Every time there is an outbreak and the cause or pathogen is not immediately apparent, investigators have several clues they can use to help them solve it. One is the incubation period, of the time between when a person eats contaminated food and they start getting sick. These facts are complicated by the fact that most people think the last thing they ate made them sick, which is often not the case. What are common food poisoning pathogen incubation periods? All pathogens have different incubation periods that can range from hours to days or even weeks and months. While there is always a range, these incubation periods are true across all outbreaks. Common Food Poisoning Pathogen Incubation Periods Bacillus cereus can cause illness especially in foods that have been sitting out … [Read more...]
Raw Oysters Sold by DiCarlo Seafood Linked to Outbreak Recalled
Raw oysters that are linked to a multistate, multi pathogen food poisoning outbreak have been recalled, according to the California Department of Public Health. The recalling firm is DiCarlo Seafood of Wilmington, California. At least 16 people who live in 5 states are sick in this outbreak. The pathogens involved are Shigella, Vibrio, E. coli, Campylobacter, and norovirus. Some of the patients are sick with more than one pathogen. Two people have been hospitalized because their illness is so severe. The patients live in Alaska, California, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Nevada. The DiCarlo Seafood imported raw oysters were harvested from Estero El Cardon in Baja California Sur, Mexico. They were sold at restaurants in California. We know they were sold at Fish Market Restaurant at … [Read more...]
Oysters From Mexico Linked to Multistate Shigella Vibrio Outbreak
Oysters from Mexico are linked to a multistate Shigella, Vibrio, E. coli, Campylobacter, and norovirus outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some patients were sickened with more than one pathogen. This outbreak was reported by the California Department of Public Health on May 7, 2019; all of the patients at that time lived in California. Now 16 people from five states are ill in this outbreak. Two people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. No deaths have been reported. One recall, by DiCarlo Seafood in Wilmington, California, has been issued. The case count by state is: Alaska (1), California (12), Illinois (1), New Hampshire (1), and Nevada (1). Illness onset dates range from December 16, 2018 to April 4, 2019. The patient age … [Read more...]
Vibrio Shigella E. coli Outbreak Linked to Raw Oysters in California
A Vibrio Shigella E. coli and norovirus outbreak linked to raw oysters from Baja California Sur, Mexico has sickened at least 12 people in California, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Those twelve patients reported illnesses in February, March, and April 2019 after consuming raw oysters that were sold by restaurants and retailers in Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara, and San Diego counties. The raw oysters were sold throughout the state. Lab testing was performed on isolates from eight cases. Officials identified Vibrio parahaemolyticus in three patients, Vibrio albensis in one, an unidentified species of Vibrio in one patient, Shigella flexneri serotype 1 in two patients, and norovirus. In addition, one of the people infected with Vibrio … [Read more...]
Raw Milk: A Risky Food
It never ceases to amaze me why people drink raw milk. Raw milk, as all should know, is unpasteurized. Pasteurization is the process by which milk, juices and other products are heated in order to kill off dangerous pathogens. Without pasteurization, bacteria that harm or even kill people remain in the milk. Pasteurization, a simple procedure that’s been used for about 150 years, is absolutely effective. Pasteurization does not affect the taste of milk. It does not reduce or degrade milk’s beneficial and nutritional qualities. Any claims that it does have been debunked by scientists and physicians. The only people who claim raw milk is good for you are people who ignore science. The only people who claim pasteurization makes milk less nutritious ignore science. This is … [Read more...]
What You Need to Know About Shigellosis
Shigella has been making headlines recently with outbreaks in California and Texas. Although it sickens an estimated half million Americans each year, many people are unfamiliar with the bacteria. Here's what you need to know. Shigella is highly contagious. People who have a Shigella infection, called shigellosis, should stay home. There are four species of Shigella. Shigella sonnei - the most common in the U.S., Shigella flexneri, Shigella boydii, and Shigella dysenteriae - which causes deadly epidemics but is rare in the U.S.. Nationwide, about 500,000 cases of shigellosis are reported annually. Unlike Norovirus, which is also highly contagious, Shigella doesn't have a “season.” (Norovirus season is form October through February.) Shigella affects people of all ages, but … [Read more...]
Shigellosis Strikes Lubbock TX Schools and Daycares
Daycare centers and schools in Lubbock, Texas have reported an increase in the number of reported cases of shigellosis. Typically, only a few cases of the highly contagious bacterial infection are reported each month, but since September 1, 71 conformed cases have been reported. Shigella is spread person-to-person, when unwashed or inadequately washed hands of an infected person touch food that is eaten by others or items which are then handled by others. Symptoms of an infection, which include fever, vomiting and stomach cramps, usually develop within one to three days of exposure and last up to seven days. Shigellosis is highly contagious. Anyone who has it should remain at home to help prevent the spread of illness. Good hand washing is the best defense against shigellosis. … [Read more...]
Mariscos San Juan Shigella Outbreak Sickens 141
A Shigella outbreak at the San Jose restaurant has sickened 141 people and reports of additional illness are still coming in, according to public health department. Many people were hospitalized; 12 were admitted to intensive care. Almost all of those who became ill ate at the San Jose restaurant located at 205 N. 4th Street in San Jose on Friday, October 16 or Saturday, October 17. The origin of the outbreak has not yet been determined. Health officials are expecting results of tests on all food handlers this week. Most of cases, 118, are from Santa Clara County, the other 23 cases are from Alameda, Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. Forty nine of the case are lab-confirmed; 35 of those are Santa Clara County residents. All of the cultures have come back as Shigella sonnei, the most … [Read more...]
Drug Resistant Shigella Outbreak Strikes 32 States
An outbreak of drug-resistant shigellosis originating with travel outside the U.S. then spreading here sickened 157 people in 32 states and Puerto Rico between May 2014 and February 2015, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A related outbreak in San Francisco sickened another 86 people. At least 19 people were hospitalized. Tests performed by the CDC's National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory determined Shigella strains from this cluster of illnesses were resistant to ciprofloxacin, the antibiotic recommended for treatment of shigellosis, the illness caused by the Shigella bacteria. In the U.S., about 500,000 cases of shigellosis are reported each year. This disease is spread via the fecal-oral route meaning … [Read more...]
Shigella at Zov’s in Irvine Prompts Brief Closure
A cluster of four Shigella illnesses prompted a brief closure of Zov’s restaurant in Irvine Wednesday. Those sickened ate at Zov’s on Portola between September 16-22. During the closure, the staff of Zov’s discarded all its fresh produce and ready-to-eat foods and sanitized the restaurant. The staff, which cannot return to work until they are cleared by the health department, was temporarily replaced with employees from other Zov’s locations in Orange County. The staff was also given training in proper hand washing as Shigella infections are transmitted when food contaminated with microscopic amounts of feces from an infected person is eaten. Symptoms of a Shigella infection include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever lasting five to seven days. Anyone who ate at the restaurant and … [Read more...]
