With the Center for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report report release detailing how foodborne illness increased by 65% in 2018 compared to 2015-2017, people are starting to think about the bacteria Campylobacter. This pathogen was the most common cause of bacterial foodborne illness in the United States in 2018, causing 19.5 illnesses per 100,000 people. How do you know if you have a Campylobacter infection? Most of these cases are not part of outbreaks, which are defined as two or more unrelated people sickened by the same strain of pathogen. About 14 cases are diagnosed per 100,000 people in this country every year. About 1,300,000 Americans are sickened by Campylobacter every year. In 2015, a Campylobacter outbreak in Northern California was associated … [Read more...]
Foodborne Illnesses Increased in 2018 Compared to 2015-2017
Foodborne illnesses increased in 2018 compared to the period of 2015-2017, according to a new report by the Center for Disease Control for its Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report for the week of April 26, 2019. The report states that this increase may are partially attributable to increased culture-independent diagnostic tests (CIDTs). CIDT identifies pathogens that were not routinely detected by other methods. During 2018, FoodNet identified 25,606 infections, 5,893 hospitalizations, and 120 deaths. The incidence of cyclospora infections increased "markedly," in 2018 because there were several large outbreaks associated with produce. And the number of illnesses caused by Campylobacter and Salmonella remain high. FoodNet surveils the population for lab-diagnosed infections … [Read more...]
What Are the Common Symptoms of Food Poisoning?
Given that 48,000,000 Americans are sickened with food poisoning every year in this country, every American has most likely had food poisoning. But many people confuse the symptoms of these illnesses with the "24 hour flu" or "stomach flu." As a result, some patients could be undiagnosed and untreated, and develop the long term consequences of these illnesses without even knowing they had been sickened by these pathogens. What are the symptoms of food poisoning? At this time, there are five ongoing multistate food poisoning outbreaks in the U.S. An E. coli O103 outbreak is linked to ground beef, a Salmonella Carrau outbreak is linked to precut melons, a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak is linked to deli meats and cheeses, and a Salmonella Newport outbreak is linked to raw … [Read more...]
Valley Milk Simply Bottled Raw Milk Recalled for Possible Campylobacter in CA
Raw milk that was produced and packaged by Valley Milk Simply Bottled in Stanislaus County, California is being recalled for possible Campylobacter contamination. The farm's packaged raw whole milk was sampled and tested by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the lab confirmed detection of the pathogen. The raw milk is sold in one gallon plastic drugs. Any milk that was purchased or received 3/11/19 through 3/19/19 should be discarded. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this issue. Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized. In the past few years, there have been many recalls of raw milk and raw milk products for possible pathogen contamination. A 2015 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found … [Read more...]
Raw Dog Food Can Be Risky For Humans and Pets
According to a new study published in Veterinary Record, raw meat based diets for dogs pose a threat to humans and the dogs because they can be contaminated with pathogens such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Clostridium, and Enterobacteriaceae. The study showed that some of these raw products have high levels of pathogens. Many recalls of frozen raw pet foods have been issued in the United States over the past few years. Those products have also been linked to human illnesses. In 2018, one person was sickened with a Salmonella infection after feeding a family pet Darwin's Natural raw ground chicken pet food. That product tested positive for E. coli O128, Salmonella, and/or Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. And in January 2019, a Salmonella patient in Minnesota prompted a recall … [Read more...]
GAO Says USDA Should Cut More Pathogens in Meat and Poultry
On April 18, 2018, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that the USDA should take more action to cut pathogens in meat and poultry products it regulates. That agency develops standards to limit the amount of pathogens in products it regulates. But, no standards have been set for products such as pork chops, ground pork, and turkey breasts. And the report states that the agency's process for deciding which products should have new standards for pathogens is not clear. In addition, the pathogen standards for ground beef, beef carcasses, and pork carcasses have not been updated since 1996. At that time, the standards were set at industry-wide prevalence levels, not at levels that may protect human health. Standards for other products are outdated, according to the report, … [Read more...]
Raw Milk From Conoco View Dairy in Blain, PA Recalled for Possible Campylobacter
Raw whole milk from Conoco View Dairy in Blain, in Perry County Pennsylvania is being recalled for possible Campylobacter contamination, according to a press release issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Tests completed during routine sampling found the pathogenic bacteria. The plastic half gallon and gallon containers of the whole milk were sold in Perry County at Newport Health Foods, Leid’s Market, Skyline Market, Mountain Supply, and The Pantry, and at Castle Creek Farm in York County. The on-farm market sold the milk in glass half gallon containers. The milk has a sell by date of February 16, 2018. No confirmed reports of illness have been received to date in connection with this recall. Raw milk can be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria such as … [Read more...]
Raw Chicken Necks are Linked to APN Paralysis in Dogs
According to a study conducted at the University of Melbourne, raw chicken necks have been linked to a potentially fatal form of paralysis. The illness is called acute polyradiculoneuritis (APN), which shares similarities with Guillain-Barre syndrome in humans. The bacteria in question is Campylobacter. Scientists studied 27 client-owned dogs suffering from suspected APN and 47 healthy dogs. The researchers collected fecal samples from each dog and performed direct culture, DNA extraction, and polymerase chain retain to look for Campylobacter. The research revealed that dogs with APN were 9.4 times more likely to be positive for Campylobacter species compared to dogs in the control group. And a significant association was found between dogs affected by APN and the consumption of … [Read more...]
IFSAC Releases Foodborne Illness Source Attribution Estimates for 2013 for Salmonella, E. coli O157, Listeria, and Campylobacter
The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC) has released foodborne illness source attribution estimates for 2013 for four bacteria: Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter. This agency is a collaboration between the CDC, the FDA, and the USDA-FSIS. The agency identifies foods that are important causes of human illness. It focuses its efforts on those four bacteria, which are responsible for most food poisoning illnesses in the United States. The CDC estimates that these four pathogens cause 1.9 million foodborne illness cases every year. They base that estimate by calculating the most common food sources that are linked to illnesses. Overall, about 9,000,000 Americans are sickened with food poisoning. More than 56,000 are … [Read more...]
Why Doesn’t Everyone Who Drinks Raw Milk Get Sick?
Over the years, Food Poisoning Bulletin has received many, many messages from people defending raw milk consumption. Every one of these messages has used the claim, "I have drunk raw milk for years and I have never gotten sick." There are several problems with that statement: one is the logical fallacy of a small sample size. But first, some history. There is a Salmonella outbreak that was just discovered in Washington state. Raw milk from Pride & Joy Dairy has teated positive for a rare strain of Salmonella Dublin that sickened and hospitalized two people in that state in January 2017. The dairy's license to sell raw milk was pulled by the Washington State Department of Health. Raw milk has been consumed by people for many years. And many people have been sickened and … [Read more...]
