A cyclospora outbreak that is associated with three workplace cafeterias has sickened people in central Virginia, according to a news release by the Virginia Department of Health. A food or water source of these outbreaks has not been identified by public health officials. The press release states that workplace cafeterias in the following locations are part of the online investigation: Capital One Building at 1600 Capital One Drive in McLean, Virginia; Valo Park Building at 7950 Jones Branch Drive in McLean, Virginia; and CarMax at 12800 Tuckahoe Creek Parkway in Richmond, Virginia. These cafeterias are not "widely accessible" to the general public. Officials are working with the business owners to try to solve this outbreak. There are 39 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in … [Read more...]
Cooper’s Hawk Cyclospora Outbreak Sickens 80 to 100
The Cooper's Hawk cyclospora outbreak has sickened 80 to 100 people in the Jacksonville, Florida area. Officials have not yet identified a specific food or beverage that may have caused this outbreak, but there is a current multistate cyclospora outbreak that is linked to basil imported from Mexico. There are at least 132 people sick in 11 states in that outbreak. And there is a cyclospora outbreak in Minnesota, with at least 35 people sick, that is associated with three restaurants in that state. Just in the last three months, 580 people in the United States have been sickened with cyclosporiasis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Florida is just one of the 32 states with patients. These illnesses have occurred every summer in this country for … [Read more...]
Churchtown Dairy Raw Milk Recalled For Possible Listeria
Churchtown Dairy raw milk is being recalled for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. That dairy is located in Columbia county at 357 County Route 12 in Hudson, New York. The dairy's name is Foundation for Ag Integrity, doing business as Churchtown Dairy. No illnesses have been reported to the Department to date in association with this recalled product. A sample of the unpasteurized milk collected by a department inspector tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The producer was notified of a preliminary positive test result on July 25, 2019. Further lab testing, which was completed on July 30, 2019, confirmed the presence of the pathogen. The producer is prohibited from selling raw milk … [Read more...]
No Answers To Deadly San Diego E. coli Outbreak at County Fair
The San Diego Health & Human Services Agency has released a report stating that they were not able to find answers to the deadly San Diego E. coli outbreak that sickened people who visited the county fair in June 2019. The outbreak was first reported on June 28, 2019, with four pediatric cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections. As of July 31, 2019, there are 11 confirmed cases and 2 probable cases in this outbreak. Three people were hospitalized because they were so sick, and one child has died. The outbreak was caused by a specific strain of E. coli O157:H7. After the outbreak, visits to the animal exhibits at the fair were restricted. The San Diego County Department of Environmental Health inspectors conducted investigations at the food booths that were visited by … [Read more...]
Listeria May be Serious Miscarriage Threat in Early Pregnancy
New research conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and published in the journal mBio has found that Listeria monocytogenes food poisoning can be a serious miscarriage threat in early pregnancy. Scientists at the university's School of Veterinary Medicine studied how pathogens affect fetal development and change pregnancy outcomes. Dr. Ted Golos, a UW-Maidson reproductive physiologist and professor of comparative biosciences and obstetrics and gynecology said in a statement, "for many years, Listeria has been associated with adverse outcomes in pregnancy, but particularly at the end of pregnancy. What wasn’t known with much clarity before this study is that it appears it’s a severe risk factor in early pregnancy. It's striking that mom doesn't get particularly ill from … [Read more...]
Consumer Reports Finds Listeria in Some Brands of Leafy Greens
Consumer Reports finds Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in both bulk and bagged prewashed lettuce. This disturbing discovery highlights the fact that leafy greens have been the source of many serious multistate food poisoning outbreaks in the last few years. Researchers at the company purchased 284 samples of fresh greens at several grocery store chains, including Hannaford, Whole Foods, and Costco. The samples included lettuce, spinach, and kale. The company found six leafy greens samples that were tainted with Listeria monocytogenes. Two specific products that tested positive for the pathogen were packaged, prewashed greens made of spinach, and an organic spinach-spring mix. The remaining four products were loose heads or bunches of green kale, green leaf lettuce, spinach, and … [Read more...]
CDC Updates Pig Ear Dog Treat Salmonella Outbreak; 127 Sick
The multistate pig ear dog treat Salmonella outbreak has now sickened at least 127 people in 33 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Twenty-six people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. No deaths have been reported to date. Since the last update on July 17, 2019, 34 more ill persons have been added to the outbreak total. Twenty-four of these patients are children under the age of 5. The CDC and FDA are now telling people not to buy or feed any pig ear dog treats to pets, including any that you may already have in your home. People can get sick after touching the treats, or after caring for or touching dogs who ate the snack. The case count by state is: Alabama (1), Arizona (1), California (1), Colorado (3), Connecticut (1), … [Read more...]
Sisseton South Dakota E. coli Outbreak Sickens Eight Children
A Sisseton South Dakota E. coli outbreak has sickened eight children, according to news reports. The South Dakota Department of Health is investigating this outbreak. Some of the patients have been hospitalized, but we don't know how many. We also don't know if any of the children has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure that is a serious complication of an E. coli infection. Dr. Joshua Clayton, the state epidemiologist, told the Aberdeen News that the source of the pathogen has not been identified. The Department of Health was notified about the outbreak last week by either a physician or a hospital after the first infection was confirmed. And he said that the disease can be spread person-to-person. While some of the patients may have gone to … [Read more...]
Minnesota Cyclospora Outbreak: Three Restaurants Named by MDH
The Minnesota Department of Health has identified 35 lab-confirmed cases of cyclospora that are associated with three Minnesota restaurants in different areas of the state. Basil is implicated in these illnesses, according to Doug Schultz, Information Officer for the DOH. This Minnesota cyclospora outbreak may be linked to the multistate cyclospora outbreak announced by the FDA yesterday, but we don't know for sure. In the multi-state outbreak, 132 people in 11 states are sick. There are 26 lab-confirmed cases associated with City Market in Rochester, 4 lab-confirmed cases associated with Outback Steakhouse in Hermantown, and 5 lab-confirmed cases associated with a conference held in Duluth that was catered by Duluth Grill. Minnesota is one of the states named in the FDA … [Read more...]
Siga Logistics Basil Imported From Mexico May Be Source of Cyclospora Outbreaks
There are now six cyclospora outbreaks sickening people in several states around the country. What is the culprit? Past outbreaks have been linked to lettuce, raspberries, and cilantro. We may have an answer today: the FDA has just released information stating that there is a multistate outbreak of cyclospora illnesses potentially linked to Siga Logistics basil. The full company name is Siga Logistics de RL de CV that is located in Morelos, Mexico. The investigation is ongoing, but CDC's analysis of epidemiologic information indicates that the contaminated fresh basil is the likely cause of the illnesses. Fresh basil available at points of sale where people got sick was exported into the country by Siga Logistics. The FDA is working with the firm to facilitate a recall. These … [Read more...]
