Welcome to the Microbiology Information

While America’s food supply is the safest in the world, food poisoning is responsible for approximately 76 million illnesses in the United States each year. In fact, it is estimated that 60% or more of the raw poultry sold today probably has disease-causing bacteria. Anyone eating food contaminated by certain bacteria, parasites, or viruses can get food poisoning. Certain factors such as age and physical condition can make certain people more susceptible to food poisoning than others. Infants, pregnant women, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems are at greatest risk.

For most people in good condition, food poisoning is usually neither long lasting nor life-threatening. However, to less healthy individuals it can become a serious health threat, accounting for approximately 5,000 deaths each year.

The good news is that by taking simple precautionary steps while purchasing, handling, and preparing food you can prevent most cases of food poisoning in the home.

What causes food poisoning? Food poisoning is most commonly caused by bacteria, parasites, or viruses that may be present in the food that you have eaten. You may have heard the names of many of these organisms. They include Escherichia coli (E coli), Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium botulinum, Shigella, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Trichinella, and Hepatitis A virus, just to name a few. They can be present in a wide range of food including red meat, poultry, milk and other dairy products, eggs, unpasteurized vegetable juices and ciders, spices, chocolate, seafood, and even water.

These organisms may be present on your food when it is bought or can get into the food, including cooked food, if the food comes into contact with raw meat juices on dirty utensils, cutting boards, or countertops used to prepare contaminated food. That’s why it is important not only to thoroughly cook your food, but to wash your hands, utensils, and countertops, before and after you handle raw foods.

What are the symptoms? Symptoms will vary depending on the type and amount of contaminants eaten. Some people may get ill after ingesting only a small amount of harmful bacteria, while others may remain free of symptoms after eating larger quantities. The most common symptoms of food poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain (cramps), fever, headache, and fatigue. Symptoms may develop as soon as 30 minutes after eating tainted food, but more commonly do not develop for several days or weeks. Symptoms of viral or parasitic food poisoning may not appear for several weeks, while some toxins in fish may take only a few minutes to cause symptoms.

If you have botulism, you probably will not have a fever and the symptoms may include blurred vision, fatigue, dry mouth and throat.

How food poisoning is diagnosed Food poisoning is often suspected when several people become ill after eating the same meal. To diagnose the cause of the illness, your doctor will need to know the symptoms and what was eaten right before the illness occurred. The doctor may need samples of the food, bowel movements, or vomit. These samples can be tested in a laboratory to determine if the food was contaminated and identify the organism causing the illness.

How is it treated? If the symptoms are severe, the victim should see a doctor or get emergency care. Treatment depends on the severity and cause of the food poisoning. Generally, for mild cases of food poisoning, the doctor will recommend for you to rest, drink fluids to prevent dehydration due to vomiting or diarrhea, and to follow a specific diet. It usually only takes about 1 to 5 days to recover from food poisoning.

If you have botulism, your doctor will prescribe an antitoxin. Other types of food poisoning have no antidote. Antibiotics are usually not helpful in treating food poisoning. Medicine to stop vomiting and stomach cramping may be given.

Prevention is the best approach to avoid food poisoning Most cases of food poisoning can be prevented. Below is a list of a few simple Do’s and Don’ts to help you avoid food-borne illness in the home.

● Do wash your hands, utensils, cutting boards, and countertops between different foods ● Do hrefrigerate or freeze perishables right away (Refrigerator temperature should be 41Ëš F and freezer 0ËšF) ● Do thoroughly cook foods. Cook beef, lamb, and pork to an internal temperature of 160ËšF; whole poultry and thighs to 180ËšF; poultry breasts to 170ËšF, ground chicken or turkey to 165ËšF ● Do hrefrigerate leftover foods as soon as possible; leftovers shouldn’t remain unrefrigerated longer than 2 hours. ● While food shopping, do select frozen foods and perishables such as meat, poultry, and fish last- before checking out ● Do use smooth cutting boards made of hard maple or plastic that are free of cracks and crevices ● Do store raw meats in leak-proof containers or on the bottom of the hrefrigerator to prevent juices from dripping on other foods ● Don’t allow uncooked meats, meat juices, or unwashed fruits and vegetables to come in contact with either cooked or washed foods ● Don’t buy frozen seafood if the packages are open, torn, or crushed on the edges ● Don’t buy food in cans that are bulging or dented, or in jars that are cracked ● Don’t ever buy outdated food. Check the “use by” or “sell by” dates ● Don’t buy unpasteurized milk or dairy products ● Do not buy hrefrigerated or frozen products that are not displayed at the proper temperature ● Do not let small children put foods away unsupervised

More information about this important health subject can be obtained from the following sources: Gateway to Government Food Safety Information www.foodsafety.gov U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/wh-food.html Food Safety and Inspection Service United States Department of Agriculture www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/consumerpubs.htm

Supported as an educational service by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. This information is not intended for use as medical advice. You should discuss this information with your doctor.

Avaraham Henoch, MD 564 West 160th Street New York, NY 10032 Phone: (212) 740-6400

New Zealand with only a population of 6 million people is a nation of food worriers after a 750 people survey found some interesting data on their views of food and food borne pathogens.

Interestingly, scientists believe people may be anxiously worrying over small issues that pose little risk to their health.

In the phone survey conducted for the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA), they found that salmonella was the worst food fear, with 77 per cent being “very concerned” about it.

In addition, an antibiotic in meat was next with 67 per cent and campylobacter with 63 per cent.

But scientist Dr Donald Campbell said people were missing the three biggest threats to life, the amount of salt, fat and sugar in their diet.

Interestingly, people were more concern about eating at local buffets, food halls and ethnic restaurants than food made at home in an unhygienic way.

Campbell, the NZFSA principal adviser of public health, was surprised salmonella was the most feared.

“I would have expected campylobacter to be higher than salmonella,” he said.

Campylobacter had a greater impact on the community than salmonella. There were generally 10 times as many cases of campylobacter in a year than salmonella, said Campbell.

New Zealand had a 15 per cent rise in notified campylobacter cases last year to 15,873, compared with 1335 cases of salmonella.

Both are food-borne illnesses that have been associated with chicken and raw meats, and can cause symptoms of diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and headache.

Canterbury medical officer of health Alistair Humphrey put campylobacter high on his list of concerns.

But he said many other bugs lurked in food, including norovirus which causes gastroenteritis’s of which there had been outbreaks in Christchurch.

Antibiotics used in animals for therapeutic purposes and to prevent disease may scare consumers towards vegetarianism, but “the evidence is of it being a very low risk,” Campbell said.

Listeria was a rarer food-borne illness (19 cases nationally last year) but could have devastating consequences, he said. At least half of cases occurred in pregnant women and one in four of their babies have died.

Listeria is linked to deli meats, poultry products, smoked seafood’s, soft cheeses and pre-cooked sausages. However stronger regulations have forced many food manufacturers to comply with strict hygiene.

Participants were more spooked about the use of pesticides in food production and additives.

More than 60 per cent of participants were “very concerned” about their potential effects.

Campbell said these were more “perceived risk” than actual risk, as pesticides and additives were covered by regulations.

The authority commissions the surveys every few years to gauge public feeling and tailor its food safety messages. “We eat at least three times a day, so it matters to us all,” Campbell said.

Genetically modified food greatly concerned 56 per cent of respondents, about the same as in two previous years, whereas a new category, food from cloned animals, worried 54 per cent.

“There is such a small use of genetically modified food. I would not put them as high on the list,” said Campbell.

Food allergies and irradiated food brought up the rear, with 47 per cent and 41 per cent respectively.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the USDA have extended GRAS (Generally Recognised as Safe) Approval for LISTEXâ„¢ to all Food Products.

In the fight against Listeria, one of the most dangerous food pathogens, US food processing companies can now apply a novel yet natural tool: LISTEXâ„¢ bacteriophages. The FDA and USDA have approved this
product from The Netherlands as GRAS, based on extensive safety and efficacy data and organoleptics tests confirming that LISTEXâ„¢ is safe and has no impact on taste, smell, colour, and other physical properties of treated products.

Bacteriophages or phage are some of the most abundant micro-organisms on earth. Fresh water and seawater can contain as many as 1 billion phages per ml, while in fresh and processed meat and meat products, more than 100 million viable phages per gram are often present. Phages are harmless to humans, animals and plants, and target only bacterial cells. They are extremely specific in regard to the bacteria they recognize.

The LISTEXâ„¢ bacteriophages target only Listeria bacteria (leaving desirable bacteria in place), and are easy to apply in the environmental areas of the production processes or even within the process.

In October 2006 the FDA had already proclaimed GRAS for LISTEXâ„¢ against Listeria in cheese. The extension to all products susceptible to Listeria, opens the door for the meat and fish industry to apply LISTEXâ„¢.

Earlier this month, the Dutch designated inspection office SKAL confirmed the ‘organic’ status of LISTEX™ under EU law, as a result of which it can be used in the EU in regular and organic products.

EBI Food Safety’s CEO, Mark Offerhaus: “Food Safety now tops the agenda of US food processing companies and consumers, who are insisting on ‘green’ solutions, rather than chemicals. Natural bacteriophages prove to be a unique solution, where increased safety does not come at the expense of product characteristics. US food processors can now benefit from LISTEX™, like their European counterparts.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Listeriosis, the disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes, is one of the most severe food borne infections, with a mortality rate of 30%. It can take weeks after exposure before an infection becomes apparent. The US Food Safety and Inspection Service maintain a zero tolerance policy for the bacterium, which grows at refrigeration temperature and is omnipresent.

Gills Onions, LLC is recalling diced yellow onions with the following lot no. “Lot #2017-R and a Best if used by 06/16/07.”

The recall is due to the detection of Listeria monocytogenes during routine testing by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Both Gills Onions and the Washington State Department are working to determine the cause. So far there are no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of the product.

Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems such as AIDS infected patients. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. Anyone with these symptoms, are encouraged to contact their physician.

The identified lot 2017-R is no longer in production at Gills Onions and as a precautionary measure; both retail and food service diced packs are being recalled.

The retail product was labelled with the Trader Joe’s brand name and was distributed to stores in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. The Trader Joe’s brand diced onions were packaged in a 10 oz. bag with the Lot 2017-R and a best if used by date of 06/16/07.

The lot information for the 10 oz diced retail product can be found printed directly on the back of the package. The foodservice packages were packed in 4/5 lb cartons and labelled under the Gills Onions Brand and the Sysco Natural Brand, both with the Lot 2017-R and the best-if-used by date of 06/16/07 printed directly on the front of the 5 lb bag as well as on the outside carton label. Consumers and Retailers that have this recalled product should either destroy or return to place of purchase.

“Although no illnesses have been reported and only one 10 oz. retail bag of diced onions tested positive, we want to be sure that all diced products associated with the production lot are accounted for,” said Nelia Alamo, VP of Marketing. “We are committed to food safety at all levels and we will always put our customers and our consumer first.”

Questions can be directed to the company at (800) 348-2255.

According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a study has proven that certain strains of probiotics can have the potential to destroy Listeria monocytogenes.

According to Sinead Corr from the University College Cork told NutraIngredients.com that their results have clearly demonstrated the ability of certain probiotic bacteria to protect against potentially fatal illnesses. More specifically they have shown a role for bacteriocins in protecting against the potentially fatal food borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.

As probiotics mechanisms are specific, only certain strains will be effective which is why a thorough understanding of their beneficial effects are required. By understanding these specific mechanisms will enable their use in prevention and treatment of specific illnesses.

Probiotic products containing ‘friendly’ bacteria are now well accepted by consumers in many European countries, with putative benefits highlighted for gut and immune health.

Some of the researchers in this new study previously reported that a mixture of five Lactobacillus probiotic strains that may reduce food poisoning by salmonella. In that instance, the benefits for gut health were reported to be due to the probiotic bacteria adhering to the walls of the intestine, which inhibits the ability of the pathogenic Salmonella to stick and colonise the gut, thereby reducing the infection.

The new study offers an alternative method of protection, with a specific strain of Lactobacillus salivarius named UCC118 capable of producing a specific secondary metabolite or bacteriocin.

When the researchers tested UCC118 in mice infected with two common strains of food-borne Listeria monocytogenes, EGDe and LO28, they found that the mice were protected against infection. When the mice were given a mutant form of the probiotic that was unable to produce the Abp118 bacteriocin, no protection against infection was observed.

Also, “Lactobacillus salivarius UCC118 did not offer any protection when mice were infected with a strain of Listeria monocytogenes expressing the cognate Abp118 immunity protein AbpIM, confirming that the antimicrobial effect is a result of direct antagonism between Lb. salivarius and the pathogen, mediated by the bacteriocin Abp118,” reported the researchers.

“The results of the UCC work clearly demonstrate a role for bacteriocins in protecting the host against potentially lethal infections. The study is the first to clearly demonstrate a mechanism by which probiotic bacteria may act to help improve the health of consumers,” said a release from the university.

Most foods containing probiotic bacteria are found in the refrigerated section of supermarkets as the bacteria is destroyed by heat and other processing conditions.

This has given the dairy sector, already used to handling live bacteria for the manufacture of yoghurt, a major advantage in probiotic foods – probiotic drinking yoghurts are currently the fastest growing dairy product in Europe.

But increasing research has focused on expanding protecting probiotics during processing and expanding the food categories available to prebiotics. Such an avenue of research has led companies like Cell Biotech from Korea using a dual-coating to protect probiotics against oxygen, acid, moisture and high temperatures for use in emerging new product categories such as breakfast cereals and smoothies.

Other approaches are also being explored, with scientists looking at improving probiotic viability by using whey protein gel particles, or prebiotic fibres.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

May 1, 2007, Volume 104, Number 18, Pages 7617-7621

“Bacteriocin production as a mechanism for the antiinfective activity of Lactobacillus salivarius UCC118″
Authors: S.C. Corr, Y. Li, C.U. Riedel, P.W. O’Toole, C. Hill, and C.G.M. Gahan

According to The Health Protection Agency (HPA), there has been an investigation into why there has been an 80 per cent increase in listeria cases over the first 21 weeks of this year, compared with the same period last year.

The number of hospital cases reported to the end of last week was 79, of which nine were pregnant women. Majority of cases were from the North East, Wales and London, but there have been cases reported in every region of England and Wales.

A high percentage (about 55 people) with the illness were aged over 60 and likely to have been suffering from other chronic conditions. The figures suggest the highest incidence of listeria since surveillance for listeriosis was introduced in 1990.

Pregnant women are one of the groups of people most vulnerable to the infection. While symptoms may be mild, the infection can trigger miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and serious illness in a newborn baby.

Other groups particularly at risk are the elderly, very young and people receiving medical treatments that compromise the immune system. For most healthy adults the risk is low, but severe cases can lead to fatal complications.

Most people become infected from eating certain foods. Soft cheeses are especially linked to the disease, but caution is advised over feta if it is made from unpasteurised milk. Pâtés, smoked fish and unwashed salad can also be contaminated. There is also concern over some bought, cooked and chilled meats.

Health chiefs are anxious to find out if there is a common food source because many more people may be incubating the illness. Symptoms can take as long as 90 days to develop, although the average is 30 days

They have ruled out any link with a Food Standards Agency poisoning alert in March that concerned 250,000 packs of sandwiches sold in the South East only, under the Anchor or Pomegranate label, which may have been contaminated with listeria bacteria.

But disease experts are now studying the eating patterns of surviving patients to see if there is any connection with food. Microbiological testing of food samples is also under way to see if a link can be identified

The HPA has reported a steady rise in incidence of the disease since 2001, but the scale of this year’s increase is huge.

Iain Gillespie, the agency’s head of bacterial diseases in the environmental and enteric disease department, said: “We really are unable to say what has caused the rise in cases. There are no particular clusters of cases and the cases seem to be spread sporadically though the highest numbers were in the North East, Wales and London. The most important thing to remember with listeria is that, if you are fit and healthy, you are unlikely to get listeria symptoms. It should not be a cause for alarm as it is still extremely rare.”

One theory is that as treatments for people with chronic conditions are improving and people are living, the increased survival rate from chronic conditions may be a factor linked to the increase in listeria cases.

Mr Gillespie denied that listeria was an infection acquired in hospitals and he said that most people were only admitted after reporting symptoms of the disease.

The Food Standards Agency has been informed of the sharp rise in new cases this year but is waiting for the results of further work by health chiefs.

Danger signs

Listeria is a rare but potentially life-threatening disease

Source

Although not the most important type of research I have come across, V. B. Shenoy*, D. T. Tambe*, A. Prasad, and J. A. Theriot has conducted work on the kinematics description of the trajectories of Listeria monocytogenes propelled by actin comet tails. In other words, which way does listeria monocytogenes spin around?

Yes that’s right, these researchers from the Division of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912; Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; and Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 have made some ground breaking discovery. That Listeria monocytogenes move in a number of fascinating geometrical trajectories. Now if only I had some spare time I might do the same for salmonella.

Anyhow, here’s the abstract:

“The bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes propels itself in the cytoplasm of the infected cells by forming a filamentous comet tail assembled by the polymerization of the cytoskeletal protein actin. Although a great deal is known about the molecular processes that lead to actin-based movement, most macro scale aspects of motion, including the nature of the trajectories traced out by the motile bacteria, are not well understood. Here, we present 2D trajectories of Listeria moving between a glass-slide and cover slip in a Xenopus frog egg extract motility assay. We observe that the bacteria move in a number of fascinating geometrical trajectories, including winding S curves, translating figure eights, small- and large-amplitude sine curves, serpentine shapes, circles, and a variety of spirals. We then develop a dynamic model that provides a unified description of these seemingly unrelated trajectories. A key ingredient of the model is a torque (not included in any microscopic models of which we are aware) that arises from the rotation of the propulsive force about the body axis of the bacterium. We show that a large variety of trajectories with a rich mathematical structure are obtained by varying the rate at which the propulsive force moves about the long axis. The trajectories of bacteria executing both steady and saltatory motion are found to be in excellent agreement with the predictions of our dynamic model. When the constraints that lead to planar motion are removed, our model predicts motion along regular helical trajectories, observed in recent experiments.”

Another positive listeria in Turkey meat from the US has prompted The Diestel Family Turkey Ranch to recall its affected product. Below is their response from their website and as usual, they are always in denial on the results.

Diestel Family Turkey Ranch Response

On Monday, 4/30/07, Diestel Family Turkey Ranch was notified by the USDA that one piece of our Honey Roasted Turkey Breast, sampled and tested by the USDA, was presumed positive for Listeria. However, our same retention sample, tested by us, tested negative. On Tuesday, 05/01/07, at 12:01 PM, the USDA notified us that, upon retesting this piece of product, the product was confirmed positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Please note that the entire lot of Honey Roasted Turkey Breast was retained under our control in our facility and has NOT been shipped.

As a precaution Diestel Family Turkey Ranch is voluntarily recalling any and all other items produced on that line for that production date. We are requesting that any and all of these items be pulled from distribution and sale. The following is a list of those items:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
PRODUCT CODE SELL BY DATE
Whole Pieces Deli Turkey
(6-7 lb/pc)

Naturally Smoked Bnls Turkey Breast
1347123 05-28-2007
Chipotle Peppered Turkey Breast

1353125 05-28-2007
Herbed Oven Roasted Turkey Breast 1386123
05-28-2007
Peppered Oven Roasted Turkey Breast 1379123 05-28-2007
Pastrami Seasoned Turkey Breast 1383125 05-28-2007
Chunks – Deli Turkey (1 lb/pc)
Pastrami Seasoned Turkey Breast 1382125 05-23-2007

For your information, the product “Sell By” date can be found in two places: on the box-end label and on the product nutritional label. The box end label will read as follows, “Sell or Freeze By 05-28-07” for Whole Pieces and “Sell or Freeze By 05-23-07” for Pastrami Chunks. The product nutritional label will read, “Sell By 05-28-07” for Whole Pieces and “Sell By 05-23-07” for Pastrami Chunks.

Thank you for your consideration regarding this matter. Please be assured we will replace and/or credit all products. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. Please feel free to contact Mick Williams, General Manager, or Maureen Miller, Customer Service Team Leader, at 209/532-4950 for any further questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Diestel Family Turkey Ranch

Improper pasteurization of milk by the Evans Farmhouse Creamery has forced them to voluntarily recall certain milk products.

Evans Farmhouse is a family owned and operated; USDA certified organic creamery located in Norwich, New York. They bottle all their milk and make yogurt in their on-farm creamery using milk from 75 organically raised, pasture-fed Jersey cows.

The Norwich-based company sells the products under the names Evans Farmhouse All Natural Reduced Fat Cream on Top Not Homogenized Milk and Sunrise Family Farms Organic Reduced Fat Vitamin A & D Milk.

These products have a container code of 5-11 and were distributed in New York State.

Pasteurization heats milk to a temperature of >74oC for a minimum of 15 seconds to effectively eliminate all gram -ve bacteria which includes pathogens such as E.coli, Listeria and Salmonella.

Routine sampling and testing has revealed that the milk was improperly pasteurized. One such test is the phosphatase enzyme test, this enzyme occurs naturally in raw milk, however it is destroyed by pasteurization and any presence indicates poor pasteurization.

So far no related illnesses have been reported. This could be due raw milk being processed as soon as the cows are milked which unlike larger dairy processors can take days.

Evan’s Farmhouse Creamery, 5037 State Highway 23, Norwich, NY 13815, 607-334-5339

Food Standards Australia New Zealand has raised another food recall due to the food being contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The implicated food is Prosciutto Parma from Serrano. It includes vacuum packed sliced meat and whole legs with the following Use by Date or Lot Code: Prosciutto Parma lot 11-07/5a, Serrano Ham Leg/Slices – 0705070001

Here’s what they say:

“Italian Foods is conducting a recall of the above product in response to testing which indicates the presence of Listeria monocytogenes.

For further information please call Italian Foods 187 John St Lidcombe NSW Phone: (02) 9807 3082″