed]
France- Three sailors die of food poisoning on oil tanker
10 Mar 2010
Agence France-Presse [edited][FSNet]
It was reported that three sailors have died of food poisoning on an oil tanker traversing the Channel between Britain and Europe, French maritime authorities said Wednesday.
The captain reported the deaths overnight, French officials were reported as saying, adding that the source of the food poisoning was not known.
French officials have sent a helicopter with two gendarmes and a doctor for a preliminary investigation.
Further cases of E. coli confirmed at UK nursery school
05 Mar 2010
Your Local Guardian [edited][FSNet]
It was reported that 13 people from an infant and nursery school in Feltham, have been confirmed to have E. coli O157, along with one pupil from a nearby Feltham junior school.
Environmental health officers reportedly completed a deep clean of the site to eliminate traces of infection and only children who have had the all-clear from the Health Protection Agency are being allowed back into class.
Books, toys, plants and equipment were thrown out as part of the clean-up. Related stories
11 Feb 2010- Rare Salmonella hits Canterbury school children
Kent News [edited][FSNet] 09 Feb 2010- E. coli strikes second nursery
The Hounslow Chronicle [edited][ProMed]
08 Feb 2010- More pupils infected by E. coli bug
The Hounslow Chronicle [edited] 03 Feb 2010-Feltham Hill Infants & Nursery closed after suspectedE. colioutbreak Radio Jackie News [edited][FSNet]
Detection of Cryptosporidium species and sources of contamination with Cryptosporidium hominis during a waterborne outbreak in northwest Wales
01 Mar 2010
IWA Publishing [edited][FSNet]
Rachel M. Chalmers; Guy Robinson; Kristin Elwin; Stephen J. Hadfield; Euron Thomas; John Watkins; David Casemore; David Kay
As part of investigations into the cause of a waterborne outbreak of Cryptosporidium hominis infection linked to a mains water supply, surface waters and wastewater treatment plants were tested for Cryptosporidium spp. Oocyst counts in base flow surface water samples ranged from zero to 29 per 10 L. Oocyst counts in effluent from a community wastewater treatment plant were up to 63 fold higher and breakout from one septic tank five logs higher. There were no peak (storm) flow events during the investigation. C. hominis, four named genotypes (cervine, muskrat II, rat, W19) and six new small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequences were identified. Four of the new sequences were closely related to Cryptosporidium muskrat genotype I, one was closely related to the fox genotype and one to Cryptosporidium canis. C. hominis was found extensively in the catchment, but only at sites contaminated by wastewater, and in the treated water supply to the affected area. All were gp60 subtype IbA10G2, the outbreak subtype. Multiple routes of contamination of the reservoir were identified, resulting in persistent detection of low numbers of oocysts in the final water. This work demonstrates the utility of genotyping Cryptosporidium isolates in environmental samples during outbreak investigations.
Sweden- A foodborne Norovirus outbreak at a manufacturing company
27 Feb 2010 Epidemiology and Infection (2010), 138 : 501-506
T. P. ZOMER, B. DE JONG, et al. [edited][FSNet]
Over 400 office workers from the same unit of a manufacturing company in Stockholm County, Sweden, fell ill with gastroenteritis. A retrospective cohort study of office workers in the affected unit demonstrated that canteen visitors on one day had an increased risk of compared to non-visitors. A second study, investigating canteen visitors' consumption of particular food items, showed that both tomatoes from the salad buffet and hamburgers were the most likely vehicles of infection. Norovirus GI.3 (Desert Shield) was identified in stool samples from three office workers and from a food handler who prepared the tomatoes for the salad buffet and hamburger ingredients before vomiting at the workplace on 12 November. The outbreak could have been prevented if the food items prepared by the food handler some hours before vomiting had not been served.
Wales- Eight with Salmonella in hospital
24 Feb 2010
BBC News
Health officials in Newport are investigating eight cases of Salmonella at the city's hospital.
A hospital spokesman was quoted as saying it was not yet clear whether those suffering from the bacterial infection had caught it in the community or in hospital.
GPs in the area have been contacted to alert them to the possibility the bug may be present in the community.
Salmonella is usually associated with eating contaminated foods. The eight people are said to be recovering well.
Austria- Prolactal cheese with Listeria kills seven, sickens dozens
24 Feb 2010
Eurosurveillance
Twelve people have been hospitalised with Listeria infections, nine of them having become ill after eating deadly Quargel cheese produced by a Styrian firm.
The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) was reported as saying that a 57-year-old man became the seventh person to die from eating the tainted cheese. The previously known deaths -- four Austrians and two Germans --occurred in 2009.
AGES said that all infections occurred before Prolactal's tainted cheese was taken off supermarket shelves on January 23.
Health authorities have struggled to link the listeriosis deaths to Prolactal's cheese, because the cases occurred only sporadically and the disease has a long incubation period. Related stories
03 Mar 2010- Serious food control problems
Austrian Independent [edited][FSNet] 28 Feb 2010- Error caused deadly Austria cheese contamination
Times of Malta [edited][FSNet]
United Kingdom- Piles of vomit in restaurant and cockroaches in bedrooms on holiday
20 Feb 2010
Northampton Chronicle [edited][FSNet]
The Northampton Chronicle & Echo reported s this morning that piles of vomit, cockroaches in bedrooms and inedible food are among a litany of allegations raised by a group of Northampton (U.K.) holidaymakers in a High Court claim against tour operators First Choice.
Five groups from the town are suing the firm over an alleged "holiday from Hell" in the Dominican Republic, which they say led to them suffering food poisoning.
More than 400 holidaymakers are claiming about £3 million in damages in total, with allegations including faeces in the swimming pool, "stone-cold" food, flies and birds being allowed to pick at the buffet, and a hotel which smelt of sewage.
United Kingdom- Tourists struck down with Salmonella at Spanish resort
20 Feb 2010
A man, 64, was rushed to hospital with Salmonella poisoning after he became ill while staying at a crisis-hit Spanish hotel on Tenerife’s west coast.
The Paisley Daily Express reportedly said the pair were among dozens of British tourists who were struck down by gastric problems after staying at the same hotel in the Acantilado de los Gigantes resort on Tenerifes west coast.
Germany- Foodborne Norovirus outbreak at a military base, 2009
17 Feb 2010
BMC Infectious Diseases 2010, 10:30 [edited][FSNet]
Maria Wadl, Kathrin Scherer, Stine Nielsen
Norovirus is often transmitted from person-to-person. Transmission may also be food-borne, but only few norovirus outbreak investigations have identified food items as likely vehicles of norovirus transmission through an analytical epidemiological study. During 7-9 January, 2009, 36 persons at a military base in Germany fell ill with acute gastroenteritis. Food from the military base's canteen was suspected as vehicle of infection, norovirus as the pathogen causing the illnesses. An investigation was initiated to describe the outbreak's extent, to verify the pathogen, and to identify modes of transmission and source of infection to prevent further cases.
The investigation indicated that consumption of norovirus-contaminated salad caused the peak of the outbreak on 7-9 January. Strict personal hygiene and proper disinfection of environmental surfaces remain crucial to prevent norovirus transmission.
Russia- Shigellosis, milk (Yakutia) 11 Feb 2010
Belarusian News [in Russian, machine trans., edited][ProMed]
According to media sources, the Office of Rospotrebnadzor [Federal Service for Consumer Affairs and Human Welfare] in Yakutia has suspended for 5 days the activity of the Yakutsk dairy factory, due to production of contaminated milk, which poisoned 155 people, including 108 children.
According to a representative of Rospotrebnadzor, 33 individuals had a bacteriologically confirmed diagnosis of dysentery caused by Shigella flexneri.
Denmark- Outbreaks of gastroenteritis linked to lettuce, January 2010
11 Feb 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 6 [edited][FSNet]
At least 11 linked outbreaks of gastroenteritis with a total of 260 cases have occurred in Denmark in mid January 2010. Investigations showed that the outbreaks were caused by norovirus of several genotypes and by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Lettuce of the lollo bionda type grown in France was found to be the vehicle.
From 18 to 20 January 2010, a series of outbreaks of gastroenteritis were reported to Danish authorities. Outbreak investigations were initiated by the Danish food control authority in cooperation with Statens Serum Institut (SSI), the National Food Institute, the Food and Veterinary Administration as well as the medical officers and several clinical microbiological laboratories in Copenhagen. The epidemiological, microbiological and food investigation are still ongoing; here the authors report on the current status of the investigation of these outbreaks.
The lollo bionda lettuce was reported to be produced in France, grown outdoors in the south-western part of the country.
Questionnaire studies were performed for several of the outbreaks. These showed a link between illness and consumption of sandwiches containing lettuce. In one larger group of people, a retrospective cohort study was performed. Eight different food items were available and were inquired about. Questionnaires were distributed to 60 persons of whom 44 responded; 34 reported to have been ill. Pooling of the three types of sandwiches that contained lettuce gave a relative risk of 6.2.
Since neither norovirus nor ETEC are zoonotic agents, we speculate that human faecal matter may have been the source of the contamination, possibly via contaminated water.
In this outbreak, the detection methods used for analyses for ETEC in the lettuce may not have been optimal, for instance the lettuce was stored frozen between the viral and the bacterial analyses. Norovirus is the disease agent giving rise to most food-borne outbreaks in Denmark. However, series of linked norovirus outbreaks occur relatively rarely and ETEC outbreaks are also quite rare. The last large such outbreak occurred in 2006 and was also caused by imported fresh produce. Related stories 26 Jan 2010- Over 200 sick with Norovirus liked to lettuce from France 03 Feb 2010- Suspicion of French Lollo Bionda lettuce confirmed
Fodevarestyrelsen [edited][FSNet] 11 Feb 2010- Outbreaks of gastroenteritis linked to lettuce, Denmark, January 2010
Eurosurveillance edition 2010; 15(6) [edited]
Russia- 200 children hospitalized after eating Chinese fruits
04 Feb 2010
ProMED-mail [edited]
Over 200 children, most of them younger than 3 years, were hospitalised with acute intestinal infection after eating fruits imported from China, media sources reported on Sunday [31 Jan 2010].
According to doctors, the children were poisoned after eating imported fruits -- bananas, apples, and citrus fruits -- mostly supplied from China.
Health authorities are taking measures to contain the spread of the [infection] which has affected the entire Magadanskaya Oblast in the country's Far East, with children hit hardest, media sources reported.
Austria and Germany-Listeriosis outbreak caused by acid curd cheese "Quargel", 2009
04 Feb 2010
Eurosurveillance, Volume 15, Issue 5 [edited][FSNet]
R Fretz, U Sagel, W Ruppitsch, A T Pietzka, A Stöger, S Huhulescu, S Heuberger, J Pichler, et al.
Authors report an outbreak of listeriosis in Austria and Germany due to the consumption of ‘Quargel’ cheese produced by an Austrian manufacturer. At the time of writing this report, the outbreak was known to account for 14 outbreak cases in 2009, including four cases with lethal outcome. On 23 January 2010, the cheese product was voluntarily withdrawn from the market.
On 14 August 2009, the binational Austrian-German Consiliar Laboratory for Listeria in Vienna noticed the occurrence of a new pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern in human isolates of Listeria monocytogenes serotype 1/2a. This consiliar laboratory receives all human isolates from Austria as required by law. In Germany, submission of isolates is voluntary. According to the available information at the time of writing this report, the outbreak clone accounted for 12 of the 46 Austrian cases in 2009 (serotype 1/2a (n=29), 4b (n=9), 1/2b (n=8)). Onset of illness is shown in the Figure. The 12 Austrian outbreak cases (two of them fatal) affected six of nine Austrian provinces. The mean age was 74.5 years (range: 58-88 years), eleven patients were male. In addition, two of 92 available human isolates from Germany in 2009 (total number of cases 389) showed this new PFGE-pattern. The German outbreak cases were two women in their 70s who died in November and December 2009 respectively. They had not visited Austria during the likely period of incubation (up to 70 days).
Since no reliable information was available on food consumed during the incubation period, all surviving Austrian outbreak cases were asked to collect grocery receipts for the three weeks after 3 December, i.e. after they were discharged from hospital, in order to collect information on routine food consumption behaviour. This epidemiological investigation revealed consumption of ‘Quargel’, a type of acid curd cheese available in different flavours, as a highly likely source of this outbreak. Three of seven outbreak cases providing receipts had bought product X produced by the Austrian manufacturer. Regular consumption of Quargel product X was confirmed by eight of nine participating outbreak cases, and consumption of Quargel cheese products was reported by heteroanamnesis for one German outbreak case (data on the second case remain unavailable).
UK: Imported cow aged over 30 months not tested for BSE
25 Jan 2010
Food Standards Agency [edited][FSNet]
The Agency has been notified that a cow aged over 30 months and imported from Romania has not been tested for BSE.
The cow, which was born in Romania, was imported to the UK in December 2007. On 8 October 2009, the cow was slaughtered at age 38½ months. BSE testing is mandatory for cattle born in Romania if they are slaughtered for human consumption at over 30 months of age.
The error was discovered on 9 December during routine cross-checks of slaughter and BSE test data. Subsequent checks indicated that by the time the error was discovered, the carcass had left the premises and that the meat was no longer in the food supply chain. However, as specified risk material was removed, and it is unlikely that the cow was infected with BSE, any risk to human health is extremely low.
CaitlinCatella |
Latest page update: made by CaitlinCatella
, Mar 24 2011, 9:47 AM EDT
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by CaitlinCatella
view changes - complete history) |
|
Keyword tags:
None
More Info: links to this page
|
There are no threads for this page.
Be the first to start a new thread.
