On a day that Oak Farms dairy recalled milk due to possible inadequate pasteurization, New Jersey residents are one step closer to buying raw milk in their home state. The New Jersey Assembly this afternoon passed Assembly bill A-743 to legalize the sale of raw milk. The legislation, sponsored by Assemblyman John DiMaio, R-Warren/Hunterdon
Oak Farms Dairy milk recall
Oak Farms Dairy in Waco, Texas is voluntarily recalling half gallon plastic bottles of whole chocolate milk, half pint paper cartons of whole chocolate milk, and half pint paper cartons of 1% chocolate milk due to the presence of Alkaline Phosphatase found in samples during routine testing. The significance of the alkaline phosphatase is that it is typically
72 year old Oklahoma man dies of Salmonella poisoning
According to press reports, state health officials are investigating a salmonella death in Ardmore, Oklahoma. 72-year-old Dewey Teeg died recently of salmonella poisoning, according to the reports. Officials would not confirm where Teeg was infected, but say its an ongoing investigation.
Elderly people sometimes suffer devastating illnesses in situations where otherwise health adults would not. Here are a few reasons why:
1. Aging of the Gastrointestinal Tract—An Invitation to Infection
Inflammation and shrinkage of the gastric mucosa increase with age. These changes lead to low gastric acidity. In patients with gastric ulcer disease, the drugs used to treat the condition further block gastric acid production. Because stomach acids play an important role in limiting the number of bacteria that enter the small intestine, low gastric acidity increases the likelihood of infection if a pathogen is ingested with food or water.
Gastrointestinal mobility (peristalsis) decreases with age. Peristalsis, which is the mechanism that propels the stomach contents through the intestinal tract, is also the mechanical means for removing ingested, life-threatening pathogens. The risk of infection by potentially invasive pathogens corresponds with the duration of contact between the pathogen and the intestinal mucosa. Thus, a decrease in peristalsis delays the clearance of the pathogen from the intestinal tract and contributes substantially to the increased prevalence and severity of infection in the elderly.Continue Reading 72 year old Oklahoma man dies of Salmonella poisoning
The Marler Clark Network: A complete Guide to Foodborne Illness
GBS (Guillain Barre Syndrome), HUS (Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome), IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and RA (Reactive Arthritis) – Food Poisoning Alphabet Soup
Guillain-Barré (ghee-yan bah-ray) syndrome (GBS) is a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system includes the cranial nerves (except the optic [eye] nerve), the spinal nerves, and the autonomic nervous system that governs involuntary actions. The central nervous system is the spinal cord and
More than you ever wanted to know about food poisoning, like E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, Botulism, etc.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 48 million-foodborne illness cases occur in the United States every year. At least 128,000 Americans are hospitalized, and 3,000 die after eating contaminated food. Here are some of the main players:
Botulism is a rare but potentially life-threatening bacterial illness. Clostridium Botulinum bacteria grows on
Staph aureus forces Bologna Recall
Zweigle’s Inc., a Rochester, N.Y., establishment, is recalling approximately 2,997 pounds of bologna products that may be contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The following products are subject to recall:
* Cases containing two 10-pound packages of “PRICE CHOPPER German Brand Bologna
E. coli trouvé en français fromage, de la bonté
Detection of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Serotypes O26:H11, O103:H2, O111:H8, O145:H28, and O157:H7 in Raw-Milk Cheeses by Using Multiplex Real-Time PCR Jordan Madic, Noémie Vingadassalon, Carine Peytavin de Garam, Muriel Marault, Flemming Scheutz, Hubert Brugère, Emmanuel Jamet, and Frédéric Auvray
Appl. Environ. Microbiol. March 2011 77: 2035-2041
Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains are a diverse group of food-borne pathogens with various levels of virulence for humans. In this study, we describe the use of a combination of multiple real-time PCR assays for the screening of 400 raw-milk cheeses for the five main pathogenic STEC serotypes (O26:H11, O103:H2, O111:H8, O145:H28, and O157:H7). The prevalences of samples positive for stx, intimin-encoding gene (eae), and at least one of the five O group genetic markers were 29.8%, 37.3%, and 55.3%, respectively. The H2, H7, H8, H11, and H28 fliC alleles were highly prevalent and could not be used as reliable targets for screening. Combinations of stx, eae variants, and O genetic markers, which are typical of the five targeted STEC serotypes, were detected by real-time PCR in 6.5% of the cheeses (26 samples) and included stx-wzxO26-eae-β1 (4.8%; 19 samples), stx-wzxO103-eae- (1.3%; five samples), stx-ihp1O145-eae- 1 (0.8%; three samples), and stx-rfbEO157-eae- 1 (0.3%; one sample). Twenty-eight immunomagnetic separation (IMS) assays performed on samples positive for these combinations allowed the recovery of seven eaeβ1-positive STEC O26:H11 isolates, whereas no STEC O103:H2, O145:H28, or O157:H7 strains could be isolated. Three stx-negative and eaeβ1-positive E. coli O26:[H11] strains were also isolated from cheeses by IMS. Colony hybridization allowed us to recover STEC from stx-positive samples for 15 out of 45 assays performed, highlighting the difficulties encountered in STEC isolation from dairy products. The STEC O26:H11 isolates shared the same virulence genetic profile as enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O26:H11, i.e., they carried the virulence-associated genes EHEC-hlyA, katP, and espP, as well as genomic O islands 71 and 122. Except for one strain, they all contained the stx1 variant only, which was reported to be less frequently associated with human cases than stx2. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis showed that they displayed high genetic diversity; none of them had patterns identical to those of human O26:H11 strains investigated here.Continue Reading E. coli trouvé en français fromage, de la bonté
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches Recalled Due to Listeria Risk
Pierre Foods is voluntarily recalling one lot, 320 cases, of Pierre™ pb jamwich, crustless peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches, because they have the potential to be contaminated with 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. Although
Vitalabs, Inc. Recalls Whey Protein Products For Salmonella Risk
Vitalabs, Inc., of Jonesboro, Georgia, is voluntarily recalling four specific lot numbers of Whey-26 Protein Powder due to concerns over potential Salmonella contamination.
This recall extends to various parts of the United States including Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington and outside the United States in Aruba, Ontario and Poland. The recalled product was offered through a variety of distribution channels including health food stores, clinics, fitness centers and internet based companies.
The following are the lot numbers involved in this recall:
- Vanilla Whey Isolate: Lot Number 3473
- Vanilla Whey Isolate: Lot Number 0131
- Chocolate Whey Isolate: Lot Number 3477
- Strawberry Whey Isolate: Lot Number 3364
Continue Reading Vitalabs, Inc. Recalls Whey Protein Products For Salmonella Risk