In response to the voluntary recall by Goya Foods, Inc. of their frozen mamey pulp, Paleta California, Co. is voluntarily recalling its 4 oz. Mamey Supreme Cream Bar (frozen fruit bars also known as “paletas”) due to a potential health risk from Salmonella Typhi.

Salmonella Typhi is a bacterium that causes a life-threatening illness called typhoid fever. Persons with typhoid fever develop high and sustained fever, headache, constipation, chills, severe abdominal pain, fatigue, and other signs and symptoms. Typhoid fever can last from 3 to 4 weeks and may be serious or even fatal. Most ill persons need to be hospitalized for appropriate antibiotic treatment, and the infection is usually diagnosed by a blood test. Some persons with typhoid fever recover from the illness but continue to carry the bacteria and can pass it on to others. Both ill persons and carriers shed S. Typhi in their feces. Populations at highest risk of infection include infants, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.

The recalled Mamey Supreme Cream Bar was distributed only in Southern California. Consumers may have purchased the recalled fruit bars through retail stores. The product retail unit comes in 4 oz. plastic wrapped frozen fruit bars. The Mamey Paletas are shipped to retail establishments in a package of 24 fruit bars per box. All production lot codes are being affected by this recall. The UPC of the recalled product is 636418002000. No other Paleta California, Co. products are affected.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled 4 oz frozen mamey fruit bars are urged to discard the product or return it to the point of purchase for a refund.

Latest reports on the national egg recall bring more bad news to the Gulf states.  The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) has reported that Mississippi may have been one of the destinations for a shipment of eggs that has been included in the recent recall involving more than half a billion eggs contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis.  At this time, there have been no reported illnesses in Mississippi; however, consumers are still wary, considering reports of thousands of people across the country being sickened by the Salmonella outbreak. 

We are told that the Mississippi officials are working with the Food and Drug Administration to closely monitor the situation, but frustration still lingers as a result of the avoidable nature of this crisis.  We now know for example, that the FDA has been able to link positive samples of Salmonella to two Iowa farms.  Investigators at the FDA are pointing to evidence of Salmonella in chicken feed that was sold to these farms as a source of the egg contamination.

Since news of the contamination broke, both the industry and federal investigators have urged that there is little to fear as most of the eggs have been used or removed from stores; however, there is much frustration felt by consumer advocates regarding the lack of clear communication between the producers and consumers as to how this Salmonella contamination happened.

Morningland Dairy of Mountain View, Missouri, is recalling 68,957 pounds of cheese because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and also has the potential to be contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus.

Morningland Dairy’s raw milk cheese is sold in the lower 48 states via mail order, retail stores, crop sharing associations, and direct delivery. The cheese is packaged in vacuum-sealed plastic packages that are sold as random weight size retail packages. The specific varieties of cheese are sold under the following brand names and flavors: 

Morningland Dairy Raw Milk Cheese (from cow milk): Colby, Hot Pepper Colby, Garlic Colby, Italian Colby, Dill Colby, No-Salt Added Mild Cheddar, Mild Cheddar, Medium Sharp Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar. 

Ozark Hill Farms Raw Goat Milk Cheese: Colby, Hot Pepper Colby, Italian Colby, Garlic ‘N’ Chive Colby, Mild Cheddar, Medium Sharp Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar. 

The codes affected by the recall are handwritten on the front of the label, and range from A10 (representing January 1, 2010) through F250 (representing June 25, 2010). 

The recall is a result of regulatory sampling in the State of California. This regulatory sampling of Morningland Dairy cheese, which was taken from the Rawesome store in Venice, California, revealed the Morningland Dairy Hot Pepper Colby and Garlic Colby Cheeses contained the bacteria. Morningland Dairy has suspended the production and distribution of all cheese, as FDA, the Missouri Milk Board, and Morningland Dairy continue their investigation as to the root cause of the problem. 

Another state has been hit by eggs recalled as part of a nationwide Salmonella outbreak. It appears that eggs possibly contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis bacteria have turned up in Montana. These Salmonella recalled eggs are linked to a FDA posted egg recall by Sparboe Farms in Litchfield, Minnesota. Sparboe Farms recalled eggs which originated at Iowa farms.

KURL 8 reports:

The FDA identified Walmart stores in Billings, Laurel, and Miles City as receiving the recalled eggs, as well as eight Walmart stores in Wyoming. All Walmarts in the Billings area said that they have either disposed of the eggs or never received them.

While Montana currently remains Salmonella free, the recall is an important piece of information for consumers. Recalls can be the first line of defense in a battle against foodborne illness.  Given that news reports indicated that recalled eggs had been found in Kentucky and West Virginia, we can likely expect such recalls to continue

What if it didn’t take 48 hours to determine if a food sample was contaminated with harmful E. coli bacteria? What if instead, it only took one hour? That is what scientists at Purdue University are working towards and may have actually succeeded. The recent ground beef recall  from Cargill Meat Solutions could have benefitted from such speedy E. coli detection methods. As of right now, three individuals have gotten E. coli food poisoning, and although the investigation has not concluded, it appears that this ground beef could be to blame.

In Purdue University’s technique, it appears that E. coli bacteria can be quickly identified by infrared spectroscopy, and unique strains of E. coli O157:H7 can quickly be differentiated. This means faster identification of E. coli present in foods and faster tracking to store shelves.

Quicker identification of E. coli contaminated foods means that fewer individuals will have to suffer from the symptoms associated with E. coli foodborne illness, which range from mild to life-threatening. In addition, it also means that fewer children will suffer  from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially fatal E. coli complication

Such scientific advancements are particularly important in the realm of Shiga toxin producing E. coli. Shiga toxin producing E. coli, such as E. coli O157:H7 and the strain E. coli O26 which was found in the recalled ground beef, can more frequently lead to serious complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Rapid E. coli identification would not only lead to quicker recalls, it would save lives.

We recently posted an explanation of how Salmonella cases are reported and investigated by the CDC in order to help you better understand the investigation process that is taking place in the Salmonella enteritidis outbreak involving recall eggs from Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms.

Today, we find ourselves in the midst of an E. coli O26 recall. This Shiga toxin producing E. coli bacteria maybe linked to a recall of ground meat from Cargill Meat Solutions. This meat may be the source of three E. coli cases in New York and Maine. Given that E. coli and Salmonella are different foodborne illness bacterial pathogens, we thought it would be helpful to post the CDC’s description of an E. coli timeline from bacterial ingestion to CDC reporting:

To find cases in an outbreak of E. coli O157 infections, public health laboratories perform a kind of “DNA fingerprinting” on E. coli O157 laboratory samples. Investigators determine whether the “DNA fingerprint”  or PFGE (pulsed field gel electrophoresis)pattern of E. coli O157 bacteria from one patient is the same as that from other patients in the outbreak and from the contaminated food. Bacteria with the same “DNA fingerprint” are likely to come from the same source. Public health officials conduct intensive investigations, including interviews with ill people, to determine if people whose infecting bacteria match by “DNA fingerprinting” are part of a common source outbreak.

A series of events occurs between the time a patient is infected and the time public health officials can determine whether the patient is part of an outbreak. This means that there will be a delay between the start of illness and confirmation that a patient is part of an outbreak. Public health officials work hard to speed up the process as much as possible. The timeline is as follows:

1.     Incubation time: The time from eating the contaminated food to the beginning of symptoms. For E. coli O157, this is typically 3-4 days.

2.     Time to treatment: The time from the first symptom until the person seeks medical care, when a diarrhea sample is collected for laboratory testing. This time lag may be 1-5 days.

3.     Time to diagnosis: The time from when a person gives a sample to when E. coli O157 is obtained from it in a laboratory. This may be 1-3 days from the time the sample is received in the laboratory.

4.     Sample shipping time: The time required to ship the E. coli O157 bacteria from the laboratory to the state public health authorities that will perform “DNA fingerprinting”. This may take 0-7 days depending on transportation arrangements within a state and the distance between the clinical laboratory and public health department.

5.     Time to “DNA fingerprinting”: The time required for the state public health authorities to perform “DNA fingerprinting” on the E. coli O157 and compare it with the outbreak pattern. Ideally this can be accomplished in 1 day. However, many public health laboratories have limited staff and space, and experience multiple emergencies at the same time. Thus, the process may take 1-4 days.

The time from the beginning of the patient’s illness to the confirmation that he or she was part of an outbreak is typically about 2-3 weeks.  However, for each reported foodborne illness, there can be many others that go unreported and uninvestigated by public health officials.  That’s why it is so important to seek medical treatment as soon as you start experiencing symptoms that you believe are related to a foodborne illness outbreak.

The Iowa egg farms, Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, at the center of a national Salmonella enteritidis outbreak investigation, were found to have violated FDA food safety rules. Feedstuffs online reporter, an agribusiness news agency, reported that listed violations included “allowing access points to exist to hen houses for flies, rodents and wild animals and bird nests in buildings.”

Additionally, the FDA noticed that clothing garments were not properly removed after exiting houses and equipment sanitation was not performed according to safety standards. In addition, some of the chickens were improperly allowed to walk though feces and then through remaining parts of the buildings.

Last week it was reported that Salmonella enteritidis investigators had found bacteria at one farm that matched the strain associated with recalled eggs. Now Feedstuffs is reporting that this was located in “spent egg wash water.” Mike Taylor, with the FDA stated that these findings are not illustrative of violations throughout the entire industry.

Many strains of the E. coli bacteria are located in the digestive systems of most humans and animals. These strains of E. coli help aid in the breakdown of foods into viable sugars and proteins. Although these strains of E. coli are beneficial, many strains of E. coli can be dangerous to human health. E. coli 0157:H7 is one such strain. E. coli 0157:H7 is the culprit behind many of today’s cases of foodborne illnesses.

So what is it about E. coli 0157:H7 that makes it so dangerous?

            The early side effects of an E. coli 0157:H7 infection are easily disguisable, meaning that symptoms such as cramping, diarrhea, and nausea, which are all side effects of the E. coli infection, are also symptoms generally associated with the common flu. Misdiagnosis is a common problem due to these mimicking symptoms. It may take several days before more serious symptoms are discovered. This is when the E. coli 0157:H7 infection becomes dangerous. This is especially true when children and the elderly are the ones infected.

            E. coli 0157:H7 infection can have a devastating effect on young children and the elderly. The immune systems of these particular groups are either not fully developed or have been weakened. A person with a healthy immune system can usually fight off the E. coli infection with out suffering any serious health complications. However, when the bacterium comes into contact with an undeveloped or unhealthy immune system, the effects can quickly become serious.

            When young children become infected with the E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria, poisonous toxins are produced, which can weaken the walls of their small intestines. The bacteria can also damage the kidneys of children, causing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) can result in complete kidney failure, or other serious health complications such as paralysis, blindness, and seizures.

            Lastly, E. coli 0157:H7 does not respond well to treatments and medications that are generally used to combat symptoms including diarrhea, cramping, and nausea. For example, taking over-the-counter anti-diarrhea medication can actually make the situation worse by preventing the body from naturally expelling the dangerous toxins produced by the E. coli bacteria. Still today, there is no absolute cure for an E. coli 0157:H7 infection. Therefore, a person, infected with the bacteria, must wait until the body rids itself of the infection, of course, under the supervision of a doctor.

Salmonella has made headlines lately. With over 550 million eggs recalled and a nationwide investigation linked to restaurants and egg farms, few consumers will ever forget the Salmonella outbreak of 2010. While Salmonella is a devastating illness which inflicts diarrhea and nausea upon its victims, it is not the only foodborne illness. While the media focuses intensely on Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms and the result of the associated FDA investigation, let’s take a look at some other common foodborne illnesses.

Escherichia coli is a bacteria which can cause severe gastrointestinal problems. E. coli has been associated with bloody diarrhea as well as medical complications including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Campylobacter bacteria (Campylobacteriosis) leads to vomiting, fever, and diarrhea. It is frequently associatd with the strain of bacteria known as Campylobacter jejuni. Campylobacter can be very scary for certain individuals because it can lead to Guillain-Barre Syndrome a nerve disorder which can cause paralysis in victims.

Shigella is an extremely contagious bacteria which leads to a foodborne illness known as Shigellosis. Shigella bacteria has previously been associated with daycare centers and nursing homes when improper sanitary conditions are present. Shigella can be spread by an infected party after the symptoms of Shigella have disappeared. Shigella food poisoning symptoms include watery or bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting.

Yersiniosis is caused by Yersinia enterocolitica bacteria. Adults have no symptoms other than abdominal pain as a result of Yersinia enterocolitica, children can suffer from fever and diarrhea.

At a recent Northwest Michigan fair, three children are believed to have contracted E. coli poisoning. Although the source of the E. coli has not yet been identified, there is talk that it could be related to food, water, or even a farm animal. As fall quickly approaches, school fairs will soon arrive. This means cotton candy, candy apples, hay rides, and petting zoos. While petting zoos can be fun, there are some bacterial agents that petting zoo owners should be aware of.

Brucellosis is one form of bacteria which can cause fever, fatigue, headache and flu-like symptoms. Campylobacter, which causes Campylobacteriosis and has previously been associated with waterborne illnesses and raw milk, can be found on cats, dogs, and farm animals. Campylobacter symptoms include bloody diarrhea, nausea, and has been linked to Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Two more common bacteria which can be associated with petting zoos and animals are E. coli and Salmonella. With everyone’s mind on the recent egg recall, we could quickly forget that Salmonella has been linked to reptiles, farm animals, and cats. It, like E. coli (which has been associated with cattle and petting zoos), can cause fever, diarrhea, and nausea. Both have been linked to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Salmonella has also been associated with cases of reactive arthritis.

Enjoy the fall. Have fun at your school fair. Just remember that these bacteria do exist. Whether they are in contaminated food items or on a cute baby lamb is irrelevant. Each of these bacteria can make victims extremely sick, especially those with weak immune systems as well as older individuals and very young children.