A Q fever raw milk warning has been issued by Missouri County Public Health in Montana after two cows tested positive for the pathogen Coxiella burnetii, the bacteria that causes the illness. Milk that was recently sold at a local farmers market came from that herd. While one of the cows had not yet produced milk, the other produced about 10% of the farmer's yield. The farm was not named. Environmental Health Director Shannon Therriault said in a statement, "We don’t know if the cow was shedding the bacteria at the time it was milked, or if that cow’s milk was sold at the farmers market. So we can’t say for sure whether anyone was exposed. However, what we do know is that unpasteurized milk can contain harmful bacteria that can make you and your loved ones sick. "While … [Read more...]
10 Foodborne Illness Outbreaks Linked to Raw Milk In 2011
Massachusetts health officials are trying to determine if tainted raw milk was the source of a case of brucellosis, a disease so rare in the U.S. that a New Hampshire case once prompted a bioterror investigation. This is one of the 10 foodborne illness outbreaks linked to raw milk in 2011. Normally seen in countries that lack good public health or animal health programs, brucellosis is caused by the Brucellla bacteria. It's been decades since Brucella has been found in Massachusetts livestock, state agriculture officials said. Drinking raw milk is one way humans can contract brucellosis and a number of other serious infections that can cause kidney failure, heart problems, nerve damage, paralyzation and death In 2011, there were at least 10 foodborne illness outbreaks linked to … [Read more...]
