USA. Salmonella Outbreak

[sharon sanders]

The Food and Drug Administration is alerting consumers nationwide that a salmonellosis outbreak appears to be linked to consumption of certain types of raw red tomatoes and products containing raw red tomatoes. The bacteria causing the illnesses are Salmonella serotype Saintpaul, an uncommon type of Salmonella.
The specific type and source of tomatoes are under investigation. However, preliminary data suggest that raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw round red tomatoes are the cause. At this time, consumers should limit their tomato consumption to tomatoes that have not been implicated in the outbreak. These include cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, and tomatoes grown at home.
<table align="center" border="0" width="90%"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="51%">

Red Plum/Red Roma tomatoes implicated in outbreak
​

</td> <td valign="top" width="49%">

Round red tomato implicated
in outbreak​

</td> </tr> </tbody></table> Update on the Outbreak

June 9, 2008: The Food and Drug Administration has expanded its warning to consumers nationwide that a salmonellosis outbreak has been linked to consumption of certain raw, red tomatoes.
At this time, FDA is advising consumers to limit their consumption of tomatoes to the following types of tomatoes. The following types of tomatoes listed below are NOT likely to be the source of this outbreak.

• cherry tomatoes
• grape tomatoes
• tomatoes sold with the vine still attached
• tomatoes grown at home

Also, FDA recommends consuming raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw red round tomatoes only if grown and harvested from the following areas that HAVE NOT BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTBREAK:

Alabama
Arkansas
California
Georgia
Hawaii
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Minnesota
Mississippi
New York
Nebraska
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
West Virginia
Belgium
Canada
Dominican Republic
Guatemala
Israel
Netherlands
Puerto Rico
Consumers who are unsure of where the tomatoes are from that they have in their home are encouraged to contact the store or place of purchase for that information.
Consumers should also be aware that raw tomatoes are often used in the preparation of fresh salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo, are part of fillings for tortillas, and are used in other dishes.
Restaurants, grocery stores, and food service operators have been advised by the FDA not to offer for sale or service raw red plum, Roma, or red tomatoes and products made from these types of tomatoes unless they are from one of the areas listed above.
Since mid April, there have been 145 reported cases of salmonellosis nationwide caused by Salmonella Saintpaul, an uncommon form of Salmonella. At least 23 hospitalizations have been reported.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html

 

[tropical]

Re: FDA, USA - Salmonellosis Outbreak in Tomatoes

Re: FDA, USA - Salmonellosis Outbreak in Tomatoes

Florida1, thanks for the info,

but how can the consumers now know which stocks are contaminated?
In today free int. market sources only the distribution chain trackers officials can precisely draw a chart of markets where the good gone.

That's an problem which must be traced, and resolved by the regular gov/country anti-intoxication branch equipe.

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: FDA, USA - Salmonellosis Outbreak in Tomatoes

Re: FDA, USA - Salmonellosis Outbreak in Tomatoes

Government now counts 383 tomato salmonella cases

7 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The government's count of people made ill by salmonella-tainted tomatoes has jumped to 383, 106 more than were known earlier this week.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that most of those people got sick weeks ago but just hadn't been counted yet. Part of the surge is better testing by states, and part is an end to a backlog of test results in laboratories.
Still, the latest known infected person fell ill on June 5. The CDC's food safety expert, Dr. Robert Tauxe, said, "We do not think the outbreak is over."


http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ijaaf9rEEqJFRI_zJo1YK8TYcBFgD91CO9PO1

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: FDA, USA - Salmonellosis Outbreak in Tomatoes

Re: FDA, USA - Salmonellosis Outbreak in Tomatoes

Salmonella source still a mystery as cases top 800

Lisa Schnirring and Robert Roos

Staff Writers

Jun 27, 2008 (CIDRAP News) ? Frustrated federal officials today reported they were still hunting for a major break in their investigation of a nationwide Salmonella outbreak thought to be caused by tomatoes, and for the first time they hinted that another type of produce might be responsible for the illnesses, which have now risen to 810 confirmed cases.
David Acheson, MD, associate commissioner for foods at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), at a press briefing today said teams of investigators have spent the past week taking hundreds of samples from farms, packing houses, and distributors in Florida and Mexico.
Of about 1,700 samples collected so far?mostly of tomatoes?none have yielded the relatively rare Salmonella enterica Saintpaul strain found in the sick patients, he said.
In early June the FDA warned consumers not to eat raw red plum, red Roma, or red round tomatoes, or products that contain any of those varieties, unless the growing areas are on a list posted on the agency's Web site. The agency is focusing its investigation on farms in southern Florida and certain Mexican states that were harvesting tomatoes when the outbreak began.
America's biggest produce outbreak?
Patricia Griffin, MD, chief of the Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told reporters that states are still completing and submitting laboratory results. She said the number of cases shown to match the outbreak strain has risen to 810, from 36 states and the District of Columbia. The latest illness onset is Jun 15, which is 2 days later than the CDC's last update.
Though the epidemiologic investigation shows that there is a strong connection between the sick patients and tomato consumption, Griffin said the CDC is keeping an open mind about the possibility of other contaminated produce items, especially since many of the case-patients reported eating salsa, guacamole, and other items that contained a mix of produce ingredients.
Griffin said the outbreak is considered to be ongoing, though a large portion of the illness onsets occurred in the last 2 weeks of May and in early June. She said it wasn't possible to provide an epidemiologic curve because data on the outbreak are still coming in.
As in other recent updates on the outbreak, the CDC said the new cases mainly reflect increased surveillance by state health departments and completion of lab tests, rather than a surge of new cases.
Based on information from 523 patients, at least 95 people were hospitalized, but no deaths have been blamed on the outbreak. (As mentioned in the CDC's earlier updates, however, salmonellosis may have contributed to the death of a Texas man who died of cancer.)
The outbreak may be the largest ever attributed to fresh produce in the United States. Craig Hedberg, PhD, a foodborne disease expert at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, told CIDRAP News he was unaware of a larger outbreak.
In 2006, an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to fresh spinach sickened 205 people. In 2004, three multistate Salmonella outbreaks involving tomatoes totaled 561 cases, according to previous reports.
Distribution complexities hamper trace-back
Acheson said an important lesson investigators have learned over the past week is how complex the tomato packing and distribution system is. Tracing backward from boxes delivered to stores or foodservice institutions is difficult, because packers often include tomatoes from different growing regions, both domestic and imported. "They're repackaged to meet specific customer requirements, such as small ripe tomatoes," he said. "This is a very common practice."
To further complicate matters, Acheson said investigators have found that in some instances, Florida tomatoes were repackaged in Mexico and Mexican tomatoes were repackaged in Florida.
"This makes tracing extremely difficult. It's important to control expectations?we may never find the smoking gun," he said.
Acheson said federal investigators consulted with tomato industry experts early on in the search for the source of the contamination. "We've learned a lot about growing systems and packaging. We've gotten a lot of cooperation," he said.
He expressed frustration with the trace-back problems, but said he wasn't' sure if laws regulating packaging would solve the problem. "We've got to improve the process. We're not getting an answer fast enough," he said.
Expert: Systemic flaws hobble outbreak investigation
Earlier this week, Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, an infectious disease expert who has led large outbreak investigations, including some involving tomatoes, criticized the federal government's handling of the Salmonella outbreak. In an interview published Jun 24 on PerishablePundit.com, a Web site and blog published by food industry expert Jim Prevor, Osterholm charged that the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have bungled the effort to find the source of the contamination.
Osterholm, who is director of the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, publisher of CIDRAP News, further clarified today in an interview with CIDRAP News that his criticisms are mainly aimed at the entire foodborne illness surveillance and investigation system and not any one individual or agency. He said the current leadership structure at the agencies is inadequate for meeting the demands of a fragmented and disjointed surveillance and outbreak investigation system.
Public health authority rests with state and local departments, Osterholm said, and he acknowledged that federal officials often don't have the authority to assign outbreak response a higher priority. He said communication between state and local health departments and federal public health officials is often poor and that states vary widely in their ability to conduct and quickly report laboratory tests. "We have a very fragmented system with major delays. For time-sensitive outbreaks, you can't have that happen," he said.
"The overall system is broken," Osterholm said. "It looks like we're doing a lot, but I want to know how many cases we've prevented?a very small percentage, I would argue."
He questioned whether the FDA and CDC are making the best use of industry experts who are not directly involved in the outbreak. "In many instances, industry has the best intelligence. You bring together wise, experienced people who don't have a vested interest," he said, adding that current outbreak investigations are often hampered by inexperienced field personnel who depend too much on looking at farm, producer, and distributor records.
Osterholm also criticized the media for focusing too much on the large number of cases in the outbreak, which he said leads people to believe they are still at great risk for tomato-related illnesses. Reporters should press the CDC for more details about the peak of the illnesses, which would provide a more realistic assessment of the current risk, he argued.
"The media is so poorly trained on these issues. They need to ask more meaningful questions to put the outbreak in context," he said.
An incomplete case-control picture
Case-control investigations are a very powerful tool during outbreak probes, but the FDA appears to have made a major mistake by tracing back only the tomatoes eaten by the sick patients ate and not those consumed by the healthy controls, Osterholm asserted. He said tracing the control-group tomatoes would help investigators zero in on tomatoes from some sources and eliminate others. In this instance, tracing the control tomatoes would also help authorities zero in on whether tomatoes really are the source of the outbreak, he said.
At a Jun 20 news briefing on the outbreak, a reporter asked Acheson if investigators had tried to trace tomatoes consumed by the healthy controls. "We've not done that, we don?t routinely do that," he said. "It's an intriguing possibility, but no, we don't do that."
In the first investigations of multi-state tomato-related Salmonella outbreaks, back in the 1990s, tracing the tomatoes consumed by both case-patients and healthy controls was a key step in finding the source of the problem, according to Osterholm and Hedberg, who worked together on the investigations.
"If you don't trace control tomato sources, you have no perspective on the many possible sources that show up for cases," Hedberg told CIDRAP News recently. He and Osterholm both said that unless the FDA takes this step, it may never find the source of the outbreak.
Murky rationale behind cleared growing areas
Osterholm also charged that the FDA has failed to explain clearly how it has determined which states and countries are not associated with the outbreak. Since early in the episode, the agency has posted an online list of states whose tomatoes were judged to be safe. Consumers have been advised not to eat raw red plum, red Roma, or red round tomatoes unless they come from one of the listed growing areas.
"Right from the get-go, it was unclear how FDA was coming up with that list," Osterholm told the Perishable Pundit. "If any place not producing in late April/early May is safe, why the confusion and piecemeal additions to the list day by day? . . . If FDA believed states and countries not in production at the time of the outbreak were safe, they should have included all states and countries in that category."
On the other hand, he said, the FDA has suggested that tomatoes might be getting contaminated by a re-packer somewhere along the distribution chain. If that's the case, the list of safe areas would be invalid, he charged. In any case, it's unclear whether the list is based on dates of production or some other criterion.
Osterholm's conclusion was that the list "was based on those [growing areas] that screamed the loudest, and from a public health standpoint that's not right."
The FDA and CDC this week declined invitations from CIDRAP News to respond directly to Osterholm's critique, saying their experts were too busy dealing with the outbreak.


http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/fs/food-disease/news/jun2708outbreak-br.html

 

[Oracle]

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source still a mystery, Tomatoes?

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source still a mystery, Tomatoes?

Salmonella is commonly present in poultry and cattle manure.

Poultry manure compost has recently been identified (early 2000s) as an effective treatment to thwart a common soil pathogen.

Wanna bet that this is a case of:

Improperly conditioned poultry manure processing into compost, combined with
near record wet conditions this Spring.

If I were working in the CDC, I would be looking HARD at poultry manure composts for the source of Salmonellosis contamination.

I would also have consumers be doubly cautious in produce washing, because of the widespread nature of this outbreak and likelihood of cattle and poultry manure compost contamination of other common vegetables/greens (like spinach contamination with E coli, for instance - as the culprit serovar has been found in an large percentage of young calves in Kansas (2002).

 

[tropical]

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source still a mystery, Tomatoes?

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source still a mystery, Tomatoes?

"To further complicate matters, Acheson said investigators have found that in some instances, Florida tomatoes were repackaged in Mexico and Mexican tomatoes were repackaged in Florida.
"This makes tracing extremely difficult. It's important to control expectations—we may never find the smoking gun," he said."

BW of modern economy:
Why not to package Mexican tomatoes in Mexico, and Florida's in Florida, when both have tomatoes and active packaging facilities?
Because of outsourcing inside tomatoes packaging? Why if than existed other tomatoes caming from outsource to be packaged inside?
To hardening the quality tracing ..., or existed some bright (money) reason ...

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source still a mystery, Tomatoes?

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source still a mystery, Tomatoes?

FDA requests backup in hunt for Salmonella source

Lisa Schnirring

Staff Writer

Jul 1, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today that it was activating an emergency network of laboratories to help out in the quest to determine if other food items commonly served with fresh tomatoes could be the source of a nationwide Salmonella outbreak that has now grown to 869 confirmed cases.
David Acheson, MD, the FDA's associate commissioner for foods, said at a news briefing today that the FDA has activated the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN), a voluntary system that was established after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks to temporarily increase laboratory capacity. Acheson said 10 of about 100 labs in the system have already offered to help with additional food-product testing. FERN was previously activated during the spinach-related Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak and during the investigation of melamine contamination in pet food, he said.
"We're getting as many resources online as possible," he said.

The outbreak involves the relatively rare Salmonella enterica serotype Saintpaul. In early June the FDA warned consumers not to eat raw red plum, red Roma, or red round tomatoes, or products that contain any of those varieties, unless the growing areas are on a list posted on the agency's Web site.

Advice to consumers unchanged
Though the FDA is broadening the scope of the outbreak investigation, Acheson said the agency is not changing its advice to consumers or naming the other products it is now investigating. "We'll update the message as needed, based on the science. It would be irresponsible to say where we're expanding," he told reporters.
In past updates, federal officials have said fresh tomatoes are frequently consumed with other produce items in dishes such as salsa, pico de gallo sauce, and guacamole. Those recipes often include other fresh components such as finely chopped jalapeno peppers, onions, cilantro, and garlic.

The slow pace of the investigation and the FDA's uncertainty about tomatoes as the source of the outbreak have upset some growers. On Jun 28, Tom Nassif, president and chief executive officer of the Western Growers Association, released a statement calling on the US House Committee on Agriculture to hold hearings on the Salmonella outbreak.
"The collateral damage inflicted on thousands of innocent producers in this country by FDA 'blanket' advisories such as with spinach and tomatoes cannot go unchallenged," Nassif said.
Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the CDC's Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, said the most recent illness onset among the confirmed cases was Jun 20, which he said suggests the outbreak is ongoing. Cases have occurred in 36 states and the District of Columbia, though large percentages are from Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Several case clusters—groups of sick people who had the same exposure—have emerged in the outbreak investigation and could provide valuable trace-back clues, he said.

Tauxe emphasized that case-control studies continue to strongly suggest tomatoes, as more than 80% of those who were sick say they ate fresh tomatoes, about twice the rate among healthy controls. However, he said expanded case-control studies that the CDC conducted over the weekend clearly pointed to a need to look beyond tomatoes.
Some infectious disease experts have faulted federal investigators for not tracing the tomatoes consumed by controls to help clarify which products are contaminated and confirm that tomatoes are the source. However, Tauxe said today that officials have not yet requested that type of trace-back study.

Outbreak stirs talk of change
Acheson acknowledged the difficulties in investigating the outbreak and said federal officials are already pondering ways to avoid similar problems the next time the nation faces a large outbreak linked to fresh produce.
He said the FDA is exploring the idea of forming an interagency task force to help coordinate the work of federal agencies and state health departments.
The produce industry has a role to play in avoiding a repeat of this difficult outbreak investigation by ensuring that its products are safe, Acheson said. One reason for the frustrating slowness of the trace-back studies is that most growers, packers, and distributors still maintain paper records. "Electronic record-keeping would enhance traceability," he said.
Also, he said Congress still has not required food companies to build in food safety controls that the FDA requested last November when it released its food safety plan.


http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/fs/food-disease/news/jul0108salmo.html

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source maybe jalapenos

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source maybe jalapenos

Jalapenos eyed in Salmonella outbreak probe

Lisa Schnirring

Staff Writer

Jul 7, 2008 (CIDRAP News) ? Federal investigators are eyeing jalapeno peppers as the possible culprit in a nationwide Salmonella outbreak that has now sickened 943 people in 40 states and involved at least one death.
According to unnamed sources who are familiar with the probe, investigators are looking at jalapenos as a leading suspect in the outbreak, the Wall Street Journal reported on Jul 5. Investigators are also considering cilantro and Serrano peppers, two other produce items that are commonly served with fresh tomatoes in Mexican cuisine, sources told the newspaper.
The CDC said in a Jul 4 update on the investigation that the identification in Texas and other states of many clusters of patients who ate at the same restaurants has led the agency to broaden its investigation, though tomatoes are still strongly linked to the illnesses.
Glen Nowak, a CDC spokesman, told the Journal that the agency is focusing on 29 clusters linked to restaurants, most of which serve Mexican food and are not part of national chains.
Today health inspectors on the Mexican border planned to begin stopping and checking shipments of ingredients common to Mexican food coming into the United States, according to Tommy Thompson, former US secretary of health and human services, CNN reported on Jul 4. Thompson told CNN he had been told about the plan.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Jul 4 that it had linked another death to the outbreak, which involves the relatively rare Salmonella enterica Saintpaul strain. The man, from Texas, was in his eighties. (In earlier updates, the CDC said salmonellosis might have contributed to the death of a Texas man in his sixties who died of cancer.)
Based on information from 645 patients, at least 130 people were hospitalized, according to the CDC update. The outbreak has spread to 40 states and the District of Columbia, though many of the cases occurred in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Illinois. The most recent illness onset date is Jun 26, which is 6 days later than was listed in the CDC's previous update and a sign that the outbreak is ongoing.
Also, the CDC said one ill person with salmonellosis matching the outbreak strain has been identified in Ontario, Canada. The patient said he or she had traveled to the United States and got sick upon return to Canada.
The outbreak, which began in early June, prompted federal health officials to advise consumers to avoid eating raw red round, Roma, or plum tomatoes from growing areas that had not been cleared by investigators. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not found Salmonella Saintpaul in any of the tomato samples it has tested.
Some infectious disease experts have criticized the FDA and CDC response to the outbreak, saying that poor communication with state and local health departments and missteps with case-control studies have hobbled the investigation. Last week the FDA said it was tapping into a larger laboratory network to speed the lab investigation.




http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/fs/food-disease/news/jul0708salmonella.html

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source maybe jalapenos

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source maybe jalapenos

Salmonella Found in Basil Grown in Mexico, FDA Says (Update3) By Catherine Larkin July 11 (Bloomberg) -- A strain of salmonella, the bacteria that has sickened more than 1,000 Americans who ate tainted produce since April, has been found in Thai basil grown in Mexico. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified salmonella during random testing of basil imported by Lucky Green Trading Inc., a family-run company based in Garden Grove, California, the agency said today in a statement on its Web site. The product has been recalled from Southern California, Arizona and Nevada, where it was distributed directly and sold at retail stores. FDA officials have boosted inspections of Mexican exports as they look for the origin of the salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that has spread to 42 states since mid-April. While the focus has been on certain types of tomatoes grown in Mexico and Florida, officials said this week that jalapenos caused some illnesses and that Serrano peppers and cilantro also are under investigation. The basil was found to have a different strain of salmonella than the salmonella Saintpaul traced to the current outbreak, said FDA spokesman Michael Herndon. ``Every importer from Mexico has to go through the inspection,'' said Tony Ton, whose family runs Lucky Green, in a phone interview today. ``That's a new thing. Every year, we used to have one or two occasions where FDA has to do a random inspection.'' No illnesses have been linked to Lucky Green's herbs. Their Thai basil comes from the town of Santa Rosa Tapachula in Nayarit, a state on the central-west coast of Mexico. The company doesn't sell any other products this time of the year, Ton said. Three shipments of Thai basil from the same Mexican grower passed inspection last week, so Lucky Green is looking to see whether the latest batch may have been contaminated by another grower in the same area, Ton said. To contact the reporter on this story: Catherine Larkin in Washington at clarkin4@bloomberg.net .

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aT2Lmk4gpFgc

 

[Oracle]

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source - basil

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source - basil

Basil oil <i> kills Salmonella enterica.</i> The oil is distributed throughout the plant, but is concentrated in the leaves and leaf stems.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9552716

*squint*

Packaged basil is sold as chopped plants in the store. It's immediately fragrant on opening, indicating active presence of aromatic oils released from crushed/broken leaves/stems.

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source - basil

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source - basil

Salmonella Found in Basil Grown in Mexico, FDA Says (Update3)
By Catherine Larkin
<!-- WARNING: #foreach: $wnstory.ATTS: null at /bb/data/web/templates/webmacro_en/washingtonstory.wm:266.2 --> <!-- WARNING: #foreach: $wnstory.ATTS: null at /bb/data/web/templates/webmacro_en/washingtonstory.wm:280.19 --> July 11 (Bloomberg) -- A strain of salmonella, the bacteria that has sickened more than 1,000 Americans who ate tainted produce since April, has been found in Thai basil grown in Mexico.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified salmonella during random testing of basil imported by Lucky Green Trading Inc., a family-run company based in Garden Grove, California, the agency said today in a statement on its Web site. The product has been recalled from Southern California, Arizona and Nevada, where it was distributed directly and sold at retail stores.
FDA officials have boosted inspections of Mexican exports as they look for the origin of the salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that has spread to 42 states since mid-April. While the focus has been on certain types of tomatoes grown in Mexico and Florida, officials said this week that jalapenos caused some illnesses and that Serrano peppers and cilantro also are under investigation. The basil was found to have a different strain of salmonella than the salmonella Saintpaul traced to the current outbreak, said FDA spokesman Michael Herndon.
``Every importer from Mexico has to go through the inspection,'' said Tony Ton, whose family runs Lucky Green, in a phone interview today. ``That's a new thing. Every year, we used to have one or two occasions where FDA has to do a random inspection.''
No illnesses have been linked to Lucky Green's herbs. Their Thai basil comes from the town of Santa Rosa Tapachula in Nayarit, a state on the central-west coast of Mexico. The company doesn't sell any other products this time of the year, Ton said.
Three shipments of Thai basil from the same Mexican grower passed inspection last week, so Lucky Green is looking to see whether the latest batch may have been contaminated by another grower in the same area, Ton said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Catherine Larkin in Washington at clarkin4@bloomberg.net .



[FONT=&quot][/FONT]http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aB.phF0JL5lQ

 

[tropical]

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source - basil

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source - basil

At this point, where random controls are not enaugh, maybe it's time to insert the wanted law changes, or an sistematic blanketing new washing of food at the input, instead of the chlorine method.
This new and cheap washing/ster. method was patented by Georgia Univ. Professor Doyle and UGA CFS researcher Tong Zhao (FT thread; june 28, 2008):

US - University Develops Wash to Kill Food Pathogens



<HR style="COLOR: #cccccc" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->From "ThePoultrySite Latest News":

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultr...food-pathogens

Friday, June 27, 2008
<SCRIPT language=javascript type=text/javascript>if(uid) {document.write('<a href="javascript<b></b>: window.print();">');}else {document.write('<a href="/users/login.php?redirect=%2Fpoultrynews%2F15263%2Funiver sity-develops-wash-to-kill-food-pathogens%2Fprint&loginrequired=true&por=true">');}</SCRIPT>Print This Page
University Develops Wash to Kill Food Pathogens

US - University of Georgia researchers have developed an effective technology for reducing contamination of dangerous bacteria on eggs, poultry, meat and other foods.

University of Georgia (UGA) researchers have developed an effective technology for reducing contamination of dangerous bacteria on food.

The new antimicrobial wash rapidly kills Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 on foods ranging from fragile lettuce to fruits, poultry products and meats. It is made from inexpensive and readily available ingredients that are recognized as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration.
<!-- CAPTION + PICTURE -->

University of Georgia microbiologist Michael Doyle (left) and research scientist Tong Zhao have developed a new antimicrobial wash that rapidly kills pathogens on foods ranging from lettuce to poultry.
Photo: University of Georgia

The technology has commercial application for the produce, poultry, meat and egg processing industries. It is available for licensing from the UGA Research Foundation Inc., which has filed a patent application on the new technology.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the US alone foodborne pathogens are responsible for 76 million illnesses every year. Of the people affected by those illnesses, 300,000 are hospitalized and more than 5,000 die.

These widespread outbreaks of foodborne illnesses are attributed in part to the fast-paced distribution of foods across the nation. Recently, raw tomatoes caused an outbreak of salmonellosis that sickened more than 300 people in at least 28 states and Canada.

Currently, a chlorine wash is used in a variety of ways to reduce harmful bacteria levels on vegetables, fruits and poultry but because of chlorine’s sensitivity to food components and extraneous materials released in chlorinated water treatments, many bacteria survive.

Chlorine is toxic at high concentrations, may produce off-flavours and an undesirable appearance of certain food products, and it can only be used in conjunction with specialized equipment and trained personnel. In addition, chlorine may be harmful to the environment.
"We can’t rely on chlorine to eliminate pathogens on foods," said Michael Doyle, one of the new technology's inventors and director of UGA’s Center for Food Safety in Griffin, Georgia. "This new technology is effective, safe for consumers and food processing plant workers, and does not affect the appearance or quality of the product. It may actually extend the shelf-life of some types of produce."

A UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences professor, Professor Doyle is an internationally recognized authority on food safety. His research focuses on developing methods to detect and control foodborne bacterial pathogens at all levels of the food continuum, from the farm to the table.

He has served as a scientific advisor to many groups, including the World Health Organization, the Food and Drug Administration, the US Department of Agriculture, the US Department of Defense and the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The new antimicrobial technology, developed by Professor Doyle and UGA CFS researcher Tong Zhao, uses a combination of ingredients that kills bacteria within one to five minutes from application. It can be used as a spray and immersion solution, and its concentration can be adjusted for treatment of fragile foods such as leafy produce, more robust foods like poultry or food preparation equipment and food transportation vehicles.

"The effectiveness, easy storage and application, and low cost of this novel antibacterial make it applicable not only at food processing facilities, but also at points-of-sale and at home, restaurants and military bases," said Gennaro Gama, the UGARF technology manager in charge of licensing the technology. "The development of this technology is timely, given the recent, sequential outbreaks of foodborne pathogens."

ThePoultrySite News Desk

 

[Farmer]

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source - still searching

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source - still searching

Latest ProMED post about US Salmonella enterica, serotype Saint Paul outbreak:

Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:05:42 -0400 (EDT)
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promed.isid.harvard.edu>
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (14)

SALMONELLOSIS, SEROTYPE SAINTPAUL, TOMATOES - USA (14)
******************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

[1] CDC
[2] FDA

******
[1] CDC
Date: Thu 17 Jul 2008
Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [edited]
<http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul/>


[Case count information as of 9 pm EDT, 16 Jul 2008]
CDC is collaborating with public health officials in many states, the
Indian Health Service, and the FDA (US Food & Drug Administration) to
investigate an ongoing multistate outbreak of human _Salmonella [enterica_]
serotype Saintpaul infections. An initial epidemiologic investigation in
New Mexico and Texas comparing foods eaten by persons who were ill in May
2008 to foods eaten by well persons identified consumption of raw tomatoes
as strongly linked to illness. A similar but much larger, nationwide study
comparing persons who were ill in June 2008 to well persons found that ill
persons were more likely to have recently consumed raw tomatoes, fresh
jalapeno peppers, and fresh cilantro. These items were commonly, though not
always, consumed together, so that study could not determine which item(s)
caused the illnesses.

Recently, many clusters of illnesses have been identified in several states
among persons who ate at restaurants. Most clusters involve fewer than 5
ill persons. Three larger clusters have been intensively investigated. In
one, illnesses were linked to consumption of an item containing fresh
tomatoes and fresh jalapeno peppers. In the other 2, illnesses were linked
to an item containing fresh jalapeno peppers and no other of the suspect
items. The accumulated data from all investigations indicate that jalapeno
peppers caused some illnesses but that they do not explain all illnesses.
Raw tomatoes, fresh serrano peppers, and fresh cilantro also remain under
investigation. Investigators from many agencies are collaborating to track
the source of the implicated peppers and other produce items.

Since April 2008, 1220 persons infected with _S._ Saintpaul with the same
genetic fingerprint have been identified in 42 states, the District of
Columbia, and Canada. These were identified because clinical laboratories
in all states send strains from ill persons to their State public health
laboratory for characterization. No new states report ill persons. The
number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2
persons), Arkansas (16), Arizona (54), California (9), Colorado (16),
Connecticut (4), Florida (2), Georgia (28), Idaho (6), Illinois (113),
Indiana (16), Iowa (2), Kansas (18), Kentucky (2), Louisiana (1), Maine
(1), Maryland (36), Massachusetts (26), Michigan (24), Minnesota (22),
Mississippi (2), Missouri (17), New Hampshire (5), Nevada (12), New Jersey
(12), New Mexico (102), New York (32), North Carolina (23), Ohio (10),
Oklahoma (25), Oregon (10), Pennsylvania (12), Rhode Island (3), South
Carolina (2), Tennessee (9), Texas (474), Utah (2), Virginia (31), Vermont
(2), Washington (17), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (13), and the District
of Columbia (1). Five ill persons are reported from Canada; 4 appear to
have been infected while traveling in the USA, and one illness remains
under investigation.

Among the 1167 persons with information available, illnesses began between
10 Apr 2008 and 4 Jul 2008, including 625 who became ill on 1 Jun 2008 or
later. These numbers include those with estimated onset dates as well as
those with reported onset dates. Patients range in age from less than 1 to
99 years; 50 per cent are female. The rate of illness is highest among
persons 20 to 29 years old; the rate of illness is lowest in children 5 to
19 years old and in persons 80 or more years old. At least 224 persons were
hospitalized. A man in his 80s who died in Texas from cardiopulmonary
failure had an infection with the outbreak strain at the time of his death;
the infection may have contributed to his death. A man in his 60s who died
in Texas from cancer had an infection with the outbreak strain of at the
time of his death; the infection may have contributed to his death.

The outbreak can be visually described with a chart showing the number of
persons who became ill each day. This chart is called an epidemic curve or
epi curve. The epi curve and information about interpreting it may be found
[at the source URL - Mod.LL]. It shows that the number of persons who
became ill peaked during May 2008 and decreased in June 2008. The average
number of persons who became ill between 20 May 2008 and 10 Jun 2008 was 33
per day. The average number of persons who became ill between 11 Jun 2008
and 20 Jun 2008 was 19 per day. Illnesses that occurred after 20 Jun 2008
may not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person
becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of 2-3
weeks. The outbreak appears to be ongoing, but with fewer new illnesses
each day.

- --
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Since ProMED-mail's last posting on this outbreak with data through 7 Jul
2008, 229 additional cases have been linked to the implicated strain of
_S._ Saintpaul, one more state is involved (Mississippi), and 350 more
cases have occurred in June 2008 or later. To date, 625/1220 (51 per cent)
of all cases had the onset of illness essentially after the announcement of
the tomato risk. In addition, one more case has been reported from Canada
(but it is not known if it was acquired in Canada or the USA). - Mod.LL]

******
[2] FDA
Date: Fri 18 Jul 2008
Source: Associated Press (AP) [edited]
<http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ijaaf9rEEqJFRI_zJo1YK8TYcBFgD9207F6O0>


It's OK to eat all kinds of tomatoes again, the American government
declared on Thu 17 Jul 2008, lifting its salmonella warning on the summer
favorites amid signs that the record outbreak, while not over, may finally
be slowing.

Hot peppers still get a caution: the people most at risk of salmonella
[infection], including the elderly and people with weak immune systems,
should avoid fresh jalapenos and serranos, and any dishes that may contain
them such as fresh salsa, federal health officials advised.

Investigators still don't know what caused the salmonella outbreak, which
now has sickened 1220 people in 42 states. But Thursday's [17 Jul 2008]
move, coming as the tomato industry estimates its losses at more than USD
100 million, doesn't mean that tomatoes harvested in the spring are
cleared. It just means that the tomatoes in fields and stores today are
safe to eat, said Dr David Acheson, the Food and Drug Administration's
(FDA) food safety chief.

"This is not saying that anybody was absolved," Acheson said. But, "as of
today [18 Jul 2008], FDA officials believe that consumers may now enjoy all
types of fresh tomatoes available without concern of becoming infected with
_Salmonella_ Saintpaul," the outbreak strain.

Early on, there was good evidence linking certain raw tomatoes to the sick,
Acheson stressed. Yet inspectors haven't found the outbreak strain, in
suspect areas of south Florida and parts of Mexico, where they've managed
to trace tomatoes thought to have been eaten by patients.

As the outbreak stretched into June 2008, more evidence emerged against
fresh jalapenos, the FDA's hottest lead for now. The agency sent inspectors
to a Mexican packing house that supplied peppers linked to a cluster of
those illnesses. Also still on the suspect list is fresh cilantro.

Separately, on Thursday [17 Jun 2008], North Carolina officials who were
investigating some _S._ Saintpaul cases linked to a Charlotte-area
restaurant announced a recall of jalapenos and avocados shipped to that
state from a Texas food supply company. More tests are needed to see if the
salmonella found in 2 samples is the outbreak strain, or another variety.

For every salmonella case the CDC confirms, it estimates there are 30 to 40
more that go undocumented, perhaps because people don't see a doctor or
undergo the right testing.

How could 2 different types of produce be contaminated with what is a rare
type of salmonella? One possibility is that a large farm grew tomatoes in
one section and peppers in another, and both went through a common washing
station with contaminated water, Acheson said. "Bear in mind this is not
following the trail of a regular old produce outbreak," he said. "There's
something else going on here that is a little unusual."

[byline: Lauran Neergard]

- --
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[It certainly appears that multiple vehicles may be involved that have been
cross-contaminated along the food chain. When such vehicles are often eaten
together, it becomes much more difficult to sort out the epidemiology. -
Mod.LL]

[see also:
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (13) 20080709.2085
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (12): more doubts
20080706.2049
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (11): doubts 20080701.2011
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (10) 20080628.1991
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (09) 20080625.1955
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (08) 20080624.1944
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (07) 20080621.1927
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (06) 20080620.1915
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (05) 20080617.1895
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (04) 20080613.1872
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (03) 20080607.1817
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA (02) 20080605.1800
Salmonellosis, serotype Saintpaul, tomatoes - USA: multistate 20080603.1777
Salmonellosis, serotype Agona, breakfast cereal - USA 20080416.1366
Salmonellosis, municipal water supply - USA (04): (CO), co-pathogens
20080410.1315
Salmonellosis, municipal water supply - USA (CO) 20080324.1106
Salmonellosis, serotype Paratyphi B, raw tuna - USA (03) 20080218.0649
Salmonellosis, serotype Paratyphi B, raw tuna - USA 20080127.0343
Salmonellosis, human, pet turtles - USA 20080125.0317
Salmonellosis, serotype Newport - USA: (SD) 20080115.0190
Salmonellosis - USA: (MT, TX, PA) RFI 20080107.0090
2007
- ---
Salmonellosis, serotype Paratyphi var Java - Europe 20071221.4100
Salmonellosis, antibiotic resistant - USA: (AZ), RFI 20071213.4014
Salmonellosis, frozen poultry pie - USA (multistate) (09) 20071119.3748
Salmonellosis, frozen poultry pie - USA (multistate): alert 20071010.3319
Salmonellosis, serotype Wandsworth - N America (05): 2nd serotype
20070721.2336
Salmonellosis, serotype Tennessee, peanut butter - USA (multistate) (17)
20070603.1796
Salmonellosis, serotype Newport, Mexican-style cheese - USA (IL) (02)
20070329.1084
Salmonellosis, serotype Newport, Mexican-style cheese - USA (IL) 20070324.1027
Salmonellosis, serotype Oranienburg - USA (AZ) 20070305.0779
Salmonellosis, serotype Tennessee, peanut butter - USA (multistate)
20070215.0563
Salmonellosis, meat slicer - USA (GA) (02): 2006 20070116.0217
Salmonellosis, meat slicer - USA (GA): 2006 20070116.0208]

.................ll/mj/sh

 

[Oracle]

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source - basil

Re: USA. FDA Salmonella source - basil

Contaminated product process train:

fields > transport to packers > transport to processing plants > regional distribution to corporate clients > distribution to retail (stores/restaurants, etc).

Most likely source of Salmonella product contamination: Processing plants, wash water.

Most likely location: Midwest, Upper and Southern Plains states and states within regional distribution networks.

Most likely mechanism: public or private water supply, contamination from flood waters due to storm-bypass wastewater treatment (discharge to rivers) and downstream uptake into surface water public water supply treatment plants.

Correlation factors: recent record rains/flooding Midwest, Southern Plains, late Spring, USA.

Climate: historical floods, regional precipitation pattern extremes,
USA and Europe.

Chemical correlation: Salmonella are acidophiles. Tomatoes are acidic.
Egg contamination from poultry intestinal tract infection.

Historical correlation: Salmonellosis outbreaks, 1993-1997.

http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/PREVIEW/MMWRHTML/ss4901a1.htm

Dates and maps correspond to excess seasonal flooding probability and periods of precipitation extremes in states/regions reporting outbreaks.

Secondary correlations: unusually wet field conditions; poultry manure application to fields; use for control of soil pathogens (pH related).

 

[Farmer]

Re: USA. Salmonella Outbreak

A break in the case. Now to figure out the source of contamination for this pepper and other produce implicated in this outbreak.

Salmonella found on pepper; FDA strengthens warning

Story Highlights
- NEW: Discovery called a "significant break" in outbreak investigation

- Strain is Salmonella Saintpaul, which has sickened hundreds recently

- CDC: Pepper grown in Mexico, but origin of bacteria uncertain

- Bacteria were found at distribution center in McAllen, Texas

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Investigators had a "significant break" in tracking the salmonella outbreak when they found the bacteria on a jalape?o pepper imported from Mexico at a Texas food supplier, the Food and Drug Administration announced Monday.

The FDA also warned consumers not to eat fresh jalape?os and products made with fresh jalape?os.

The discovery may provide a clue to the source of a recent outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul. The bacteria have sickened more than 1,200 people in 42 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"One of the jalape?o peppers has tested positive with a genetic match to the Saintpaul strand (sic)," said Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the CDC's Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases. Consumer Tips Blog: Hold the jalape?os

He said officials are "looking at the chain that the peppers would have passed through to decide if any of them are a point of contamination." Watch more on the salmonella outbreak ?

Tauxe called the discovery a "significant break."

"While this one sample does not give us the whole story, this genetic break is very important," he said. "This will hopefully help us pinpoint the source of this outbreak."

The bacteria were found at a distribution center in McAllen, Texas, and the distributor has agreed to recall the products. Although the pepper was grown on a farm in Mexico, Tauxe said, investigators are not yet certain where the bacteria originated. Read food safety tips ?

"This does not mean that the pepper was contaminated in Mexico," he said. "We aren't only looking for the source, but the reason for the spread [of the outbreak]."

The news comes just days after the FDA lifted its ban on consumption of certain raw tomatoes. The FDA has not ruled out tomatoes as the source of the original outbreak, but investigators have determined that tomatoes currently in fields and stores are safe, Dr. David Acheson, the FDA's associate commissioner for food protection, said Thursday. Learn about the differences between salmonella and E. coli ?

The FDA is still investigating fresh tomatoes as a possible source of the outbreak. It is possible that tomatoes were paired with another food that was contaminated, Tauxe said. Watch more on the FDA investigation ?
Before Monday's warning, the agency had discouraged high-risk people -- elderly people, infants and those with impaired immune systems -- from eating serrano and jalape?o peppers.

Two elderly men with pre-existing conditions died while infected with Salmonella Saintpaul, and the FDA said the infection could have contributed to their deaths.


Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/07/21/fda.salmonella/index.html

 

[Farmer]

Re: USA. Salmonella Outbreak

Salmonella found in irrigation water at Mexican farm, FDA says
Story Highlights

• FDA food safety chief says salmonella strain found at Mexico farm
  
• Irrigation water, serrano pepper contain same strain as outbreak
  
• FDA official tells lawmakers that finding is a "key breakthrough"

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The salmonella strain linked to the recent outbreak has been found in irrigation water and a serrano pepper at a Mexican farm, a Food and Drug Administration official told lawmakers Wednesday.

The discovery is a "key breakthrough" in the investigation, Dr. David Acheson, the FDA's director of food safety, said at a congressional hearing.

FDA investigators had been investigating a specific farm in Mexico, Acheson said, to look for signs of the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak.

"Two hours ago we learned that we had gotten a positive sample in both the water used for irrigation and a sample of serrano peppers from the same farm that match the outbreak strain," Acheson said.

The House hearing Wednesday had been called to look into the recent outbreak.

Last week, the FDA had said only Mexican-grown raw jalape?os and raw serrano peppers had been linked to the salmonella outbreak.

Mexican officials called those findings "premature," even as the FDA issued an advisory stating that a contaminated jalape?o pepper originated in Mexico.

Mexico's National Sanitation and Farm Food Quality Service director Enrique Sanchez told The Associated Press last week that Mexico sent a letter to the United States on Friday "expressing our concern and our most forceful complaint against this decision."

According to AP reports, Sanchez said the FDA "has no scientific proof to make a decision that will harm Mexico enormously."

Earlier, the FDA announced it had discovered salmonella on a jalape?o imported from Mexico at The Agricola Zarigosa produce distribution center in McAllen, Texas.

The FDA said traceback studies of food eaten by victims who became sick indicate the contaminated jalape?o pepper originated in Mexico.

The agency concluded the distribution center was not the source of the outbreak because peppers from a number of clusters never passed through there, said Dr. David Acheson, the agency's director of food safety.

To date, all traceback studies have led to Mexico and peppers grown in the United States have not been connected to the outbreak, he said.

Peppers grown in the United States have not been connected to the outbreak that has sickened more than 1,000 people since April, said FDA spokesman Michael Herndon.

Initially, tomatoes seemed the most likely source of the outbreak. The FDA told consumers to avoid certain raw tomatoes on June 7, prompting grocery chains and some restaurants nationwide to stop offering them.

The agency subsequently lifted that ban, determining that tomatoes currently in fields and stores are safe. Learn about the differences between salmonella and E. coli ?

The FDA now advises consumers to avoid raw jalape?o peppers grown in Mexico and any foods containing raw jalape?o peppers grown in Mexico.

Only immune-compromised people, the elderly and infants should avoid raw serrano peppers from Mexico, Herndon said.

Cooked or pickled peppers from cans or jars are not part of the warning. Learn how to keep your food safe ?

So far, 1,294 people infected with the same type of Salmonella Saintpaul have been identified in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At least 242 have been hospitalized.

This particular Salmonella Saintpaul fingerprint is normally seen in only 25 cases a year, said Ian Williams, chief of the CDC's Outbreak Net Team.





http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/07/30/fda.salmonella/index.html