The Campylobacter outbreak linked to Petland pet stores puppies has grown. Now 55 people in 12 states have been sickened. No one has died, but 13 people have been hospitalized because their illness is so severe. Sixteen more ill persons have been reported to public health officials since September 1, 2017. The most recent illness began on September 12, 2017. The case count by state is: Florida (13), Kansas (7), Maryland (1), Missouri (2), New Hampshire (1), New York (1), Ohio (22), Pennsylvania (2), Tennessee (2), Utah (1), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (1). Fourteen of those sickened are Petland employees from five states. Thirty-five patients either recently purchased a puppy at Petland, visited a Petland, or visited or live in a home with a puppy sold by Petland before they got … [Read more...]
CDC Issues Report About 2016 Campylobacter Outbreak in Clark County, WA
A Campylobacter outbreak in Clark County, Washington in 2016 was associated with undercooked chicken liver mousse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Notes from the Field about that outbreak in last week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). On July 13, 2016, Clark County Public Health received a report of diarrheal illness in four of seven members of one party who ate at a local restaurant earlier that month. The report was received through an online and phone reported system. Five people interviewed said their only shared exposure was that restaurant meal. CCPH closed the restaurant kitchen on July 13, 2016, and began an investigation. The restaurant was not named, and news of the outbreak was not released to the public. This outbreak was … [Read more...]
Petland Pet Store Puppies Linked to Campylobacter Outbreak
A multistate Campylobacter outbreak is linked to puppies purchased from Petland stores. Thirty nine people in seven states have been sickened in this outbreak. The Ohio Department of Health, the CDC, several other states, and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service are investigating the outbreak. Petland is a national pet store chain. The case count by state is: Florida (11), Kansas (5), Missouri (1), Ohio (18), Pennsylvania (2), Tennessee (1), and Wisconsin (1). Illnesses began on dates ranging from September 15, 2017 through August 12, 2017. The most recent illness was reported on September 1, 2017. Ill persons range in age from less than 1 year to 64 with a median age of 22. Twenty eight patients are female. Nine, or 23%, have been hospitalized. No deaths have been … [Read more...]
Another Campylobacter Outbreak in Seattle, Washington
Another Campylobacter outbreak in Seattle, Washington has been identified by King County Public Health. This outbreak is associated with a private party that was held on June 24, 2017. Public Health was informed about the illnesses on August 10. Two people have been sickened with lab-confirmed Campylobacter infections. Each case said that there were "multiple other ill persons" associated with the same party. Public health officials did not interview the other sick people to confirm details. The food for the party was prepared in the home. One of the foods on the menu was chicken, which has been associated with Campylobacter outbreaks in the past. But this chicken was purchased pre-cooked and was cooked a second time. Officials have not identified a single food item as a … [Read more...]
Campylobacter Outbreak Associated with Cafe Juanita in Washington State
A Campylobacter outbreak that has sickened two people is associated with Cafe Juanita in Kirkland, Washington state. A single meal was consumed by a party there on June 24, 2017. On July 24, Public Health King County learned about two ill persons during an interview with one of them who had been diagnosed with this type of food poisoning. King County did not confirm the second illness until August 16, 2017. No other ill persons have been identified. The patients shared many food items, including foie gras. This food has been linked to other Campylobacter outbreaks in the past, especially when it is eaten raw or undercooked. Public Health's Environmental Health Inspectors visited the restaurant on August 17, 2017. During the field inspection, officials saw the cooking process … [Read more...]
CDPH Releases Info about 2015 Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreak
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has released an investigation about the 2015 Campylobacter outbreak associated with Claravale Farm brand raw milk. In March 2015, the CDPH Infectious Diseases Brand identified three patients who live in Santa Cruz County with Campylobacter infections. All three patients reported consuming Claravale brand raw milk before they got sick. Eventually, seven total case patients were identified. One lived in Marin County, one in Orange County, and five in Santa Cruz county. Two of those patients were hospitalized. Illness onset dates ranged from February 16 to March 25, 2017. Campylobacter isolates were collected from three of the patients and analyzed by pulsed field-gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Those isolates all had the same primary … [Read more...]
Campylobacter Outbreak Linked to OH Sweet Grass Dairy Raw Milk
The Ohio Department of Agriculture is issuing a health alert for unpasteurized raw milk and raw milk products that may be contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria. The products are from Sweet Grass Dairy's herd share. That dairy is in Knox County at 6049 Bryant Road in Fredericktown. There is no word on how many people have been sickened, the patient age range, or whether or not anyone has been hospitalized. The last Campylobacter outbreak linked to raw milk was in September 2016. In that outbreak, at least 20 people were sickened in Pueblo, Colorado. A herd share is a system where people buy into a dairy farmers herd, then share in the products the cows produce. This is a way to get around the ban on raw milk sales in many states. The sale of unpasteurized milk is illegal in … [Read more...]
Campylobacter Infections Rise in EU for Sixth Straight Year
The number of reported cases of campylobacteriosis in the European Union rose for the sixth straight year in 2014, according to the latest annual report by European Food Safety Authority and European Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC). In 2014, Campylobacter was the most commonly reported source of food poisoning bacteria in the European Union. There were 236,851 cases reported, a 9.6 percent increase from 2013. It was the sixth straight year that the number of confirmed cases rose. Campylobacter is bacteria that is transferred via the fecal-oral route, meaning those who develop Campylobacter infections have ingested microscopic amounts of animal feces. In the E.U., most cases were associated with broiler chicken meat. Of 6,703 samples of fresh broiler meat … [Read more...]
Campylobacter Outbreak Reported at Blair Academy in New Jersey
The New Jersey Herald is reporting that the Warren County Health Department confirmed about 30 people at Blair Academy have been sickened with Campylobacter infections. This is a private boarding and day high school located in Blairstown. Illnesses have been reported since mid-November, 2015. Nearly all of the cases have "resolved" within days, according to the story. Susan Logan, spokeswoman for Blair Academy, emailed parents about this outbreak. Her statement said "In November, our health center saw an increased incidence of gastrointestinal-related illnesses and alerted all parents by email on November 20 prior to students leaving campus for Thanksgiving break. Late that weekend, we found out that several of those who experienced symptoms tested positive for Campylobacter. Upon … [Read more...]
CDC: Raw Milk Caused 85 Percent of Dairy Outbreaks in 2013
Raw milk products were the source of 85 percent of all food poisoning outbreaks linked to dairy products in 2013, according to report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A total of 20 dairy outbreaks were reported that year for which pasteurization information was available. Of those, 17 were linked to unpasteurized products. The other three were Listeria outbreaks linked to pasteurized soft cheeses. Campylobacter was the most common bacterial source of the raw milk outbreaks causing nine outbreaks, 114 illnesses and five hospitalizations. In the last nine months, there have been at least three Campylobacter raw milk outbreaks. The most recent outbreak has been linked to raw goat milk from Claravale Farms. Three children, all under the age of 5, have been … [Read more...]
