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]

 Senator David Vitter weighed in this week with some  interesting news in the debate over raw oysters. The Times Picayune  announced; “[H]e has reached an agreement with a bipartisan group of senators on a measure he believes will block future Food and Drug Administration efforts to ban consumption of untreated raw oysters during warm weather months” Vitter said his provision would establish... [more]

Raw oysters and other shellfish can possibly harbor a naturally occurring bacteria known as Vibrio vulnificus. Vibrio vulnificus belongs to the same family of bacteria as Cholera (Vibrio cholera) which causes severe diarrhea, but Vibrio vulnificus is very different. The Vibrio vulnificus bacteria find their home in warm waters off the coast. The Gulf of Mexico can provide a perfect breeding ground... [more]

Louisiana politicians and oyster industry lobbyists converged on Capital Hill this week. The Louisiana oyster industry is battling a potential FDA regulation that would impact oyster production. In November 2009, Louisiana lawmakers successfully petitioned for a postponement of these bans. Check out one of my earlier blogs on this subject. The FDA is concerned with a possible bacterial infection known... [more]

Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s FoodNet Facts and Figures website shows that children under four have the highest number of cases of bacterial and parasitic infections when compared to older individuals.  Per 100,000 individuals, there were over 28 children younger than four who contracted campylobacter, nearly 75 diagnosed with Salmonella, and 27 infected with Shigella.... [more]

The raw gulf oyster has been in the news recently and stirring a rather large dispute about foodborne illness and food safety. The seemingly innocuous mollusk has been center stage in the debate about the extent of the FDA’s control over foods in their effort to control foodborne illness. The controversy essentially surrounds the FDA’s attempt to mandate that all raw oysters harvested from the... [more]

Foodborne illness from Vibrio vulnificus is almost exclusively associated with consumption of raw oysters. Properly cooking the shellfish can totally eliminate the risk. Although most cases are likely underreported and unrecognized, infection from Vibrio vulnificus is still quite rare. Data from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicated the average occurrence of Vibrio vulnificus infection was... [more]

Louisiana legislators are hoping that a planned meeting with FDA officials will give them an opportunity to state their case that new regulations regarding the sale of raw oysters would damage the state’s prolific oyster industry. The FDA has proposed a ban on untreated Gulf of Mexico oysters during summer months. The ban has been enacted in hopes of controlling one of the deadliest foodborne pathogens,... [more]

The FDA has recently announced that it is establishing new guidelines for restricting the sale of unpasteurized raw shellfish from the gulf coast during the summer months. The move is in response to the high number of foodborne illnesses that seem to surround the consumption of raw shellfish. The regulations are being enacted in hopes of controlling one of the deadliest food pathogens Vibrio vulnificus. By... [more]

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that can cause foodborne illness in those who eat contaminated foods, such as shellfish and certain finfish, or have an open wound that is exposed to seawater. Among healthy people, ingestion of Vibrio vulnificus can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. In immunocompromised persons, particularly those with chronic liver disease, Vibrio vulnificus can infect... [more]