Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in six Americans will become sick, hospitalized, or die as a result of foodborne illness (http://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/). With these kinds of statistics, food scientists are constantly developing new ways to prevent microbial contamination in foods, while regulatory agencies continue to educate the public on safe food handling practices. Food science is the study of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of food and the processes associated with them. An important aspect of food science is reducing or preventing the formation of harmful microorganisms in foods, through processes based on scientific research. Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium), …show more content…
It is Gram positive and has a bacillary morphology. Salmonella causes the gastrointestinal infection called Salmonellosis and has common variations, or serotypes, such as Enteritidis (found mostly in poultry, Typhi and Typhimurium (http://www.salmonella.org/info.html). Since the Salmonella bacteria is found in the gastrointestinal tract of animals and humans, it is easily spread by eating fecal contaminated food and water, and by food handlers infected with the bacteria. Salmonella can also be found in the soil, along with other pathogenic bacteria, making fruits and vegetables that have not been effectively cleaned, a good source of contamination. S. Typhi, the variation that only lives in humans, can be transmitted from one person to another by consuming food or water that has been handled by an infected person, or if contaminated water is used for drinking. Irrigating and washing foods with contaminated water are also other ways such as fresh fruits and vegetables. …show more content…
Typhimurium occurred. Epidemiological investigations by the CDC began in November 2008 due to numerous S. Typhimurium infections in multiple states. Regulatory investigations of the suspected manufacturing facility by the FDA began in January 2009 after S. Typhimurium was found in a jar of peanut butter. Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) was identified as the source of the S. Typhimurium outbreak. During the investigation, the FDA concluded that PCA knowingly shipped peanuts that tested positive for Salmonella to their customers and also cited PCA for numerous food safety violations that were consistent with Salmonella being present in the peanut products that were being produced. These findings led to the indictment of key employees PCA and resulted in 714 confirmed cases in 46 states, with nine deaths.
In the case of the Salmonella gastroenteritis outbreak after a reception, the origin of the illness comes down to the potato salad served at this event, however, the investigators are not certain of the mechanism of contamination. Whether the service worker (infected) might have unknowingly contaminated the food item or whether the food service worker also was infected through the same source as the case-patients remains unclear.2 Because the mechanism is unclear, it’s hard to identify if any of the ingredients in the potato salad were the culprit. In many cases, however, investigators are able to identify the mechanism for contamination.
Schwan’s Sales Enterprise had the largest foodborne illness outbreak in history in Marshall, Minnesota around 1994 (Rubenstein, 1998). Cliff Viessman, a tanker truck operator transported a shipment of raw eggs that may have been infected with salmonella bacteria. The suspected contamination was unknown to Viessman’s employees. A foodborne illness is an infection or irritation of the gastrointestinal that caused by food or beverages that contain harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses, or chemicals. The company truck was parked and pressure washed to eliminate the bacteria. The next assignment was to transport ice cream mix to the Schwan’s plant (Rubenstein, 1998). Schwan’s company heard about the bacteria that may have affected their product and
This case study, finalized and updated onto the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, talks about the Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Wandsworth Infections Linked to Veggie Booty. Publishing this outbreak onto their website makes it very beneficial and helps the public realize the importance of food health. Food health is just as important as overall public health. It is essential because people need to consume food in order to live, and if their food is tainted or contaminated, it would cause health problems and sickness and in some extreme cases, death. Ensuring food health will overall promote public health in the long run.
The USDA issued interim regulations that restricted the interstate sale and transportation of eggs and poultry from flocks to protect the community from salmonella- infected eggs. The USDA has to collects samples from the flock, and if any of the test came out positive and its movement in interstate commerce would be restricted. In 1990, salmonella outbreaks were traced to three houses owned by Rose Acre Farms. Because the “test flocks” tested positive, USDA officials removed and killed sixty hens from the
Foodborne illness, or food poisoning, happens everyday in the U.S. and it is estimated that 48 million people are affected by it every year. Of these 48 million, 128,000 end up in the hospital and 3000 of them die from foodborne pathogens (Tucker, 2014). Foodborne illnesses can be caused by biological, chemical, or physical contaminants. The biological contaminants consist of bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Chemical contaminants are pesticides, cleaning supplies, and toxic chemicals. Physical contaminations are dirt, glass, wood, splinters, stones, hair, jewelry, and metal shavings (Tucker, 2014). Salmonella, a bacterium, has been the most common reported cause of food poisoning. Salmonella is most commonly exposed to humans through animal feces and it is usually from animals that give us beef, poultry, and dairy products. People who do not wash their hands after being around animals can also transmit salmonella into our food. The symptoms of Salmonella are abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and fever (Tucker, 2014). The symptoms will usually resolve on their own in healthy people but may become life threatening in those with compromised immune systems. In order to prevent Salmonellosis, raw eggs should be avoided, as well as undercooked meat, shellfish, and unpasteurized milk and juice (Tucker, 2014). It is also important to always practice hand hygiene before handling any uncooked food products. Escherichia Coli, otherwise known as E. coli, is
This multistate outbreak of Salmonella Tennessee case was published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in March of 2007 to inform the public of the outbreak that was discovered and in order to prevent other people from getting sick. The Salmonella infection was associated with the consumption of Peanut Butter, specifically with Peter Pan peanut butter and Great Value peanut butter brands manufactured by ConAgra. Since both brands were manufactured in the same facility in Georgia, they both became contaminated and so, the peanut butter jars with the code 2111 were to de discarded and avoided (MMWR, 2007). However, since the Great Value peanut butter brand is manufacture in other plants, only the peanut butter jars from the facility in Georgia had the bacterial infection within them. Although Salmonella is a common illness in the United States estimated at 1 million cases per year, the Tennessee serotype is a rare case and it was first associated with peanut butter in February 2007; however, since November of 2006, public health officials had noticed an increase with this serotype (MMWR, 2007). The symptoms of Salmonella Tennessee include diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps and dysuria, which can be seen in 12-72 hours from the person being contaminated (MMWR, 2007). Furthermore, 715 Salmonella Tennessee cases where identified in 48 states from the beginning of August 2006 through the end of July 2007 (Sheth, 2011). The source of
Tainted turkey is the likely source of the latest salmonella outbreak. An antibiotic-resistant strain of salmonella has made its way into at least 26 states, killing one person and sickening 77. On Wednesday, the U.S. health officials were investigating the source of the outbreak, which they believe is tied to tainted ground turkey. The probe so far points to a single facility. The location of which is being withheld? That has produced three of four salmonella-infected ground turkey samples taken from four stores. The salmonella strain involved worries officials because it is resistant to common antibiotics, raising the risk of hospitalization and treatment failure, the CDC says. It is estimated that 1 of 6 Americans or 48 million people (roughly) get sick from food borne illnesses, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from food borne illnesses. When they find out that someone has come in contact with a food borne illness they try to alert the rest of the U.S and remove that food from the selves, so that no one else comes in contact with the infectious disease.
In 2011, the long-term problem of infections with 6 main pathogens transmitted commonly through food didn’t changed in 2006-2008. The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011: It gives FDA further command to regulate food facilities, form standards for safe produce, recall tainted foods, inspect imported foods, and develop in surveillance and react to outbreaks. It calls on CDC to restore surveillance and outbreak reactions. Melanie Miller, an official with the partnership for Food Safety Education, says, “While the U.S. food supply is among the safest of the world, harmful bacteria can still find its way into our
Over the years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have identified several risk factors and estimated that 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur annually in the United States. Risk factors that contributed to
salad mixes were from the Tripod Farmers Company and sold in major supermarkets, such as Coles and Woolworths was recalled after then a higher than the normal amount of Salmonella cases. The people that had already purchased the prepacked salad were told to return it or throw it out. The outbreak was said to be caused by the fertilizer used to grow the crops. "It's linked back to chickens and eggs, so it could be for example that there's a link to fertiliser sourced by chickens for example, but we don't have exact data in this case," said Dr Finn Romanes.
In the fall of 1984 in The Dalles, Oregon there was a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that caused gastroenteritis in a total of 751 people. There were two waves of the outbreak, the first being September 9th through the 18th and the second was September 19th through October 10th. An investigation of the outbreak determined that the origin of the outbreak was from 10 different restaurants and eating at their salad bars. During the epidemiological investigation, no water supply, single food item, or supplier or food distributor was common to all the affected restaurants. A later criminal investigation determined that the outbreak was intentionally caused by members of a religious commune contaminating the restaurant salad bars.
Salmonella resides within the intestines of a wide range of animals. The feces of an infected animal or human can contain millions of germs, which can contaminate water when dropped near a water source. In many cases, salmonella can enter a water supply without being initially dropped there. For example, the bacteria can be carried agricultural runoff, sewage overflows, or storm water runoff.
Salmonellosis is an illness of variable severity usually characterized by diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and sometimes vomiting. Asymptomatic infections may occur and the organism may cause extraintestinal infections. The disease may have multiple manifestations and can progress from gastroenteritis into systemic disease. Most patients develop symptoms 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days and most patients recover without treatment. In some patients the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestine to the blood stream (septicemia or bacteremia) and to the other parts of the body. It may produce pneumonia, septic arthritis, pyelonephritis, meningitis and endocarditis. It may become localized in
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) typhoid fever affects 21.5 million people in developing countries as opposed to 5,700 annual cases in the U.S., mainly acquired from Americans who traveled internationally and had failed to receive the proper immunizations (CDC, 2013). Historically the only known host for Salmonella typhi has been humans and a small fraction of people like Typhoid Mary can recover from the disease and still carry the bacterium. Common symptoms of typhoid include a fever as high as 103˚-104˚ F, stomach pains, weakness, and in some cases patients may even develop a rash. Upon infection bacteria will adhere to tissue along the gastrointestinal tract and take refuge in macrophage cells, which together will travel the body through the lymphatic system. Some bacteria continue their journey through bodily organs like the liver and spleen; while others may choice to free themselves from their macrophage hosts and enter the bloodstream allowing a few to even invade the gall bladder. Eventually some of the bacteria are excreted into the stool of an infected person; typically a diagnosis for typhoid fever is affirmed by testing said person’s excrement for Salmonella typhi. In underdeveloped countries transmission of the disease is primarily ensued through the fecal-oral route. Particularly endemic areas suffer from the consumption of feces-contaminated water and food, which reside geographically along lines of poverty known for their poor water infrastructure and sanitation practices (Walsh, 2011). Although conditions of these endemic hot spots have overwhelmed natives, lessons in sanitation and personal hygiene have slightly mitigated incidence in these areas. Since typhoid fever is only transmitted between humans the key control measures
Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serotype typhi is genetically the monomorphic, restrict human pathogenic bacteria (Gevers D. et al., 2005). Typhi enters in few individuals as the carrier and shed high level of bacteria without any symptoms. It is believed that typhi was first evolved in Indonesia that have flagellar antigen (Mortimer et al., 1999; Frankel et al., 1989). The fever caused by Salmonella enterica is a major health problem and resulted by the poor hygiene conditions. The enteric infection is worldwide and occurs in both developing and developed countries. It is