At least 17 people became ill with Salmonella infections after visiting a particular booth at the Taste of Chicago festival, held last weekend. The Pars Cove Perisian Cuisine booth at Taste was the common denominator among victims of a Salmonella outbreak that sent at least three people to the hospital, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Food poisoning traced in Huntsville
The Madison County, Alabama, health department has traced an E. coli food poisoning outbreak that has sickened at least 17 people, including three who are hospitalized with HUS, to lettuce served at Little Rosie’s restaurant in Huntsville, Alabama. Health authorities have not announced whether the lettuce was cross-contaminated by another food product served in the
Hyvee Clostridium perfringens food poisoning outbreak
The Cedar Heights Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa hosts an annual Thanksgiving dinner that is open to all church members as well as the general public.
The 2004 dinner was prepared and delivered to the church by the Hy-Vee grocery store located on University Avenue in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The consisted of turkey meat, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, coffee, milk, lemonade, rolls, and butter. Approximately 750 meals were served at the dinner, including approximately 140 delivered to homes by church volunteers.
The first report of illness came on the morning of Monday, November 29, 2004. The Black Hawk County Health Department received a complaint from a mother and her two children that they experienced watery diarrhea, vomiting, and cramps approximately ten hours after consuming the church-provided meal. Based on this information, the health department initiated an outbreak investigation and contacted the Iowa Department of Public Health’s Center for Acute Disease Epidemiology for assistance.Continue Reading Hyvee Clostridium perfringens food poisoning outbreak
Clostridium perfringens bacteria
Clostridium perfringens is an anaerobic, Gram-positive, sporeforming rod (anaerobic means unable to grow in the presence of free oxygen). It is widely distributed in the environment and frequently occurs in the intestines of humans and many domestic and feral animals. Spores of the organism persist in soil, sediments, and areas subject to human or animal fecal pollution. (1)
Perfringens food poisoning is the term used to describe the common foodborne illness caused by C. perfringens. The symptoms are caused by ingestion of large numbers of (greater than 10 to the 8th) vegetative cells. Toxin production in the digestive tract (or in test tubes) is associated with sporulation. Continue Reading Clostridium perfringens bacteria