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Since August 2010, a commercial strain of Salmonella Typhimurium has caused 73 confirmed illnesses, including one death, according to a report released on April 28th by CDC. The illnesses are spread over 35 states. Pennsylvania is hardest hit, with six confirmed illnesses.

The median age of infected individuals is 24 years; their ages range from less than 1 year to 91 years old. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the victims are female.

Ten (14%) of the 73 outbreak victims were hospitalized. While illness onset dates range from August 20, 2010 to March 8, 2011, the number of new cases appears to have peaked in the first half of November 2010.

Investigators found that outbreak victims were significantly more likely than a control group to have been exposed to a microbiology lab environment – some of the victims worked with Salmonella – in the week before becoming ill. Several children of individuals who worked in or studied in a microbiology lab were among the outbreak victims.

The CDC Investigation Report credits the New Mexico Department of Health with the discovery that the outbreak strain “. . .was indistinguishable from a commercially available Salmonella Typhimurium strain used in laboratory settings.” According to CDC, this strain was “. . .known to be present in several teaching or clinical laboratories associated with ill students or employees. . .”

This Salmonella outbreak has nothing to do with contaminated food, poor food handling practices, dirty water, or African Dwarf Frogs. It was caused, purely and simply, by careless handling of infectious bacteria, by sloppy lab practices, and by inattention to basic biosafety procedures.

I was trained as a clinical microbiologist, a clinical mycologist and a food safety microbiologist. I have spent most of my professional life working with food-borne and water-borne pathogens, including Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and Clostridium botulinum. And I am here to tell you that a sloppy lab is an unreliable lab.

The first responsibility of a teaching lab is to teach its students how to handle themselves safety in a microbiology lab. Only then can students be trusted to handle infectious bacteria with proper respect for the risks involved.

The first responsibility of a clinical lab manager is to ensure that all of the lab personnel – and any visitors to the lab – are aware of, and follow, all lab safety and bio-containment practices. Only then can the results issuing from that lab be considered reliable. Only then can lab personnel – and their families and friends – be protected from lab-acquired illnesses.

This Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak should not have happened. It would not have happened if lab managers and teaching personnel had been paying attention to their first responsibilities.

This outbreak is inexcusable!

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

Allergy/Labeling Alert: Giant Eagle recalls Market District Couscous (Best By Nov. 10) due to the presence of undeclared wheat and incorrect cooking instructions.
Allergy Alert: Doctor’s CarbRite Diet (New Brunswick, NJ) recalls Chocolate Brownie Doctor’s CarbRite Diet Bar, 2 oz (UPC # 0 39442 08112 4; all lots), due to the possible presence of undeclared peanuts. The bars were distributed nationally through a variety of distribution channels including supermarkets, health food stores, gyms, and internet-based e-commerce sites.
Allergy Alert: S&M Enterprise Corp (Brooklyn, NY) recalls Grove Grow Notes Dried Taro (Product of China) due to the presence of undeclared sulfites. The product was distributed nationwide.
Allergy Alert: S&M Enterprise Corp (Brooklyn, NY) recalls Rain Swiss Roll Strawberry Flavor and Rain Swiss Roll Coconut Flavor (products of China), due to the presence of undeclared egg. The products were distributed nationwide.
Allergy Alert: Simple Foods (Tonawanda, NY) recalls Carob Brown Rice Crunch Squares, 1.6 oz., and Carob Mint Miniatures, 5.5 oz., because the products may contain undeclared milk. The recalled products were sold at various health food stores in New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Allergy Alert: See’s Candies, Inc. recalls Mayfair Chocolate Eggs (4.25-ounce box labeled See’s Candies Mayfair with Cherries & Pecans; Code 138), due to the presence of undeclared walnuts. The recalled candies were sold in See’s retail shops in Northern California (San Jose and north), Northern Nevada (Reno), Oregon, Washington, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota and Illinois.
Food Safety Recall: Satur Farms (Cutchogue, NY) recalls Satur Farms Cilantro (1/2 lb and 1 lb bulk bags; lot #6347) after USDA detects Salmonella in a routine test sample. The recalled cilantro was distributed to six food service customers in New York City and Long Island.
Food Safety Recall: Jonathans Sprouts (Rochester, MA) recalls all conventional and organic alfalfa sprout products (all sell-by dates), because the sprout products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled alfalfa sprout products were sold in A&P, Grand Union, Stop & Shop, Shaws, Hannaford, Donnelans, Foodmaster, Truccis, and Roche Brothers stores, and also were distributed in bulk to food service establishments. The products were distributed in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
Food Safety Recall: L&M Companies, Inc. (Raleigh, NC) recalls Nature’s Delight Whole Cucumbers (Lot #PL-RID-002990), after FDA finds Salmonella in a randomly selected sample of cucumbers in a cooler at Four Seasons Produce of Central Florida, Inc. The recalled cucumbers were distributed to wholesalers in New York, Florida, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee, and also were shipped to Walmart distribution centers in Mississippi, Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming.
Food Safety Recall: Woodsmoke Provisions recalls The Fresh Market Signature Collection Atlantic Smoked Salmon (4 oz. pkgs) due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
Outbreak Alert: Since November 2010, four residents of Dallas County (Texas) have become infected with a single strain of Salmonella after drinking unpasteurized milk. Three of the cases have been linked to a single dairy farm, where raw milk sold at the farm tested positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella.

Canada

Allergy Alert/Illness Report: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning people with allergies to peanuts not to consume Doctor’s CarbRite Diet Chocolate Brownie bars (56.7g/2.00 oz packages; UPC 0 39442 08112 4; Lot codes EXP101211, EXP040211, EXP080811, EXP080911, and EXP041012), due to the presence of undeclared peanuts. This is an expansion of an earlier recall. The recalled product was distributed across Canada. There has been one reported illness.
Allergy Alert: Sobeys Inc. recalls Compliments Balance Spinach Honey Dijon Salad Kit (220g; Best Before 11AL26) due to the presence of undeclared tree nuts and sulphites. The recalled product was distributed nationally.
Allergy Alert: Quality Natural Foods recalls Haldiram’s Nagpur brand Petha Cubes Indian Sweets (1Kg and 4Kg sizes; all codes and Best Before dates), due to the presence of undeclared sulphites. The recalled product was distributed nationally.
Food Safety Alert (Listowel, ON): The Food Basics store on Wallace Avenue North in Listowel was closed as a safety precaution after needles were found in fruit and meat.
Product Withdrawal: Molson Coors withdraws 1.18 Litre Molson Dry bottles with a black bottle twist cap (Production code that starts with D01), because a few of the bottles produced for the Quebec market on April 1st, 2011 may have been mislabeled and could bear a body label indicating 5.5% Alcohol instead of 10.1%. The withdrawn bottles were distributed only in Quebec.
Triad Group Product Recall Update: Triad Group-manufactured health products continue to be recalled from the Canadian market due to bacteria contamination. Affected products – some of which are co-packaged with drugs and included in medical kits – include: alcohol swabsticks, swabs, prep pads and lubricating jelly.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Finland): Kesko Food Ltd. recalls Pirkka fish fingers (250 g/10 pcs), Pirkka fish fingers (250 g/10kpl, MSC-certified) as well as Euro Shopper fish fingers (250 and 900 g/10kpl g/30kpl), due to the presence of undeclared egg protein.
Food Safety Recall (Belgium): Aldi recalls King’s Crown brand Red Cabbage (580mL jars; Codes 31100 LR 302 W 09:43 and 311 LR 287 W 04:58; Expiry date of 31/12/2012), because the product may contain pieces of glass.
Food Safety Warning/Withdrawal (Netherlands): Jumbo recalls Jumbo Kipfricassee Creamy and Spicy Lamb Ratatouille (2011 Easter label), because the packaging may catch fire when microwaved.
Food Safety Recall (Ireland): McCarren & Co. Ltd. recalls McCarren Cooked Ham (4171, Use by dates: 05/05/11; 4168, Use by dates: 28/04/11; 4163, Use by dates: 21/04/11; 4177, Use by dates: 12/05/11; 4181, Use by dates: 19/05/11; 4182, Use by dates: 21/05/11; 4159, Use by dates: 14/04/11; 4167, Use by dates: 28/04/11; 4162, Use by dates: 21/04/11; 4176, Use by dates: 12/05/11.), due to potential processing errors which may lead to microbial contamination.
Topical Product Safety Recall (France): Smith & Nephew recalls Remove solvent-impregnated skin wipes (Lots 0E219, 0E226, 0F242, 0G116, 0H256, 0J233, 0J262, 0J263, 0M178, 0M179, 1A106, 1A181, 1A182, 1A192) and Skin-Prep impregnated skin wipes (Lots 0G117, 0G225, 0J146, 0J147, 0K78, 0M198), due to the risk of bacterial contamination.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

Food Safety Alert (Hong Kong): The Centre for Health Protection urges the public not to consume puffer fish, following a report of suspected poisoning associated with puffer fish consumption.

Australia and New Zealand

Allergy Alert (Australia): Indya Foods Pty Ltd, Roshan Naidu Enterprises, and Prime Products Pty Ltd. recall Haldiram’s Nagpur Galub Jamun (1 Kg. cans; Product of India), due to the presence of undeclared wheat/gluten. The recalled product was distributed in Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, ACT and West Australia.
Food Safety Recall (Australia): Woolworths Supermarkets Ltd. recalls Woolworths Almond Kernels (750g sealed plastic bag; Product of Australia; Best Before 10 11 11 and 11 11 11), due to the possible presence of Salmonella. The recalled products were distributed in all Woolworths, Safeway and Food For Less stores in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, West Australia, Queensland and NT.
Hospital Outbreak Alert (Australia): Launceston General Hospital has closed its orthopaedic ward and put extra infection control measures in place following an outbreak of viral gastroenteritis that has affected four nurses and up to six patients. Visitors are being urged to stay away until the outbreak is over.
Water Health Alert (West Australia): The Department of Health is warning people to avoid contact with a blue-green algal bloom that has formed in the Hunter River near Bremer Bay.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Outbreak Alert (Guadalajara, Mexico): The public has been advised to avoid eating food sold by street vendors, after consumption of street food was linked to a number of cases of an aggressive form of diarrhea, according to the General Director of the Civil Hospital of Guadalajara.

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.