Shigella is a bacterium that can cause diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain in its victims. Shigella can be passed from infected person to infected person. Just under seventy percent of Shigella cases in the United States are linked to Shigella sonnei, sometimes caled “Group D” Shigella. Shigella food poisoning cases often emerge 24 to 48 hours after being exposed to the Shigella bacteria.... [more]

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... [more]

Over the course of the last few weeks, Salmonella has been associated with everything from eggs to pistachios, alfalfa sprouts, milk, fruit juice and even mamey frozen pulp. Contaminated food items such as these can teach you a lot about the differences between different kinds of Salmonella bacteria as well as other forms of food poisoning. The recent egg recall which has been linked to Salmonella... [more]

Broward County, Florida is currently experiencing a widespread outbreak of Shigella. With 81 illnesses already reported, Florida health officials are now trying prevent additional cases of Shigella. The Shigella bacteria is known to cause serious cases food poisoning. This foodborne illness presents symptoms such as mucus in stool or bloody diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain. These symptoms typically... [more]

E. coli O157:H7 bacterial infections can lead to serious medical complications. One of these complications is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). E. coli is not the only bacteria which leads to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Shigella and Salmonella have also reportedly been linked to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) causes renal failure and can be fatal. This potentially... [more]

As the CDC continues to investigate the outbreaks of Salmonella Hartford and Salmonella Baildon, there has been quite a bit of confusion among the general public. Let’s be honest, even many medical professionals are unaware or misinformed about the facts behind foodborne illnesses, which are some of the most common stomach ailments in the United States. In order to help people who may have concerns... [more]

Following the Subway Shigella outbreak earlier this year, the Shigella family of bacteria received a lot of attention. But, what exactly is Shigella? Discovered by Japanese researcher Shiga at the turn of the century, this group of microscopic bacteria are known primarily for causing diarrhea in human victims. Two common forms of Shigella found in the United States include Shigella flexneri and Shigella... [more]

By Magdalena Kendall, surveillance epidemiologist with the CDC Last week, my colleagues and I presented our research on foodborne outbreaks linked to salsa and guacamole. Recently, the number of these reported outbreaks has increased. Between 1998 and 2008, nearly 1 of every 25 outbreaks associated with restaurants or delis may have been caused by contaminated salsa or guacamole. We received a lot... [more]

Recently, an article in the USA Today noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent out a series of warning letters to some of the top producers of airline food, citing numerous violations for “unsanitary” conditions. The inspectors investigated 91 facilities belonging to three airline food providers, LSG Sky Chefs, Gate Gourmet and Flying Food Group; Gate Gourmet and LSG Sky Chefs are... [more]

Normally when people think foodborne illness, they think it is actually associated with food; however, water can serve as a host for parasitic, and bacterial foodborne illness organisms.  The Salt Lake Tribune recently posted a boil order for Saratoga Springs, Utah in an article by David Meyers entitled “Saratoga Springs Boil Order Still in Effect.” Utah County has recently seen seven cases of... [more]