Category: Shigella

Recalls and Alerts: November 8, 2011

Here is today’s list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals, allergy alerts and miscellaneous compliance issues. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

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United States

  • Food Safety Recall: Whittington’s Jerky, Inc. (Johnson City, TX) recalls Whittington’s Original Beef Jerky (2-oz & 4-oz pkgs; Est 21257; Produced Oct 31, 2011) after routine USDA testing revealed Salmonella in a sample. The recalled Jerky was distributed to convenience stores in West Texas and also sold at the company’s retail operation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Frank Harter & Sons (Cincinnati, OH) that a July/July 2011 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Alabama Sunshine, Inc. (Fayette, AL) that a July 2011 inspection of the company’s facility revealed significant deviations from the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and from regulations relating to the processing of acidified foods, causing the companies acidified products to be adulterated and in violation of the Act, in that they were prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Onorato & Company, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA) that an August 2011 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 123, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Fremont Farms L.C. (Oskaloosa, IA) that a June 2011 inspection of the company’s shell egg production facility revealed serious violations of the Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and Transportation regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Bacalao Brothers, Inc. dba New England Fish Market (Jensen Beach, FL) that a July 2011 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 123, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports 30 confirmed E. coli O157:H7 cases connected to the St. Louis area outbreak. None of the 55 food samples tested so far have yielded E. coli. The source of the outbreak remains unknown.
  • Outbreak Alert Update: The North Carolina Division of Public Health reports twelve confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 connected to the North Carolina State Fair outbreak; 16 cases remain under investigation. The 28 cases were reported from the following counties: Wake (13), Sampson (6), Cleveland (1), Durham (2), Johnston (1), Lenoir (1), Orange (2) and Wilson (2).

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Grant Chocolatier recalls Grant Chocolatier Dark Chocolate Hallowe’en Figures (variable weight; no codes) due to the presence of undeclared milk.
  • Allergy Alert: Salle Châtelaine (Saint-Hyacinthe, QC) recalls Lasagna and Spaghetti Sauce (all lots), due to the presence of undeclared soy (both products) and wheat (spaghetti sauce only).
  • Food Safety Recall: Cie 2 Ameriks Inc. recalls Gogo Quinoa Multigrains Crunchy Muesli (300g; Code L130546; UPC 8 96899 00017 3), due to the presence of insect fragments.

Europe

  • Food Withdrawal (Finland): Unilever withdraws Viennatta Choco Nut ice cream cake (350g/650ml; Best before 01.056.2013; Batch code L1166CU020 and L1166DC020), because the products are missing Finnish and Swedish labels.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (Denmark): An outbreak of 40 illnesses was traced to imported datterino tomatoes contaminated with Salmonella Strathcona, a serotype that was not previously detected in Denmark. The tomatoes were imported from southern Italy and sold primarily by the Rema 1000 supermarket chain. The source of the outbreak was determined by patient interviews and a review of electronic purchase records from the supermarket chain.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Outbreak Alert (Hong Kong ex. Thailand): The Centre for Health Protection is investigating a food poisoning outbreak involving 19 members of a tour group who visited Phuket, Thailand from November 1 to 5. One of the 19 people was hospitalized after returning to Hong Kong.
  • Outbreak Alert (Taiwan ex. Thailand): The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control has confirmed shigellosis in three travelers returning from Thailand. All three became ill after consuming raw fish during their stay in Thailand.

Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket’s recall web site.

*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.
**Includes Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs and Pak N’ Save.

Profiling Shigella

Four species of bacteria belong to the genus Shigella – S. boydii, S. dysenteriae, S. flexneri and S. sonnei. All of them are pathogenic.

Some history

Shigella dysenteriae – the species that causes dysentery – was the first Shigella species to be described. It was isolated for the first time from a sample of feces during the investigation of a case of dysentery in 1888.

What is Shigella, and where is its natural habitat?

Shigella causes gastrointestinal infections, including dysentery. Members of this genus produce a toxin known as shiga toxin – similar to the toxin produced by E. coli O157:H7 and other shiga-toxin producing strains of E. coli. Shigella‘s natural habitat is the intestinal tract of humans and primates. Shigella dysenteriae remains the most common of the four species in underdeveloped countries; S. sonnei and S. flexneri are the dominant species in the industrialized world.

How is Shigella transmitted? What is the incubation period of the infection?

Shigella is not typically found in the soil. The disease is transmitted through consuming contaminated food or water (which has been exposed to fecal material that contains Shigella), and by direct or indirect person-to-person contact. Swimming in contaminated water also can be a mode of transmission. The incubation period typically is 24-48 hours.

What illnesses are caused by Shigella? How long does it take to develop?

Depending on the species, an individual infected with Shigella may develop either dysentery or shigellosis, approximately 24-48 hours after becoming infected.

What are the symptoms of Shigella dysentery and shigellosis

Dysentery:- Individuals infected with Shigella dysenteriae will likely suffer from abdominal cramps and frequent, bloody diarrheic stools that also contain mucus.

Shigellosis:- A milder form of illness, characterized by abdominal cramps, fever and diarrhea – sometimes bloody or containing mucus – lasting 4 to 7 days.

What is the prognosis of Shigella infections?

The disease is largely self-limiting in the developed world. Complications that may develop include severe dehydration, Reiter’s syndrome (a form of reactive arthritis) or hemolytic uremic syndrome. In underdeveloped and emerging countries, where malnutrition and poor health are common, shigellosis and dysentery often can be fatal.

What foods carry Shigella?

Food and water may become infected through direct or indirect contact with fecal material from an infected individual.

How can susceptible people protect themselves from infection?

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers the following advice for preventing the spread of Shigella:

  • Wash hands with soap carefully and frequently, especially after going to the bathroom, after changing diapers, and before preparing foods or beverages.
  • Dispose of soiled diapers properly
  • Disinfect diaper changing areas after using them.
  • Keep children with diarrhea out of child care settings.
  • Supervise hand washing of toddlers and small children after they use the toilet.
  • Do not prepare food for others while ill with diarrhea
  • Avoid swallowing water from ponds, lakes, or untreated pools.

For more information on Shigella and other food-borne pathogens, visit the CDC website or read Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives.

Fresh Basil Suspected In Norway Shigella Outbreak

Fresh basil imported from Israel is the prime suspect in an outbreak of shigellosis, according to Norway’s Food Safety Authority (NFSA).

On October 10th, NFSA announced that several residents of Tromsø were suffering from shigellosis after becoming infected with Shigella sonnei – a microbe that usually is transmitted through contaminated water or food. As of today (November 1st), 46 outbreak cases have been confirmed – 42 in Tromsø and 4 in Østfold.

Most of the illnesses were reported in early October, with the last onset date having been recorded in mid-October.

Shigella outbreak onset dates

When interviewed, 36 of the outbreak patients reported having eaten pesto, and an additional three victims said that they had been served fresh basil – an ingredient in pesto. Patient interviews pointed to pesto made by a Tromsø catering company as a possible source of the infections.

Basil imported from Israel by Bama and supplied to the Tromsø company was used to make the pesto. Bama also supplied basil from the same batch to an Østfold restaurant where three of the four Østfold outbreak victims had eaten a few days before becoming ill.

Based on the epidemiological and tracing results, Bama has halted all sales of Israeli basil until further notice. Basil has a short shelf life, and the shipment that was implicated in this shigellosis outbreak is no longer in the marketplace.