Salmonella Blog - Surveillance & analysis on salmonella news & outbreaks

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service has announced a comprehensive initiative to reduce salmonella in raw meat and poultry products.

The initiative will include concentrating resources at facilities with higher levels of salmonella and change the reporting and utilization of FSIS's salmonella verification test results. The effort is patterned after the FSIS initiative to reduce the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef, which led to a 40 percent reduction in human illnesses associated with the pathogen, according to the CDC.

According to the new strategy, FSIS will now provide results of its salmonella performance standard testing to establishments as soon as they become available on a sample-by-sample basis. In addition, the agency will plan to have the serotype of salmonella found in positive samples determined more quickly in order to notify the establishment and monitor and investigate illness outbreaks. These results also could provide useful information about trends in salmonella serotypes to prevent outbreaks.

FSIS will also begin quarterly posting on its Web site of the nationwide aggregate results of all sample results to give consumers more complete and timely information about salmonella trends.
 

Samples in broilers, ground chicken and ground turkey testing positive for salmonella at US slaughter and processing plants have surged since 2002. As a result, poultry and meat processors face a safety crack down after the USDA proposed a more aggressive testing program to bring down the recent spike in Salmonella cases at their plants.

Broilers had the highest rates of salmonella, with 16.3 per cent of samples testing positive in 2005, up from 11.5 per cent in 2002.

"Our goal is to work proactively to reduce the presence of salmonella on raw products before plants develop a pattern of poor performance," USDA under secretary for food safety Richard Raymond stated. "FSIS will more quickly report testing results and target establishments needing improvement, providing timely information to both consumers and industry."

The FSIS plans to concentrating its testing at plants with higher levels of Salmonella. The unit will also make changes to the reporting and use of the FSIS' Salmonella verification test results. Where FSIS has performed food safety assessments at plants that have persistently poor performance records for controlling Salmonella, there has been a dramatic reduction in the levels of the pathogen, the agency stated.
 

In northwest Arkansas, a possible Salmonella outbreak may be linked to a Japanese restaurant. Eighty-nine people have reported the illness, and the Division of Health says an investigation into the cases has shown many may be linked to Sushi King restaurant in Bentonville.

The restaurant has since volunteered to close temporarily. Health officials say they expect Sushi King to re-open once it improves food handling practices.

USDA Agriculture Research Service scientists have found that a common water-borne protozoa protects Salmonella from lethal chemical treatments such as calcium hypohlorite. This finding could explain why some processing plant sanitation programs fail.

The ARS researchers, led by microbiologist Maria Brandl, observed that a common, water-borne protozoa known as a tetrahymena consumes live Salmonella that it encounters in the environment, FoodProduction.com reported. However, the tetrahymena cannot digest the bacteria and expels it encased in miniature pouches called food vacuoles. The encounter enhances Salmonella survival during sanitation procedures.

The data could lead to the development of new, more powerful, but more environment-friendly ways to reduce the incidence of bacteria pathogens in food. Brandl is now attempting to pinpoint genes that Salmonella bacteria turn on while inside the vacuoles.
 

Preliminary results show samples submitted by Corky and Lenny's to the Ohio Department of Health provides some insight on the cause of the recent salmonella outbreak at the Woodmere restaurant.

The preliminary results show that multiple food items and improper food preparation and/or handling were associated with the illness outbreak.

The final results remain pending.

There are 23 confirmed cases and 71 probable cases. All of the customers infected reported eating at the restaurant between Jan. 24 and Feb. 10.
 

Corky & Lenny's voluntarily closed a for temporary period this week in response to an outbreak of salmonella infection associated with the popular Woodmere deli.

As of Wednesday, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health had confirmed 20 cases of salmonella. In addition, the health board is investigating 61 "probable cases" and one "suspect case" connected to patrons of the restaurant

The front door of Corky & Lenny's is plastered with identical flyers signed by restaurant owners Earl Stein and Ken Kurland explaining: "We are sure that by now you have heard the Cuyahoga County Board of Health is investigating us. We have been in business for 50 years and this has never happened before ... once this mystery is resolved we will reopen our doors to bring back our quality of food and service to you."

Corky & Lenny's has a licensed sanitarian on staff to ensure all health procedures are followed, remarks deli co-owner Stein. Temperature logs are kept to ensure food is heated and cooled properly. Signs in the bathroom tell employees to wash their hands.

When the health board's investigation ends and the deli reopens, hopefully by the end of this week, remarks Stein, the sanitarian will be on hand every day. Asked if he's worried about the possibility of legal action from sick patrons, Stein hopes it doesn't come to that.
 

In an animal research "first," disease-causing bacteria have been found to gain strength from interaction with single-celled organisms called protozoa that are naturally present inside animals. This finding suggests that the protozoa in animals' digestive tracts may be a place where dangerous bacteria can lurk and develop.

In studies at the Agricultural Research Service National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, veterinary medical officer Steven Carlson and microbiologist Mark Rasmussen discovered that an antibiotic-resistant strain of Salmonella becomes especially virulent when tucked inside protozoa in the rumen, or first stomach, of cattle.

The strengthening of disease-causing bacteria as they occupy protozoa is a process that's been seen with free-living protozoa in places such as water-cooling towers and ponds, according to Rasmussen. This strengthening process was discovered when it was linked to an infamous and deadly 1976 outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. But the recent study marks the first time the process has been seen inside an animal, Rasmussen added.

Carlson and Rasmussen also found a way to combat DT104 by using a cleansing process, called "defaunation," which rids the rumen of protozoa.
 

A popular Woodmere restaurant remains closed this week as the board of health investigates several probable cases of salmonella.

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health said that 12 confirmed cases and 41 probable cases of salmonella were reported between Jan. 29 and Feb. 10, and officials link the cases to Corky and Lenny's Restaurant.

The CCBH provided education and training on food protection to the restaurant staff Monday, and also submitted samples of restaurant food and food handlers' stool samples to the Ohio Board of Health for analysis.

The restaurant closed voluntarily last Friday after the board of health began its investigation.
 

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health has confirmed six cases of salmonella infection and is investigating four more suspected cases in which people were sickened, allegedly after dining at the popular Woodmere restaurant Corky & Lenny's.

The first case was reported Monday, and no cases have been reported since Wednesday, McLeod said. Two people were hospitalized and have since been discharged.

The likely culprit is the restaurant's matzo ball soup, which is made with eggs and chicken fat, although health officials are checking every item on the menu, as well as testing the restaurant staff, McLeod said.

McLeod and restaurant manager Earl Stein said Corky & Lenny's is fully cooperating with the investigation. The restaurant remains open for business.
 

Salad bars can be as dangerous to your diet as fast-food restaurants if you aren't careful, say nutritionists. "I don't think people realize that with portion sizes, if you add all the items up, you can add on the calories," said Jenny Gardner, a registered and licensed dietitian with CoxHealth.

Salad bars have gained enormous popularity in the last few years as the healthiest option for eating out, but as the market grows more competitive, the salads have grown more extravagant -- and less healthful. Salad bar consumers may run into something more dangerous than calories: bacteria or viruses that can lead to illness.

The most common bacterial causes of food poisoning are staphylococcus, listeria, and campylobacter and salmonella, according to the CDC.

A local health inspector says consumers must carefully consider the food dangers of salad bars. Unlike food that is prepared to order for individual customers, food bars and salad bars can have a greater risk of making someone ill because the food sits out for long periods, said Ron Lawson, public health investigator.

Foods that sit too long at temperatures that are either too hot or too cold can cause bacteria to grow, he added. For your health, Lawson suggests you be a pro-active customer.

"If you suspect it's not hot enough, you can ask (the restaurant staff) 'Is this food on temperature control, or time control?' If they say it's on time control, ask to see documentation on that food, which will show what time the food should be discarded. If they can't show that and its obviously not hot enough, it's most obviously in violation," Lawson said.
 

Eating healthy can also mean eating safe. In North Carolina, three food borne diseases are at the top of health inspectors' list of things to prevent -- norovirus, salmonella and listeria.

"Almost everyone that acquires a listeria infection is hospitalized, and about 20 percent die," said Susan Grayson, head of the Dairy and Food Protection Branch of the Department of Environmental Health in the N.C. Department of Environmental and Natural Resources.

There are about 2,500 cases of listeria reported in the U.S. each year. Those who have weakened immune systems, such as those undergoing chemotherapy or those on immunosuppressants, are more susceptible to the disease.

While health inspections and restaurant ratings help arm customers with the information to make smart decisions about where they choose to eat out, it is up to the customer to note those ratings and pay attention to their environment. Aside from ratings, look to see how servers handle food and utensils. Do they put their fingers on the rim of drinking glasses? If you ask for an extra fork or knife, do they touch the prongs or blade rather than the handle? A sense of professionalism and care goes a long way in helping to determine what's going on behind the scenes.