Category Archives: Other Microorganisms

At least 170 people take ill after consuming prasad in India

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Avinash Kumar of the Hindustan Times reports at least 170 people took ill due to suspected food poisoning in Kothwan village in Munger district of Bihar late on Monday.

Sources in the district administration said more than 250 people were invited to the house of one Mahesh Koda for Satyanarayan Katha on Monday evening. After consuming the prasad, most of the villagers complained of an upset stomach, dizziness and vomiting.

As the number grew, the district administration alerted the civil surgeon who sent a team comprising two doctors, six paramedical staff and three ambulances to attend to the patients at around 11pm.

Munger district magistrate Navin Kumar said most of those who took ill were fine after being given medication.

Dr NK Mehta, who treated the villagers said of the 170 people, 80 are still under treatment and everyone was out of danger.

How human cells and pathogenic shigella engage

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One member of a large protein family that is known to stop the spread of bacterial infections by prompting infected human cells to self-destruct appears to kill the infectious bacteria instead, a new study led by UT Southwestern scientists shows. However, some bacteria have their own mechanism to thwart this attack, nullifying the deadly protein by tagging it for destruction.

The findings, published online on May 21/21 in Cell, could lead to new antibiotics to fight bacterial infections. And insight into this cellular conflict could shed light on a number of other conditions in which this protein is involved, including asthma, Type 1 diabetes, primary biliary cirrhosis, and Crohn’s disease.

“This is a wonderful example of an arms race between infectious bacteria and human cells,” says study leader Neal M. Alto, Ph.D., professor of microbiology at UTSW and a member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Previous research has shown that the protein, called gasdermin B (GSDMB), was different from other members of the mammalian gasdermin family. Related gasdermin proteins form pores in the membranes of infected cells, killing them while allowing inflammatory molecules to leak out and incite an immune response. However, GSDMB – found in humans but not in some other mammalian species, including rodents – doesn’t form pores in the membranes of cultured mammalian cells, leaving its target a mystery.

Using a novel screening technology, Alto and colleagues discovered that a protein toxin called IpaH7.8 from shigella flexneri, a bacterium that causes diarrheal disease, directly inhibits GSDMB. Biochemical experiments show that IpaH7.8 places a chemical tag on GSDMB that marks it for cellular destruction.

To understand why shigella flexneri rids human cells of GSDMB, the researchers placed GSDMB within synthetic mammalian and bacterial cell membranes. While GSDMB left the synthetic mammalian membranes unharmed, it poked holes in the bacterial membranes. Further investigation showed that immune cells called natural killer cells stimulate this process.

Alto notes that inhibiting the ability of shigella IpaH7.8 to counteract GSDMB could lead to new types of antibiotics. And because genetic variants of GSDMB have been linked to a variety of inflammatory diseases and cancer, better understanding this protein could lead to new treatments for these conditions too.

Food safety lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic

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While it is, perhaps, premature to look at the COVID-19 pandemic through the rearview mirror only, there is, according to Max Teplitski of The Packer, enough data to extract some useful lessons. 

There has been an 80-95% drop-off in the cases of norovirus infections in the U.S. (and a similar trend in England and Wales) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and another study focusing on a decline in foodborne bacterial infections. 

Similarly, studies in Israel and Spain report a 30-80% decline in reported cases of salmonella, shigella and campylobacter infections. Even though the healthcare system was stressed, authors point out that under-reporting of cases could be ruled out.  

While it is beyond doubt that SARS-CoV2 is not a foodborne pathogen, what can we learn from the measures that were put in place to control COVID-19 that also had a positive impact on food safety?

Even though we cannot eliminate the possibility that lockdowns minimized interpersonal interactions and that limited the spread of some foodborne illnesses, other factors were also likely at play. 

From the first days of the pandemic we were all reminded of the importance of hygiene: washing hands, using alcohol-based sanitizers and doing so often. While hand hygiene is something that is commonplace in the produce and, more broadly, food industry, it was the first time that consumers went to great lengths to sanitize hands before coming into public places and after leaving them.  

The authors of the Israeli study, in fact, make a direct link between an increase in handwashing and a reduction in shigella infections. I firmly believe that continuing handwashing and hand sanitizing habits learned over the past 18 months is the single most effective intervention that the food industry and consumers can implement to reduce the burden of foodborne illness. 

Disinfecting shopping carts was a new practice implemented during the pandemic. While it was put in place to sanitize high-touch surfaces (such as cart handlebars), I have no doubt that this was the second most effective practice in reducing transmission of foodborne pathogens. 

52 sick from Vibrio in Washington after heat wave

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Washington health officials are warning of an outbreak of foodborne illness believed to be connected to the recent Northwest heat wave.

Health officials said 52 cases of vibriosis have already been reported in July, surpassing previous records for the month.

Michael Crowe of King 5 reports Vibrio bacteria are found naturally in the environment but thrive in warm conditions. Officials believe the record heat and low tides at the end of June led to high levels.

That same heat wave, which experts said was made more likely because of human-caused climate change, is believed to have killed as many as a billion sea creatures.
People can get vibriosis by eating raw or undercooked shellfish. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) said symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever and chills.

Most people will recover in a few days, though those with compromised immune systems or liver disease are at increased risk of serious illness.

Of the 52 cases, 26 have been from commercial oysters, the DOH said. Four were recreational oysters, and the rest are either unknown or under investigation.

Because of the outbreak, officials are asking people to follow the “Three Cs:”

Cook shellfish to 145 degrees for at least 15 seconds
Check the DOH’s shellfish safety map before gathering
Cool shellfish immediately for the trip home, whether gathered or bought.

Crypto in cattle and humans in Ethiopia

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Cryptosporidium is an intracellular coccidian parasite causing gastrointestinal disturbances resulting in diarrhea in humans and animals. It is more frequently detected in calves and early childhood, and one of the major causes of mortality in low-income countries. National estimates of Cryptosporidium infection rate in cattle and humans are lacking in Ethiopia. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis estimated the prevalence and assess the risk factors of Cryptosporidium infection in cattle and humans over 20 years.

Article searches were made using PubMed, HINARI, Research Gates, AJOLs and Google Scholar databases. Studies that met the inclusion criteria under the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) checklist were used. Random effects models and Inverse Variance Index were used to calculate the pooled prevalence of cryptosporidiosis and heterogeneity among studies, respectively. A total of 23 eligible studies published between 2000 and 2020 were selected for this study. The estimated pooled prevalence of cryptosporidiosis was found to be 16.2% and 11% in cattle and humans, respectively.

Ten Cryptosporidium species were documented with cattle and human-based studies. C. andersoni, C. parvum, C. bovis and C. ryanae were the reported species in cattle. Similarly, in humans, seven types of Cryptosporidium species (such as C. parvum, C. hominis, C. viatorum, C. felis, C. meleagridis, C. canis and C. xiaoi) was recorded. C. parvum and C. hominis were the dominant and responsible species for human illness. Using gp60 gene locus analysis, various zoonotic C. parvum subgenotypes were determined in humans; but it was limited in anthroponotic C. hominis.

In conclusion, the overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in cattle and humans was high and linked with several risk factors. Thus, there is a need for further epidemiological and genetic diversity studies, and awareness of creations on the disease to provide strategies that mitigate the disease in cattle and humans.

Cryptosporidium infection in cattle and humans in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis, 13 July 2021

Parasite Epidemiology and Control

Zewdu Seyoum, Tarekegna, Yeshifana Tigabua, Haileyesus Dejeneab

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parepi.2021.e00219

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405673121000209

The next pandemic, and what you shouldn’t do about it

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As I’ve written before, I didn’t really get turned onto learning until a 4th year university virology course in 1984 (I half since seen the prof several times and thanked him profusely).

John Oliver and his writing staff have done everything I’ve tried to do, but he has better writers who are also paid better.

Enjoy.

Raw is risky: Maya Jama forced to miss bash after suffering food poisoning from raw tuna

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I don’t know who TV star Maya Jama is but I do know food safety, and raw is risky.

raw tuna fish

The self-appointed epidemiologis shared on Instagram that she had been vomiting all day and felt ‘sad’ not to attend the bash at London’s Television Centre where she was due to present an award.

The 26-year-old already had her red carpet outfit picked out to hang with the stars, such as Oti Mabuse and Michaela Coel, on the night to celebrate the best and brightest in British TV.

The radio presenter wrote on Instagram on Sunday: ‘So saddddd I won’t be at the Baftas today,’ she wrote on her Instagram Story.

‘I ate that posh raw tuna s**t and have been [sick] all day. Was supposed to wear the dress of dreams also I might have to wear it to the shop next week to feel better.’ She also added a vomit emoji and three face palm emoji to hammer the point home.

Conch alert after cases of suspected poisoning in Bahamas

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Khrisna Russell of Tribune 242 reports food safety officials are cautioning against the consumption of fresh conch after several suspected cases of conch poisoning.

Several reports of conch poisoning made the rounds on social media over the past few days before the Bahamas Agricultural Health and Food Safety Authority issued a statement yesterday.

The authority warned consumers to avoid fresh conch until officials are able to determine the source of the contamination.

Conch poisoning is typically caused by the bacterium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, with contamination attributed to poor hygienic practices during its handling and preparation.

Health Minister Renward Wells said there had been about 10 reported cases of conch poisoning.

Vendors should also avoid having the conch sit in the sun for long periods of time and after the conch meat is removed, it should be gutted and rinsed thoroughly under potable running water for enough time to carefully remove all the slime and debris present. Also, vendors should wash their hands before and after preparation with liquid hand soap and warm running water for 20-30 seconds.

Gloves should also be worn when preparing conch salad or other fresh preparations where further cooking is not done.

Hair nets and disposable aprons should also be worn to prevent cross contamination. Gloves should be changed regularly if they become torn or in between tasks.

Other precautions include conch salad vendors utilising separate cutting boards for slicing vegetables and the conch. Cutting boards and utensils should be cleaned and sanitised in between preparations to avoid cross contamination or the carryover of contamination between preparations.

Consumers are urged to be vigilant to ensure that wherever they are purchasing raw conch dishes, vendors are following hygienic practices. Those who purchase raw conch to prepare at home should follow these preparation steps as well.

Brucellosis sickens dozens in Algeria after drinking goats milk

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Outbreak News Today reportsAlgerian media is reporting an outbreak of brucellosis in Batna. According to the report, 31 people were infected with brucellosis in the municipality of Ares after consuming goat’s milk.

This followed the discovery of a focus of the disease that infected 119 goats from a herd of 155.

Brucellosis is a contagious disease of animals that also affects humans. The disease is also known as Bang’s Disease. In humans, it’s known as Undulant Fever.

The Brucella species are named for their primary hosts: Brucella melitensis is found mostly is goats ,sheep and camels, B. abortus is a pathogen of cattle, B. suis is found primarily in swine and B. canis is found in dogs.

The more common ways people get infected with brucellosis include: First, individuals that work with infected animals that have not been vaccinated against brucellosis. This would include farmers, slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians.

They get infected through direct contact or aerosols produced by the infected animal tissue. B. abortus and B. suis are most common.

The second way is through ingesting unpasteurized dairy products.

Brucellosis is also an occupational hazard to laboratory workers who inappropriately handle specimens or have an accident or spill. Brucella is highly infectious in the aerosolized form.

If someone gets infected with Brucella, the incubation period is about 2-3 weeks, though it could be months. Fever, night sweats, severe headache and body aches and other non-specific symptoms may occur.

Better camel milk

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Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan on the survival of Campylobacter jejuni in camel meat slices vacuum-packed and stored at 4 or 10 °C for 30 days. The shelf life of camel meat was 30 days longer using 1% or 2% Citrox in combination with 1% chitosan than when using Citrox alone. The reductions ranged from 4.0 to 3.5 logarithmic cycles during the storage period at both 4 and 10 °C. The quality of camel meat treated with Citrox plus chitosan was also better than that of the control meat and of meat treated with 0.85% NaCl.

Abstract: Camel meat is one of the most consumed meats in Arab countries. The use of natural antimicrobial agents to extend the shelf life of fresh camel meat, control Campylobacter jejuni contamination, and preserve meat quality is preferred. In this study, we determined the antimicrobial effects of using 1% or 2% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan on the survival of C. jejuni in vitro and on camel meat samples during storage at 4 or 10 °C for 30 days in vacuum packaging. We determined the total viable count (TVC (cfu/g)), total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN) content, and pH of the treated camel meat samples every three days during storage. The shelf lives of camel meat samples treated with 2% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan were longer than those of camel meat samples treated with 1% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan at both the 4 and 10 °C storage temperatures, with TVCs of <100 cfu/g after the first ten days and six days of storage at 4 and 10 °C, respectively. The addition of Citrox (1% and 2%) and 1% chitosan to camel meat samples and the application of vacuum storage were more effective than using Citrox (1% and 2%) alone and led to a reduction in C. jejuni in approximately 4.0 and 3.5 log cycles at 4 and 10 °C, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that using a Citrox-chitosan combination improved the quality of camel meat and enhanced the longterm preservation of fresh meat for up to or more than 30 days at 4 °C.

Improving the quality and safety of fresh camel meat contaminated with Campylobacter jejuni using citgrox, chitosan, and vacuum packaging to extend shelf life

Hany M. Yehia 1,2, *, Abdulrahman H. Al-Masoud 1, Manal F. Elkhadragy 3, Shereen M. Korany 3,4, Hend M. S. Nada 5, Najla A. Albaridi 6, Abdulhakeem A. Alzahrani 1 and Mosffer M. AL-Dagal 1

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/4/1152/pdf&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTA4ODk5MjIzOTkyNzc5MjU4OTkyGmY3MjNlYjUzNWU2MmRlNzY6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNEeYwnVN7vKKPk-g30USCQDhsC3tg