A study conducted at Weill Cornell Medical College has found that a toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium perfringens may be a trigger for the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease. The study was presented at the American Society for Microbiology meeting last week. Clostridium perfringens causes a million cases of foodborne illness every year in this country. The bacteria produces a toxin that the researchers found for the first time in MS patients. Dr. K Rashid Rumah, the study's first author, said in a statement, "this bacterium produces a toxin that we normally think humans never encounter. That we identified this bacterium in a human is important enough, but the fact that it is present in MS patients is truly significant because the toxin targets the … [Read more...]
Creating a Probiotic Chicken
A research team working at the Institute of Food Research in the UK has been looking into coating chicken feathers with probiotics to combat pathogenic bacteria. The research is published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Lactobacillus johnsonii is applied to the coat and feathers of the chicken. Researchers discovered this then excludes Clostridium perfringens from the chicken's intestines. That bacteria causes necrotic enteritis in the poultry and sickens humans. The bacteria has a "coat" made of exopolysaccharides (EPS) that help the bacteria fend off stress and aid colonization. Scientists think that the EPS coat helps it outcompete C. perfringens. When chickens are slaughtered, bacteria in their intestines can easily contaminate the flesh. And in the U.S. and in the UK, … [Read more...]
Source of Outbreak In Pueblo, Colo. Is Foodborne, Caterer Is Closed
The source of an outbreak that sickened 35 people who attended a community health luncheon in Pueblo, Colo. is foodborne, and the company that catered the event has been closed for multiple violations, according to the Pueblo City-County Health Department. On Tuesday, April 24, 80 people gathered to attend the Community Health Center Annual Meeting. Afterward, 35 of them became ill. Results of a stool sample test performed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) were positive for Clostridium perfringens. Clostridium perfringens is a bacteria that causes diarrhea and abdominal cramping if ingested. Symptoms usually develop six to 24 hours after exposure and last for about a day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most … [Read more...]
