This months MMWR contains a report on an outbreak of shiga-toxin producing E. coli O157 at a petting zoo in Florida in 2007. 
Unfortunately, this is nothing new. The "editorial note" states that between 1991-2005, the CDC received reports of 32 outbreaks of E. coli O157 that "were associated with animals in public settings." Beginning in
As part of Marler Clark’s work with Outbreak, Inc. I will be speaking at the Northwest Food Processors Association Executive Summit in Bend, Oregon on Saturday. I will be a member of a panel discussing the numerous pending food safety bills, and their potential impact. While preparing for the talk, I found Senator Judd
Setton International Foods, Inc., has just announced another expansion of its previously announced recall for Salmonella contaminated pistachios.
This announcement is a clarification to their earlier clarification issued on April 20, 2009 which specified that a small amount of the 2007 pistachio crop that was packaged alongside the 2008 pistachio crop was included in their
Press accounts, as well as those from the CDC, addressing the number of sick people in the ongoing Salmonella sprouts outbreak are a little misleading if you don’t know what is actually being said. The reality of these outbreaks (whether E. coli O157, Salmonella, or anything else) is that the number of people who are actually ill, as opposed to the number who have a stool sample that tests positive, is much bigger than the reports would indicate.
In fact, one of the leading studies on the subject suggests (and this is obviously not a bright line rule) that the number of actual victims in a given outbreak, as opposed to merely those with positive stool samples, is as much as 38 times the number of stool sample confirmed individuals. I hope that makes sense. Paul Mead et al, explain it much more clearly in their article, which I will post in a few minutes (technical difficulties).
Continue Reading The Scope of the Recent Salmonella Sprouts Outbreak
Yesterday, there was a report of E. coli contamination in the Merrimack River in Massachusetts. Today a report of a positive test from the Greenwood Creek in Greenwood, Indiana. The creek is apparently a popular swimming spot in the summer. General tests for E. coli do not indicate whether or not E. coli O157:H7 is present. The dangerous
Brandy Baltzell is a freshman at Millersville University. She is going to major in biochemistry, and will soon, I think, be doing great work with E. coli O157:H7 and other nasty little foodborne pathogens. I was happy to play what role I could in the recent research paper that she wrote, discussing the characteristics of E.
sprouts “salmonella sprouts” “sprout outbreak” “salmonella outbreak”
Continue Reading Guide for Sprout Growers to avoid Salmonella and E. coli Lawsuits
According to this Mercury News story, a 77 year old woman from Dayton, Nevada was among those sickened with Salmonella. An outbreak of illness has led to the recall of white and black pepper distributed by Union International Food Co.and CJ United Corp. There have been nine such illnesses reported in Nevada. Thankfully, the
The Daily News in North Andover, Massachusetts is reporting on water quality issues in the Merrimack River. According to the story, the Merrrimack River Watershed Council states that E. coli has been found in the river.
Apparently, it was not an isolated incident. According to the story, the river was unsafe for swimming on
An article from the Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California explains that members of the peanut industry are recognizing that new legislation is necessary in light of two massive Salmonella outbreaks in the past three years.
A lobbyist for the Western Peanut Growers Association says the industry wants to be part of fixing the problem. This is