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News Headlines: 13 - 19 March 2010

Dutch hepatitis A outbreak could be foodborne; Noroviruses prove resistant to many disinfectants; Survey of Campylobacter and Salmonella contamination in EU chicken; Public health alert issued for ready-to-eat meat products; Sesame seeds recalled over Salmonella risk; FDA urges spice industry to help cut contamination

Dutch hepatitis A outbreak could be foodborne

Health authorities in the Netherlands have reported on an outbreak of 11 cases of hepatitis A (HAV) infection that occurred in January and February. The investigation suggests links with outbreaks in other countries and indicates the source as semi-dried tomatoes.

The outbreak was caused by a new strain of HAV genotype IB and ten of the 11 primary cases reported consuming one or more products containing semi-dried tomatoes before developing symptoms. Two of those affected developed liver failure -- an unusually high rate for HAV infection.

The HAV IB strain responsible for this outbreak has also been involved in a foodborne outbreak in Australia in 2009 and a closely related strain caused an outbreak in France between November 2009 and January 2010. Both of these outbreaks were most likely associated with the consumption of semi-dried tomatoes and so the Dutch investigation is focusing on the same source.

The report can be found on the Eurosurveillance web site at the link below.

http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19512

Noroviruses prove resistant to many disinfectants

According to a recent study by a research team at Université Laval in Quebec, Canada, around 40% of commercial disinfectants used to clean surfaces could be ineffective in eliminating noroviruses.

Norovirus infection is spread directly via contact with infected persons or indirectly through contaminated objects, surfaces or via food. The effectiveness of disinfectants used to clean surfaces is therefore crucial for limiting the spread of these viruses. The team of researchers led by Julie Jean, professor at the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, tested the efficacy of three major categories of household disinfectants in eliminating noroviruses: chlorine bleach-based products, alcohol-based products, and quaternary ammonium-based products.

The results showed that five minutes contact with a bleach-based disinfectant reduced the concentration of noroviruses on a stainless steel surface by a factor of 1,000. Alcohol- and quaternary ammonium-based products proved 100 times less effective. "Our results are of particular concern considering that some 40% of the commercial surface disinfectants on the market are alcohol or ammonium based," said Professor Jean.

The team also discovered that it takes only ten minutes for human noroviruses to attach to a stainless steel surface. "Once attached, these viruses can survive for weeks and potentially contaminate anyone who touches them. And it's highly probable that our findings on stainless steel surfaces also apply to other materials," concluded Professor Jean.

A report of the study is published in the Journal of Food Protection (Vol 73, No 2, pp 400-04). An abstract can be found via the link below.

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp/2010/00000073/00000002/art00028

Survey of Campylobacter and Salmonella contamination in EU chicken

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published the results of an EU-wide baseline survey of the prevalence of Campylobacter and Salmonella on broiler chicken carcases at slaughter.

The survey was carried out during 2008 and sampled more than 10,000 broiler batches from 561 slaughter facilities in 26 EU member states, plus Norway and Switzerland. Pooled samples of caecal contents from each batch were tested for Campylobacter and neck and breast skin of one carcase from each batch was tested after chilling for both Campylobacter and Salmonella.

The survey results show that, on average, 71% of the broiler batches were colonised by Campylobacter and nearly 76% of the sampled carcases also tested positive. The most commonly isolated species was C. jejuni. Salmonella was found in nearly 16% of sampled carcases, but again there was a great deal of variation between countries. The commonest serovars found were S. Infantis and S. Enteritidis.

The survey confirms that chicken meat is likely to be a major source of Campylobacter infection in humans.

The full report can be downloaded from the EFSA website at the link below.

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/scdocs/scdoc/1503.htm

Public health alert issued for ready-to-eat meat products

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert because of cases of illness, which may be linked with imported ready-to-eat deli meats contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The alert relates to salami and ham products produced by Siena Foods in Toronto, Canada and exported to the USA. The contaminated products were recalled in Canada following positive test results for Listeria obtained as part of a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) investigation into cases of listeriosis. As yet there is no confirmed link between the illnesses and the recalled products. FSIS says that it is not initiating a recall in the USA until the Canadian investigation produces more information.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_031610_01/index.asp

Sesame seeds recalled over Salmonella risk

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that two spice companies are recalling white sesame seed products because they have the potential to be contaminated by Salmonella.

Spice Industrial Inc. is recalling Lian How White Sesame Seeds packed in 5-lb plastic bags and distributed in Southern California during November and December 2009. Julia's Spices Inc. is recalling three similar products in various pack sizes distributed through retail outlets in Utah and California from November 2009 to February 2010.

Both companies were notified of the potential contamination by their supplier, reported to be Speciality Commodities Corp.. As yet, no cases of illness have been reported as being linked to the recalled seeds.

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm204411.htm

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm204394.htm

FDA urges spice industry to help cut contamination

According to a report in the Washington Post, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) met representatives of the spice industry last week to discuss measures to prevent bacterial contamination.

The meeting comes in the wake of a nationwide outbreak of salmonellosis linked to crushed red and black peppers, which has so far affected around 250 people and prompted recalls of a range of salami-type products made using contaminated pepper, along with the pepper itself.

The FDA is reported to be urging the industry to use existing decontamination methods, such as irradiation, steam heating, or ethylene oxide fumigation to destroy pathogens. FDA associate commissioner for food safety Jeff Farrar is quoted as saying, "The bottom line is, if there are readily available validated processes out there to reduce the risk of contamination, our expectation is that they will use them."

The FDA is not empowered to require decontamination at present, although legislation currently before congress would enable them to order that steps be taken to avoid contamination and verify the safety of imported foods.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/13/AR2010031301111.html

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