The CDC reports: Shigellosis is a nationally notifiable diarrheal illness caused by gram-negative bacteria. Shigella infection is spread through fecal-oral transmission and sexual contact. Although most infections are self-limited, antibiotics are indicated for severe illness or to reduce transmission in settings with high risk for spread. Since 2015, a growing proportion of cases has been caused by […]
Tonight is the big night for the Tribeca premiere of “Poisoned” and the short red carpet walk. After the showing of the film there will be a Q and A. The movie also will be showing twice on Saturday at Tribeca. For those who do not want to brave the smokey skies of NYC, the […]
Remember, by law and with the USDA stamp of approval – meat producers can sell knowing that the product may well be tainted with a pathogen that sickens over 1,000,000 yearly. This is because USDA/FSIS does not consider Salmonella an adulterant – see below. The USDA FSIS has been investigating this outbreak for a month. […]
An Introduction to Hepatitis A Exposure to the hepatitis A virus can cause an acute infection of the liver that is typically mild and resolves on its own. [11, 17] The symptoms and duration of illness vary a great deal, with many persons showing no symptoms at all. [11] Fever and jaundice are two of […]
We in the U.S. tend to think about food safety from our perspective. Given that I am involve in cases around the world, I thought I would give my readers a bit broader perspecitive. 1,600, 000 – People get sick due to unsafe food in one day, on average 340 – Children under 5 years […]
Seattle FOX 13 reported last night: BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. – Thirty years after a deadly E. coli strain linked to meat sold at local Jack in the Box restaurants broke out in Washington, a new Netflix feature about the outbreak will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Friday, June 9. “Poisoned: The Dirty Truth about Your Food” is […]
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A potentially linked to contaminated fresh organic strawberries reportedly sold as FreshKampo or HEB, purchased in the United States between March 5, 2022, and April 25, 2022. The Public Health Agency of […]
An Introduction to Listeria Listeria (pronounced liss-STEER-ē-uh) is a gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium that can grow under either anaerobic (without oxygen) or aerobic (with oxygen) conditions. [4, 18] Of the six species of Listeria, only L. monocytogenes (pronounced maw-NO-site-aw-JUH-neez) causes disease in humans. [18] These bacteria multiply best at 86-98.6 degrees F (30-37 degrees C), but […]
An Introduction to Salmonella Bacteria Salmonella is a bacterium that causes one of the most common enteric (intestinal) infections in the United States – salmonellosis. [5] The term Salmonella refers to a group or family of bacteria that variously cause illness in humans. Salmonella serotype typhimurium and Salmonella serotype enteritidis are the most common in the United States. [5, 15, 26] Salmonella javiana is the fifth most […]
But, no free hepatitis A vaccines to food service workers? Public Health is currently investigating a report of a person who had hepatitis A infection while detained at Men’s Central Jail (441 Bauchet St, Los Angeles, CA 90012). Hepatitis A is very contagious, and people can even spread the virus before they feel sick. Since […]
As the Texas Department of Health has reported, there is a Shigella Outbreak in Lavaca County that has sickened nearly 100. It appears to be linked to a local food establishment, Los Cabos San Lucas Mexican Grill, in Hallettsville, Texas. Introduction to Shigella Shigella is a species of enteric bacteria that causes disease in humans and other […]
I am off to Tribeca next week for the showing of “Poisoned.” It is odd, and more than a bit humbling, to have a documentary that has so much of my work of the last 30 years. My hope is that viewers listen to all the great people (present company excluded) interviewed and take to […]
Interesting reading in Chemical Research in Toxicology – Is Baikiain in Tara Flour a Causative Agent for the Adverse Events Associated with the Recalled Frozen French Lentil & Leek Crumbles Food Product? – A Working Hypothesis On June 17, 2022, Daily Harvest (New York, NY) issued a voluntary recall of about 28,000 units of their […]
The San Luis Obispo Tribune reports that an outbreak of norovirus stemming from a North County restaurant has sickened close to 100 people, according to the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department. SLO County Public Health Epidemiologist Jessie Burmester said 97 people have been reported sick as part of a confirmed norovirus outbreak earlier this month. “When […]
Too bad the Taco Bell worker was not already vaccinated. The Snohomish County Health Department has identified a case of hepatitis A that occurred in a food worker who worked at two Taco Bell locations: 2727 Broadway in Everett and 303 91st Ave NE in Lake Stevens. Anyone who ate food from the Everett location […]
The Snohomish County Health Department has identified a case of hepatitis A that occurred in a food worker who worked at two Taco Bell locations: 2727 Broadway in Everett and 303 91st Ave NE in Lake Stevens Anyone who ate food from the Everett location on May 22 or 23 or from the Lake Stevens […]