Recent news posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked a 14 person Salmonella Infantis outbreak to dry dog food. The possible source of the dog food is Diamond Pet Foods operating out of South Carolina. Nine states have reported victims including Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The initial reported illness occurred on October 8, 2011 and the most recent was reported on April 22, 2012. And while over three quarters of the victims were women, only five have been hospitalized. The CDC has reported recalls of certain packages of Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice, Diamond Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula, and Diamond Puppy Formula. Additional information on these recalls can be found on the Food and Drug Administration’s recall website.

Pet owners can come in contact with Salmonella bacteria from their pet’s food source or from the pet themselves. Salmonella bacteria can cause gastrointestinal problems for both humans and their animal companions. Cross contamination with other food is also a possibility if the bacteria travels from the pet food source into one’s kitchen. Any recalled dog food suspected of being contaminated with Salmonella bacteria should be immediately thrown away.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been following the Salmonella Bareilly and Nchanga outbreaks. A recent update regarding their investigation puts the number of sick individuals at over 200. New York has been the hardest his thus far. The outbreak investigation has determined that a possible source is  frozen raw yellowfin tuna product. This product is also referred to as Nakaochi Scrape. The company in question is Moon Marine USA Corporation. Currently, the investigation is ongoing. While illnesses which have been deemed linked by the investigators appear to have originated in January 2012, a spike in case numbers was seen in late March. Highlights from the CDC’s article are reprinted below.

Based on an epidemiological link and results of laboratory testing, CDC has combined this Salmonella Bareilly investigation with an ongoing multistate outbreak investigation of Salmonella serotype Nchanga infections. The two associated PFGE patterns have been grouped together as the “outbreak strains.”
A total of 200 persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Bareilly or Salmonella Nchanga have been reported from 21 states and the District of Columbia.
190 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly have been reported from 21 states and the District of Columbia. The number of ill persons with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (8), District of Columbia (2), Florida (1), Georgia (9), Illinois (15), Louisiana (3), Maryland (20), Massachusetts (24), Mississippi (2), Missouri (4), New Jersey (18), New York (33), North Carolina (3), Pennsylvania (7), Rhode Island (6), South Carolina (3), Texas (4), Virginia (9), Vermont (1), and Wisconsin (15).
10 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Nchanga have been reported from 5 states. The number of ill persons with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Nchanga identified in each state is as follows: Georgia (2), New Jersey (1), New York (5), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1).
28 ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
Collaborative investigation efforts of state, local, and federal public health agencies indicate that a frozen raw yellowfin tuna product, known as Nakaochi Scrape, from Moon Marine USA Corporation is the likely source of this outbreak.
FDA laboratories have identified Salmonella in two samples of Nakaochi scrape yellowfin tuna with a PFGE pattern indistinguishable from the Salmonella Bareilly strain associated with this outbreak. One of the samples also yielded another type of Salmonella with a PFGE pattern indistinguishable from the cluster of Salmonella Nchanga infections.
Testing conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection laboratory isolated the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly from one sample of recalled tuna and one sample of a spicy tuna roll made with recalled tuna.
Consumers should not eat the recalled product, and retailers should not serve the recalled raw Nakaochi Scrape tuna product from Moon Marine USA Corporation.
This investigation is ongoing. CDC and state and local public health partners are continuing surveillance to identify new cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are currently investigating a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella. This type of Salmonella is the strain known as Salmonella Bareilly and has hit 19 states and over 90 individuals have contracted Salmonellosis as a result. According to the CDC’s highlights regarding the incident:

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume Boskovich brand fresh Parsley described below. The affected product may contain Cryptosporidium.

The affected product was sold only on March 19, 2012 from one store, Canada Safeway, 124 Primrose Dr., Lawson Heights Mall, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The product was sold in bunches enclosed with a band indicating the Boskovich brand and Product of USA.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

Food contaminated with Cryptosporidium hominis may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with these protozoans may cause cryptosporidiosis, a foodborne illness. Cryptosporidiosis can cause gastroenteritis, watery diarrhea with cramping, abdominal pains and malaise. Symptoms are self limiting in healthy individuals but immunocompromised may experienced prolonged symptoms with increasing severity.

South Florida Produce, LLC is recalling Jalapeno Peppers, because they have the potential to be contaminated withSalmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.  Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.  In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

The recalled Jalapeno Peppers were distributed to Distributors in Oxford, NC, Lake Worth, FL, Washington, DC, Pompano Beach, FL, Fair Lawn, NJ, Toronto, Ontario, Canada via customer truck between March 5 through March 7, 2012.

The product comes in bulk 1 1/9 bushel cartons marked with the lot #’s J000010995, J000010996, J000010997, J000010998, J000010999, J000011000, J000020135, J000020136, J000020137, J000020138, J000020139 and J000030053.  These lots #’s appear on the pallet labels located on the front and back of each pallet.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.

The potential for contamination was noted during a routine testing by a retail store which revealed the possible presence of Salmonella in packs of 2, 10 and 40 count packages.

Customers that have inventory with the above lot numbers are urged to destroy the  product and contact Leslie DiStefano, Director of Sales & Food Safety at 954-459-0106 to verify receipt of this recall and destruction of the product.

Please refer customer or consumer questions or concerns that you might have in regard to this recall to the company’s Director of Sales and Food Safety, Leslie DiStefano at (954) 459-0106 during the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday.

This recall is being conducted with the knowledge and guidance of the FDA.

E. coli foodborne illness comes in various forms. Those of great concern involve shiga-toxin producing strains of Escherichia coli bacteria. While there are various forms of shiga-toxin producing E. coli, one of the more well-known forms is E. coli O157:H7. However, the current multi-state outbreak of E. coli food poisoning doesn’t involve this strain. Instead, investigators are dealing with shiga-toxin producing strain E. coli O26.

Currently, six states have reported victims. The total count of those ill has now reached 14 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Thus far, investigators have determined that this outbreak is possibly linked to raw clover sprouts from Jimmy John’s Restaurants. The six states currently reporting illnesses are Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Michigan, Arkansas and Wisconsin.

Shiga-toxin producing E. coli bacteria, when ingested, can, in rare instances, be linked to cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal kidney complication. E. coli can lead to bloody diarrhea and carries with it a risk of dehydration. Those at greatest risk of developing complications following an E. coli infection include those with weak immune systems including children, the elderly, and chemotherapy patients.

The New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services recently issued a press release regarding a major outbreak of Campylobacter. According to the press release, the campylobacteriosis outreak is potentially linked to raw milk from Family Cow Dairy. Pennsylvania has been hardest hit by this Campylobacter outbreak. In all there are over 70 reported illnesses. The press release can be found below:

New Jersey currently has two residents that are ill in connection to a major outbreak caused by the consumption of raw milk from a Pennsylvania farm. Currently 78 people in several states have become ill with campylobacteriosis, a gastrointestinal illness, from the consumption of raw milk contaminated with bacteria.Raw milk is milk from cows, goats, sheep, or other animals that has not been pasteurized.

“Raw milk can contain a number of bacteria that can cause life-threatening illness, especially in those with compromised immune systems,” said Health and Senior Services Commissioner Mary E. O’Dowd. “Since consumers cannot tell if milk is contaminated by smelling or tasting it, residents should avoid consuming raw milk because of health risks associated with it.”

The bottled raw milk products were distributed throughout Pennsylvania, including Montgomery, Bucks,Philadelphia, and Delaware counties, which all border the Delaware River.  The raw milk from this farm was purchased in Pennsylvania.  The sale or distribution of raw milk is banned in New Jersey.

While the majority of illness has occurred in Pennsylvania, residents in New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia have also been affected.  A 27-year-old male from Burlington County and a 3-year-old male fromGloucester County both got ill after consuming raw milk from the Family Cow Dairy in Pennsylvania.

“Most people who become ill with campylobacteriosis get diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within two to five days after exposure to the organism, said Health and Senior Services Deputy Commissioner Dr. Arturo Brito. “The diarrhea may be bloody and can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting.  Residents that have consumed raw milk and have symptoms should contact their physician.”

The illness typically lasts one week. Some infected people do not have any symptoms.  In those with compromised immune systems, Campylobacter occasionally spreads to the bloodstream and causes a life-threatening infection.  Long-term complications include contracting Guillain Barre Syndrome, which may resultin paralysis that lasts several weeks and usually requires intensive care.

The source of this outbreak, Family Cow Dairy, has since been permitted by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to resume bottling. It is important to note that this outbreak occurred despite the fact that Family Cow Dairy is licensed, inspected, and operating in compliance with Pennsylvania laws.

According to the CDC, 93 outbreaks due to consumption of raw milk or raw milk products were reportedfrom 1998 through 2009 resulting in 1,837 illnesses, 195 hospitalizations and two deaths. CDC released a study this week that stated the rate of outbreaks caused by unpasteurized milk and products made from it was 150 times greater than outbreaks linked to pasteurized milk.

In addition to Campylobacteriosis, raw milk has been implicated in outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7, salmonellosis, listeriosis, brucellosis, tuberculosis, and many other diseases.

Illnesses caused by these bacteria can be especially problematic for infants, young children, the elderly, and the immune compromised.

• A total of 12 persons infected with the outbreak strain of STEC O26 have been reported from 5 states.
  • The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Iowa (5), Missouri (3), Kansas (2), Arkansas (1), and Wisconsin (1).
  • Two ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
• Preliminary results of the epidemiologic and traceback investigations indicate eating raw clover sprouts at Jimmy John’s restaurants is the likely cause of this outbreak.
• FDA’s traceback investigation is ongoing. Traceback information on sprouts has identified a common lot of clover seeds used to grow clover sprouts served at Jimmy John’s restaurant locations where ill persons ate.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Fruiticana Produce Inc. are warning the public not to consume certain bunches of Fenugreek leaves because they may be contaminated with a toxic weed Senecio vulgaris.

The bunches of Fenugreek leaves were sold exclusively through Fruiticana stores in British Columbia and Alberta from February 5, 2012 to February 11, 2012 inclusive. These bunches of Fenugreek leaves contain no lot codes or label. If consumers have purchased these bunches of Fenugreek leaves at any Fruiticana location, and are unsure if they have the affected product, please consult the place of purchase to verify if their product is affected by the recall.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

The toxic weed Senecio vulgaris can contain various chemicals known as pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA), which are known to cause liver damage in humans if consumed in sufficient amounts.

The importer, Fruiticana Produce Inc., Surrey, British Columbia is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Livno Meats are warning the public not to consume the Dry Sausage described below because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The affected product, Livno Meats Dry Sausage, was sold only from the Livno Meats retail store in Hornby, Ontario. It was sold in two formats as follows:

Approximately 200 g vacuum package with a label bearing code “BATCH # 4, PACKED ON DE/11/28”
Packaged in a plastic bag per customer order and sold during the period December 28, 2011 to January 21, 2012, inclusive.
There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product.

Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with this bacteria may cause salmonellosis, a foodborne illness. In young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, salmonellosis may cause serious and sometimes deadly infections. In otherwise healthy people, salmonellosis may cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

The manufacturer, Livno Meats, Hornby, ON is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.