Category Archives: environment

Africa and EU See Rising Level of Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella | Food Safety News

Strains of one increasingly antibiotic-resistant Salmonella serotype have seen a “rapid worldwide spread,” according to a study published by researchers at the Institut Pasteur in Paris and Morocco.

Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Kentucky, first isolated in 2002 in a French tourist who had visited Egypt, has now “spread at an astonishing rate throughout Africa and the Middle East in the space of only a few years,” the study’s authors claim.

The bacterium has also already been found in farmed-raised turkeys in Europe, though it is not clear based on available information if those turkeys were imported or grown domestically. In a summary of the study, the lead author said he worries that the resistant strain may soon spread to European poultry farms.

This study comes on the heels of a report out of Canada calling antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Kentucky a rare but “growing concern” in Canadian health. That study found that between 2003 and 2009, 30 percent of Salmonella Kentucky isolates from Canadian patients were resistant to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin.

via Africa and EU See Rising Level of Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella | Food Safety News.

Ideology v. Science: Delaware Considers Allowing Farms to Sell Raw Milk | Food Safety News – Because lobby feels it’s their right to be stupid about their children’s health!

“Raw milk is unsafe and a public health risk, and Delaware dairy farmers are not asking to sell it,” Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee said. “They understand the substantial benefits of pasteurization and the danger that raw milk holds, especially for children. We look forward to continuing this discussion and sharing our concerns, which are also held by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the American Farm Bureau Federation.”

Kee said raw milk could contain E. coli, Listeria, or Salmonella bacteria, causing abdominal illnesses and hospitalization. Delaware has 50 dairies and none have indicated a desire to produce milk without pasteurization. Raw milk advocates say raw milk provides more positive health benefits than negative ones. Also neighboring Pennsylvania permits raw milk sales, helping create demand.

via Delaware Considers Allowing Farms to Sell Raw Milk | Food Safety News.

Branswell:The NEJM Saudi MERS-CoV Cluster Report

Branswell:The NEJM Saudi MERS-CoV Cluster Report.

Saudi MERS outbreak showed SARS-like features, including possible superspreader

Helen Branswell, The Canadian Press Jun 19, 2013 05:00:17 PM

TORONTO – A long-awaited report on a large and possibly still ongoing outbreak of MERS coronavirus in Saudi Arabia reveals the virus spreads easily within hospitals, at one point passing in a person-to-person chain that encompassed at least five generations of spread.

The study, co-written by Toronto SARS expert Dr. Allison McGeer, also hints there may have been a superspreader in this outbreak, with one person infecting at least seven others.

The study lays out what is known about an outbreak of MERS that erupted this spring in four hospitals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, in an area whose name translated into English can be spelled Al-Ahsa or Al-Hasa (the study uses the second version). It was reported online on Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine.

(Continue . . .)

The full NEJM article is available online, and you’ll no doubt want to read it in its entirety, but a few key points (bolding & underlining mine) lifted the discussion include:

Most of the case patients were men, and the median age was 56 years
The most common symptoms were fever (87%) and cough (89%), while 35% presented with gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting or diarrhea)
Laboratory testing for MERS-CoV remains a challenge. Validated serologic assays are not yet available, and this may have limited the identification of cases.
Because some patients presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, and transmission appeared to occur between rooms on the ward, the current WHO recommendations for surveillance and control should be regarded as the minimum standards;
The Case Fatality Ratio was 65%

Stonewalling the Public: FDA’s Secret Approval Process over GE Salmon | Food & Water Watch

In the great debate over genetically engineered (GE) salmon, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has locked the public out of key discussions by failing to disclose critical information related to the still-pending regulatory approval. As we wait to hear if the FDA will approve GE salmon this summer, we continue to scratch our heads at the contradictions that FDA can’t — or won’t — explain.

via Stonewalling the Public: FDA’s Secret Approval Process over GE Salmon | Food & Water Watch.

Simple really – follow the money – who is likely to be able to resign shortly after favorable decisions from FDA and take a well paid industry job as a “reward?” Who has been meeting with the company the most often? Follow the money – what elected officials have been pushing the Frankenfish?

Nearly 23,000 pounds ground beef recalled over E. coli | OregonLive.com

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a news release that routine testing turned up E. coli O157:H7, a deadly form of the bacterium, in the meat. Produced by National Beef Packing Co., the ground beef was sold in 10 lb. packages with a use-by/sell-by date of June 14.

The company, which sells nationwide, said the beef was shipped to retailers and institutions. The USDA is concerned that some of the packages may be in consumers’ freezers.

E. coli O157:H7 is one of the deadliest foodborne pathogens. Special care should be taken in preparing raw meat and poultry to avoid cross contamination. They should also be thoroughly cooked to killed foodborne pathogens.

via Nearly 23,000 pounds ground beef recalled over E. coli | OregonLive.com.

Top 10 Most Common GMO Foods | Eat Drink Better

Genetically modified zucchini contains a toxic protein that helps make it more resistant to insects. This introduced insecticide, has recently been found in human blood, including that of pregnant women and fetuses. This indicates that some of the insecticide is making its way into our bodies rather than being broken down and excreted.

via Top 10 Most Common GMO Foods | Eat Drink Better.

Food Politics » The Farm Bill farce: 227 amendments

The House of Representatives Rules Committee is dealing with the Farm Bill.  The Committee has posted the relevant documents on its website, so you can judge for yourself how our political system works these days.

It’s hard to know what to make of the amendments—all 227 of them—or which ones are worth attention.  Many deal with SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which the House wants cut to pieces.

via Food Politics » The Farm Bill farce: 227 amendments.

California Cantaloupe Producers Launch Mandatory Safety Program

Article – QA – Quality Assurance & Food Safety.

(“Invite” does not equal inspect if there are not sufficient funds or inspectors – just saying)

“The CCAB food safety program invites government auditors to inspect all aspects of operations including growing, harvesting, packing and cooling to ensure a set of science-based standards is being followed,” Patricio said.

Saudi MOH: 3 More MERS-CoV Cases & 4 Fatalities

Saudi MOH: 3 More MERS-CoV Cases & 4 Fatalities.

Not good folks getting too close to the major season for pilgrims – KSA Ministry of Health, announcing 3 new coronavirus cases, and the deaths of 4 previously announced cases.

 

Jeddah is located to the west of Mecca, while Taif (where two patients are announced to have died) is just east of the holy city.

Even More Not for Friday News but… Vienna: 5 Smuggled Birds Now Reported Positive For H5N1

Czech Republic : Bird flu – Five animals were infected

Machine translated article from Noe.Orf :

After the previous week on the Schwechat Airport 60 birds were discovered in travel bags, there are now additional assay results from five of the smuggled from Bali animals were infected with the bird flu virus.

 

The investigation of the 60 confiscated birds is still in progress, so the tests are not yet complete. So far, the H5N1 virus could be clearly detected in five animals.

via Vienna: 5 Smuggled Birds Now Reported Positive For H5N1.