Latin America: Food Safety Studies 2010This is a featured page

Brazil- Occurrence and distribution of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in retail oysters in Sao Paulo State
16 September 2010
Food Microbiology [edited] [BITES]
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a potentially pathogenic bacterium that occurs naturally in estuarine environments worldwide, and is often associated with gastroenteritis in humans following consumption of raw bivalve mollusks, especially raw oysters. The occurrence of total and pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus in 74 samples of raw oysters collected in restaurants, supermarkets, groceries and beach huts in Sao PauloState, was monitored between February 2006 and January 2007. V. parahaemolyticus was detected in 100% of samples. The densities of total V. parahaemolyticus varied from 1.78 to 6.04 log10 (MPN/g), with higher densities being detected in fall and summer, and lower densities in winter.

Brazil- Occurrence and antibiotic resistance of coliform bacteria and antimicrobial residues in pasteurized cow's milk from Brazil
08 September 2010
Journal of Food Protection [edited] [BITES]
This study examines the hygienic and sanitary quality of pasteurized cow's milk in a state in Brazil, by determining the presence of coliforms and occurrence of antimicrobial residues. A total of 260 milk samples were collected from commercial establishments in different regions of the state. Overall, about 40% of the samples were unsuitable for consumption according to Brazilian legal standards.

Peru- Risk factors for antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli carriage in young children: Community-based cross-sectional prevalence study
01 May 2010
Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 82(5), 2010, pp. 879-888 [edited][FSNet]
Henry D. Kalter, Robert H. Gilman, Lawrence H. Moulton, et al.
Few studies have examined the influence of individual-, household-, and community-scale risk factors on carriage of resistant commensal bacteria. We determined children's medical, agricultural, and environmental exposures by household, pharmacy, and health facility surveys and Escherichia coli cultures of children, mothers' hands, household animals, and market chickens in Peru. Among 522 children with a positive stool culture, by log-binomial regression, using "any antibiotic" and 1–14 (versus 0) sulfa doses in the past 3 months increased children's risk, respectively, for ampicillin- and sulfamethoxazole-resistant E. coli carriage (P = 0.01–0.02). Each household member taking "any antibiotic" increased children's risk for sulfamethoxazole- and multidrug-resistant E. coli carriage.


Argentina: E. coli O175 in bovine feces and surface water streams in a beef cattle farm of Argentina
06 Apr 2010
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. April 2010, 7(4): 475-477.doi:10.1089/fpd.2009.0431 [edited][FSNet]
José D. Tanaro, Gerardo A. Leotta, Liliana H. Lound et al.
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important foodborne pathogen, and ruminants are recognized as the main natural reservoir. The purposes of the study were to detect E. coli O157 in bovine feces and surface water in a beef cattle farm of Gualeguaychú, Argentina; to characterize the isolates; and to establish the clonal relatedness by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Between September 2005 and November 2006, 288 samples of bovine feces and 79 samples of water troughs were studied. E. coli O157 was detected by immunomagnetic separation and polymerase chain reaction as screening techniques. The patterns of 15 strains were grouped into four clusters: two of them included only bovine strains and the other two only aquatic strains. No genetic correlation was established between the bovine and water STEC strains detected. The prevalence of STEC O157:H7 established in the herd studied was higher than that previously reported for Argentine grazed cattle.

Argentina- Prevalance, characterization, and genotypic analysis of Escherichia coli O157:H7/NM from selected beef abattoirs of Argentina
03 Apr 2010
Journal of Food Protection, Volume 73, Number 4, April 2010 , pp. 649-656(8)
Masana, M.O.; Leotta, G.A.; Del Castillo, L.L.[edited][FSNet]
In Argentina, Escherichia coli O157:H7/NM (STEC O157) is the prevalent serotype associated with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is endemic in the country with more than 400 cases per year. In order to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of STEC O157 in beef cattle at slaughter, a survey of 1,622 fecal and carcass samples was conducted in nine beef exporting abattoirs from November 2006 to April 2008. A total of 54 samples were found positive for STEC O157, with an average prevalence of 4.1% in fecal content and 2.6% in carcasses. Calves and heifers presented higher percentages of prevalence in feces, 10.5 and 8.5%, respectively. All STEC O157 isolates harbored stx2 (Shiga toxin 2), eae (intimin), ehxA (enterohemolysin), and fliCH7 (H7 flagellin) genes, while stx1 (Shiga toxin 1) was present in 16.7% of the strains. The prevalent (56%) stx genotype identified was stx2 combined with variant stx2c (vh-a), the combination of which is also prevalent (>90%) in STEC O157 post-enteric HUS cases in Argentina. The clonal relatedness of STEC O157 strains was established by phage typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The 54 STEC isolates were categorized into 12 different phage types and in 29 XbaI-PFGE patterns distributed in 27 different lots. STEC O157 strains isolated from 5 of 21 carcasses were identical by PFGE (100% similarity) to strains of the fecal content of the same or a contiguous bovine in the lot. Five phage type-PFGE-stx profiles of 10 strains isolated in this study matched with the profiles of the strains recovered from 18 of 122 HUS cases that occurred in the same period.

Brazil- Consumer purchase habits and views on food safety
13 Jan 2010
Food Control [edited][FSNet]
This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes towards food safety among consumers in the city of São Paulo, the major consumer market in Brazil. Focus group sessions were conducted with 30 adults responsible for food choices and purchases. Results indicated a preference for supermarkets over street markets, for the variety of foods, convenience and confidence in the safety assurance. On the other hand, the “naturalness” of the products in the street markets was the main reason for purchases in those places. Participants showed concerns with respect to food additives, hormones and pesticides - technological rather than “natural” hazards. Minimally processed and ready-to-eat foods were considered convenient products meeting the need for time/labor savings in the kitchen, although suspicion about wholesomeness and safety came up among consumers. Lack of awareness regarding potentially risky behaviors was observed, including handling and storage of foods in the domestic environment. In conclusion, this study suggests that Brazilian regulators should create more effective risk communication combining technical information with actual consumer perceptions of food risks.



CaitlinCatella
CaitlinCatella
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