Salmonella Blog - Surveillance & analysis on salmonella news & outbreaks

Health officials are warning parents that a nasty stomach virus is making its way through the county's daycare centers -- sending at least six children to the hospital. At least two caretakers at the centers also have been infected. Many more infants and toddlers have similar symptoms but have not been tested for the virus.

Preschool children at 25 of 185 centers have had symptoms of rotavirus, a contagious virus that's symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and a low-grade fever, health officials said. The six children were hospitalized due to dehydration. Health officials would not release the names or locations of the 25 centers with sick children.

"It's throughout the county -- High Point, Greensboro, (and other) areas," said Christine Murdock, the Guilford County Department of Public Health's child care preschool nursing supervisor.

The health department is also closely monitoring the centers and reviewing hygiene procedures such as proper hand-washing, diaper changing and food handling techniques. The department will be offering classes for child care providers as well.

The Guilford County Department of Public Health is confirming an increased number of diarrhea illnesses in county child-care centers over the past several weeks. Symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting and fever among children and center workers have occurred in 25 child-care centers, officials said. Some child-care classrooms have experienced multiple incidents of diarrhea.

Six documented cases of laboratory-confirmed rotavirus have been recorded with six children requiring hospitalization. Two documented cases of laboratory-confirmed salmonella have also been recorded, according to officials. A number of unconfirmed cases of rotavirus have been noted.

A letter alerting county pediatricians, family and urgent care practices to this situation was sent Thursday. The letter asks physicians to notify the Department of Public Health if an increase in diarrhea illness or testing is occurring in their offices.

Trevor Suslow, an Extension postharvest pathology specialist at the University of California, Davis, detailed how growers can establish GAPs for their operations in a presentation during the 33rd Annual Almond Industry Conference in Modesto, California.

In response to recalls of contaminated almonds in 2001 and 2004, the Almond Board of California adopted in 2004 a voluntary action plan for growers, hullers and shellers, and handlers to reduce microbial contamination from bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli.

The board anticipates a mandatory monitoring program in 2006 after the industry completes research and procedures, including steps for pasteurization of raw, unprocessed almonds. Jacobs said the program will not become mandatory until the industry has the capacity to comply with the regulations.

In pointing the way to adopt GAPs, Suslow said they extend beyond microbial issues to address an array of chemical and physical contaminants, along with allergens and toxins.

The ABC has identified four major areas of concern for on-farm contamination for almond growers:

First, contamination of water used for irrigation or foliar sprays can be avoided by growers identifying sources such as unsafe water routes, shared water pipelines or canals, and seasonal effects on the supply.

Second, manure used as fertilizer should be adequately composted, even though ABC does not recommend the use of manure. The orchard floor should be considered "a food contact surface" and growers should only apply properly composed manure after harvest and before January 1. Manure should not be applied during the growing season. Store manure away from the orchard and place physical barriers to prevent runoff into water sources, the orchard, or other areas where contamination could occur. Clean all equipment used in handling manure and incorporate the material into the soil when it is applied.

Third, droppings from domestic and wild animals, including birds and rodents, which can be spread in irrigation water or by human activity, are a source of contamination. Pets should be kept out of orchards and an effective rodent management program should be implemented.

The fourth source of contamination is poor human hygiene caused by inadequate toilet and hand washing facilities. Toilets should be placed within one-quarter-mile of the orchard work area. Place toilets to minimize risk of contamination of the orchard, equipment, irrigation water, or any other area that could lead to contamination.

New research indicates chives might fight food poisoning.

Laboratory tests at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University have shown that chive extracts had strong antibiotic activity against dozens of salmonella strains, which comprise one of the leading causes of food-borne illness.

Researchers said chive extracts might provide a natural alternative to artificial preservatives to guard against food poisoning.

Chances are higher today than they were just a few years ago that the chicken you buy will be contaminated with the bacteria salmonella. But the government hasn't been doing much about the situation because it lacks the authority.

Critics of government policy say there is a link between the lack of government action and the 80 percent increase in the number of chickens contaminated with salmonella since 2000. Richard Raymond, the undersecretary of agriculture for food safety, recently testified before Congress on an annual administration appropriations and the agency's proposed new initiative to reduce salmonella in chicken.

Last year, the government said that 16.3 percent of all chickens were contaminated with salmonella. The New York Times reports the level of salmonella-infected chickens was as high as 20 percent in the 1990s, and dropped to 9.1 percent in 2000.

The chicken industry denies any connection between the lack of enforcement and the increase in contamination rates, but it agrees that salmonella levels have been going in the wrong direction. In the last month, the USDA has announced a more concentrated testing program that it hopes will bring down levels of salmonella.

Originally the program included the threat that companies consistently failing to meet agency standards would be placed on a list to be made public. That threat has been removed, but Raymond said the possibility of a list will be reexamined in a year.

USDA statistics indicate there has been a steady increase in Salmonella contamination in poultry over the last five years. Salmonella is a difficult pathogen for the poultry industry to combat, because it is naturally present in birds, and difficult to eliminate.

The latest data on poultry contamination compiled by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service shows that about 16 percent of poultry tested positive for Salmonella last year - an 80 percent increase since 2000, when 9 percent of poultry tested positive. The highest rates of contamination were found in ground turkey and broiler chickens.

The CDC estimates that 1.4 million people get sick from Salmonella in the US each year, with about 400 deaths. But epidemiologists are increasingly concerned about the spread of strains of some drug-resistant Salmonella in animals.

Consumer groups say the increasing cases of Salmonella contamination show the need for Congress to tighten food inspection laws to give the USDA greater authority to shut down plants that aren't taking adequate measures to control the spread of pathogens.

The European Union has embarked on an aggressive program of controlling pathogens in food, and claims this year that Salmonella pathogens were found in 10 percent of poultry.

Salmonella is a microscopic bacterium that lives in the intestinal tracts of animals and people. An infection, usually transmitted by contaminated food, can make you quite sick.

Many raw foods contain salmonella, including uncooked chicken and other forms of poultry. But the good news is that proper cooking usually kills it, says the CDC.

Salmonella also can be found in beef, milk and eggs. There's no treatment for salmonella infections, but they usually run their course in five to seven days, reports HealthDay News.

To prevent them, wash your hands after preparing food, and don't eat raw or uncooked meat or eggs. Also make sure you wash your hands after handling certain reptiles, such as small turtles sold in pet stores. The turtles' feces often harbor the bacteria.

Sanitized cantaloupes have been found to still be susceptible to Salmonella recontamination.

Research was undertaken to determine the effects of sanitizer and hot water treatments on microbial populations on cantaloupe surfaces and to determine whether prior decontamination of melons by sanitizer treatment affects vulnerability to recontamination by Salmonella.

The results of a study clearly showed that sanitized cantaloupes are susceptible to recontamination if exposed to a human bacterial pathogen during subsequent handling, concluded the authors. The research has been published in the journal Food Microbiology.

Serenade Foods has recalled approximately 75,600 pounds of frozen stuffed raw chicken entrees. Because of the product's frozen state, the product label, and cooked appearance of the product, consumers may incorrectly assume that these products are cooked, according to USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. FSIS said the stuffed entrees may have been contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis, a bacteria that causes human illness.

The recalled products must be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F. However, FSIS is concerned that consumers may not cook these products to a safe temperature.

"It is important for consumers to properly cook all meat and poultry products that are not fully pre-cooked during the manufacturing process," FSIS said. "Because the recalled products are stuffed with additional ingredients, they likely take longer to cook than chicken breasts that do not contain fillings to reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Failure to properly cook the recalled products to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F has led to a number of cases of salmonellosis in Minnesota.”

The problem was discovered by a Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Agriculture investigation into reported food-borne illnesses related to these products. The Minnesota Department of Health contacted FSIS after receiving positive S. enteritidis test results of the products. The frozen stuffed chicken entrees were distributed to retail establishments nationwide.

FSIS is aiming to reduce the presence of Salmonella in raw meat and poultry products. The initiative will include concentrating resources at establishments with higher levels of Salmonella and changes to the reporting and utilization of FSIS Salmonella verification test results.

The effort is patterned after the highly successful FSIS initiative to reduce the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef. The FSIS E. coli O157:H7 initiative led to a 40 percent reduction in human illnesses associated with the pathogen, according to the CDC.

Since 2002, FSIS has seen an increase in Salmonella positive samples in broilers. Although the overall percentage of positive samples in verification testing of broilers is still below national baseline prevalence figures, the recent upward trend is of concern to the Agency.

According to the strategy, FSIS will now provide the results of its Salmonella performance standard testing to establishments as soon as they become available on a sample-by-sample basis. This will enable establishments to more readily identify and respond to needed process control in the slaughter-dressing operation. Receiving individual sample results soon after the samples are taken will help establishments in their assessment of whether their slaughter dressing procedures are adequate for pathogen reduction.

Sushi King's lunch opening was short-lived because the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services realized two employees had not been cleared to return to work. The two workers had tested negative once, but the department requires two negative stool samples. The second sample is being tested at a Little Rock lab.

After extensive testing, the Health Department did not find any salmonella bacteria at Sushi King. There is no definite date when the lab results will be available, but the first tests were clean. When the second tests come back clean, the restaurant can be reopened.

Easter brings to mind brightly colored eggs, baskets full of candy, and large chocolate bunnies. Traditions associated with the Easter season are enjoyable for children and adults alike. However, some Easter traditions are of particular concern for children, placing them at risk for serious illness.

Baby animals, including baby chicks and ducks, are sometimes given as gifts or put on display at this time. Because they are so soft and cute, many people do not realize the potential danger baby chicks and ducklings can be to small children. Young birds often carry harmful bacteria called Salmonella. Each spring, some children become infected with Salmonella after receiving a baby chick or duckling for Easter.

Harmful bacteria such as salmonella are carried in the chick's and duckling's intestine contaminates their environment and the entire surface of the animal. Children can be exposed to the bacteria by simply holding, cuddling, or kissing the birds. Children are most susceptible to infection because they are more likely than others to put their fingers into their mouths and because their immune systems are still developing.

Others at increased risk include persons with HIV/AIDS, pregnant women, the elderly and other immunocompromised persons.

At this time, the federal government has no restrictions concerning the sale of chicks and ducklings. State governments have recognized the risk of Salmonella to young children and have passed restrictions for pet stores and local agencies that prohibit the sale of baby chicks around Easter.

Sushi King owners plan to reopen today, more than two weeks after voluntarily closing when 139 people reported illness from salmonella contamination after eating there last month.

John Wei said he's basically opening a new restaurant after throwing out his food stock and "quadruple" washing and sanitizing other items.

Wei said customers will see new stickers on their take-out food when he reopens. The stickers will recommend a time frame for consumption, he said. Also, he plans to throw away sushi rice more quickly.

Food taken from the restaurant didn't test positive for salmonella, but Ann Wright, department spokeswoman for the Arkansas Health and Human Services Department said the department didn't get samples until days after people who were sickened ate at the restaurant.

The government declined to alert the public about suspect ground beef or request a recall after a 2004 salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 31 people nationwide, according to a report by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The department decided no action was needed because the plant was following federal guidelines. The CDC did not name the plant or supermarket chain.

The report, made public Wednesday by food safety advocates, said the Agriculture Department traced illnesses in nine states - Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., to a national supermarket chain and a single meat processing plant.

Carol Tucker Foreman, director of food policy for Consumer Federation of America, and other food safety advocates called attention to the report on the outbreak that was issued by CDC late last month. They said the department could have taken steps to prevent more people from getting sick but chose not to.

"They never announced this outbreak," said Donna Rosenbaum of Safe Tables Our Priority. "I would guess there are a number of cases of this that could have been avoided. It ran from August to October, so this was in people's refrigerators and in their freezers."
 

The USDA has announced a new initiative to reduce Salmonella contamination in raw meat and poultry, mainly by focusing more effort on processing facilities that need improvement and reporting test results faster.

A steady increase in Salmonella in broiler chickens tested by the USDA since 2002 is among the reasons for the initiative, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in announcing the program on Feb 23. About 16% of broiler samples tested positive in 2005.

The FSIS said it will concentrate its resources on facilities with higher levels of Salmonella and will provide sample-by-sample test results to facilities as soon as they become available.
 

Extensive tests have to failed determine the source of salmonella found in alfalfa products, which affected 120 people across Perth.

Western Australia's Health Department launched an investigation into the Parilla Fresh factory in Hamilton Hill last month. The factory was forced to halt production as alfalfa products were recalled. But despite tests on the factory's seeds, production process and workers, investigators have found no sign of salmonella.

Health Department spokesman Paul Van Buynder says authorities will still monitor the factory's production, which is expected to restart in a few weeks.