Category: Vibrio

Profiling Vibrio cholerae

 

Some history

Vibrio cholerae was first isolated and described by Dr. Robert Koch in 1883, nearly 30 years after John Snow deduced that cholera was spread by water. The most recent major cholera epidemics were in Haiti (beginning in 2010) and in Zimbabwe in 2008

What is Vibrio cholerae, and where is its natural habitat?

Vibrio cholerae is a gram negative bacterium that is shaped like a curved rod. It is able to grow either with or without oxygen. It is found most commonly in bays and estuaries, especially in warmer climates. Shellfish growing in contaminated waters can develop a high concentration of the bacterium.

How is Vibrio cholerae transmitted? What is the incubation period of the illness?

Vibrio cholerae infections are transmitted through the consumption of contaminated food or water. The typical incubation period is from 24 hours to 72 hours.

What are the symptoms of Vibrio cholerae food poisoning?

Symptoms usually consist of a profuse, watery diarrhea and vomiting.

What is the prognosis of Vibrio cholerae food poisoning?

Symptoms are severe and can last for 3 to 7 days, resulting in serious dehydration. Victims who are malnourished, or who are already suffering from another disease, are at an elevated risk of death.

What foods carry Vibrio cholerae?

Vibrio cholerae may be found in water, especially in crowded living conditions, such as occur in refugee relief camps. It also is found in shellfish that are harvested from contaminated estuaries. Outbreaks of cholera have been traced to the consumption of contaminated seafood, frozen coconut milk, and home-canned palm fruit. Any food that has been washed with contaminated water may carry Vibrio cholerae.

How can people protect themselves from Vibrio cholerae?

  • By paying attention to food recall announcements and immediately discarding any recalled food or returning it to the store.
  • By not consuming raw or undercooked seafood.
  • By not drinking water that may be from a contaminated source.
  • By taking special precautions when traveling to areas where cholera is endemic, including avoiding drinking tap water, eating cut fruit or fresh salads.

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

Profiling Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Due to the population’s propensity for consuming seafood, Vibrio parahaemolyticus has been a major cause of food borne illness in Japan for decades.

Some history

Vibrio parahaemolyticus was first recognized as a cause of foodborne illness in the 1950s

What is Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and where is its natural habitat?

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a gram negative bacterium that is shaped like a curved rod. It is able to grow either with or without oxygen, is sensitive to cold temperatures, and can grow in the presence of high levels of salt. The microbe can be found in warm coastal waters all over the world. Its geographic distribution has spread in recent years, due to a rise in coastal ocean temperatures.

How is Vibrio parahaemolyticus transmitted? What is the incubation period of the illness?

Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections are transmitted through the consumption of raw or undercooked seafood. The typical incubation period is from 2 hours to 48 hours.

What are the symptoms of Vibrio parahaemolyticus food poisoning?

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and watery diarrhea.

What is the prognosis of Vibrio parahaemolyticus food poisoning?

Symptoms of a Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection usually last 2 to 5 days. The illness is self-limiting in most cases, but individuals who suffer from certain diseases or whose immune systems are weak may be at risk of complications such as septicemia.

What foods carry Vibrio parahaemolyticus?

Vibrio parahaemolyticus can be present in coastal ocean waters and in seafood. As the microbe is sensitive to cold, fish and shellfish that have been frozen are at lower risk of transmitting the pathogen. The highest risk is from freshly harvested marine fish and shellfish that are consumed, raw or undercooked, soon after harvest.

How can people protect themselves from Vibrio parahaemolyticus?

First, by paying attention to food recall announcements and immediately discarding any recalled food or returning it to the store. Secondly, by not consuming raw or undercooked seafood.

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

Recalls and Alerts: June 30, 2012

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: Dole Fresh Vegetables recalls Dole Hearts of Romaine bagged salad (UPC 143000956; Lot code 0540N165112A or B; Use by June 26), after a random sample test conducted by FDA yielded a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled product was distributed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The bagged salads were available at Giant Food Stores, LLC and possibly at other retail grocery stores and supermarkets.
  • Food Safety Recall: Mexicali Cheese Corp (Woodhaven, NY) recalls Mexicali Queso Fresco Mexicano, Mexican Style Fresh Cheese and Acatlan Queso Fresco, Fresh Cheese (14-oz plastic tub; Plant #36-0128; Code 071512), after testing of a routine sample obtained by New York State discovered the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled cheese was distributed in the metropolitan New York City area, including Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: Standard Process Inc. (Palmyra, WI) recalls Cataplex ACP (Product #0700 and 0750), Cataplex C (Product #1650 and 1655) and Pancreatrophin PMG (Product #6650) dietary supplements (60cc and 200cc amber glass bottles; Lot 114; Best Use by 5/13) after routine FDA record inspection revealed that one of the ingredients used in these products potentially was contaminated with Salmonella. The products were sold to consumers through health care professionals.
  • Food Spoilage Recall: Lowes Foods recalls DeLallo Flat Fillet Anchovies (2 oz; UPC 7236830150; Lot# 4122A; Date 8/1/2013) and DeLallo Rolled Anchovies with Capers (2 oz; UPC 7236830100; Lot# IH246; Date 9/5/2013) due to possible spoilage.
  • Food Safety Advisory: Karlin Foods Corp advises that Laura Lynn brand salad mixes may contain metal shavings after learning from Kerry Ingredients that they had discovered metal shavings in an ingredient. Laura Lynn branded products are sold by Ingles Markets, Inc. Please refer to the notification letter for details of affected products. This is not a product recall.
  • Outbreak Alert: The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is investigating a cluster of three cases of Vibrio parahaemolyticus illnesses in eastern Missouri. The source of the illness cluster is under investigation. Vibrio parahaemolyticus typically is associated with consumption of raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Uncle T Foods Ltd. (Richmond, BC) recalls Lotte brand Choco Pie (168g packages/UPC 8 801062 161881; 336g packages/UPC 801062 160709 or 8 801062 16825; All date codes), due to the presence of undeclared almonds. The recalled product was distributed in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, and may have been distributed in other provinces as well.
  • Allergy Alert: Pâtisseries Sanda Inc. (Brossard, QC) expands its earlier recall to include Milles-Feuilles, Custard (450g; UPC 8 93837 00048 6; All codes) and Milles-Feuilles, Napoleon (450g; UPC 3 93837 00049 3; All codes), due to the presence of undeclared milk. The recalled products were distributed in Quebec.
  • Food Safety Recall: Treasure Mills Inc. (Newmarket, ON) recalls Brownie Club Packs (Lot Coe 125-121; UPC 805658450807; best before May 29th, May 30th, May 31st, June 1st and June 2nd) after a tiny piece of plastic was reported in one of the Brownie Club Packs. The recalled products were sold in Costco Warehouse stores in Ontario.

Europe

  • Food Safety Recall (Italy): The Regione Autonoma Valle d’Aosta alerts the public to the recall of Sliced Albacore Tuna (Produced by Hijos de albalabejo Garcia S.L., Spain; Lot A12/28211), due to the presence of carbon monoxide. The recalled tuna was distributed in Italy by Carrefour – Società Sviluppo.

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.