Researchers have found epidemiologic and genomic evidence that the meat-production chain is a possible major source of Staphylococcus saprophyticus causing human urinary tract infections. The study titled, “Foodborne Origin and Local and Global Spread of S. saprophyticus Causing Human Urinary Tract Infections,” provides insight into the origin, transmission, and population structure of pathogenic S. saprophyticus and identifies possible new virulence factors. S. saprophyticus is a Gram-positive bacterium that is a common cause of urinary tract…

Three studies have been published describing water and foodborne outbreaks in India and the Philippines. The articles, in a supplement of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, involve Salmonella, Hepatitis A and suspected anthrax. They are accepted conference abstracts that were to be presented at the International Congress on Infectious Diseases in September 2020 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. However, the event was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The first is an outbreak of ceftriaxone-resistant Salmonella …

The table below shows outbreak investigations being managed by FDA’s CORE Response Teams. The investigations are in a variety of stages. Some outbreaks have limited information with investigations ongoing, others may be near completion. The Food and Drug Administration will issue public health advisories for outbreak investigations that have resulted in specific, actionable steps for consumers — such as throwing out or avoiding specific foods — to take to protect themselves, according to the outbreak…

Federal officials have broadened a warning about soft cheese linked to a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak. The warning now includes all cheese sold under the brand name El Abuelito. “Out of an abundance of caution, and due to the severity of Listeria infection, the FDA is expanding its warning to include all El Abuelito brand cheeses until more information is known. According to the firm’s website, this includes queso fresco, Oaxaca cheese, cotija cheese, and crema.…

Opinion Tom Vilsack is again the Secretary of Agriculture, having won U.S. Senate confirmation in a 92-to-7 vote Tuesday. Sonny Perdue is back home in Georgia playing with his grandchildren. Long live the Secretary of Agriculture, but it’s going to be difficult for some to see much difference with this transition. We are talking about two popular former governors of big farm states with closes ties to big agriculture.    I’ve been trying to understand this more…

The amount of mushroom poisonings and the number of people affected doubled this past year in China compared to 2019. In 2020, the number of investigations reached 676, involving 102 species of poisonous mushrooms, 24 of which were newly recorded in China. Mushroom poisoning incidents from 24 provincial-level administrative divisions involved 1,719 patients and 25 deaths. In 2019, 276 incidents involved 769 patients and 22 deaths. In 2020, the number of cases ranged from one to…

Consumer complaints in 2020 included hair in foods, glass in soup and insects and rodent droppings in products, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). In total, 2,772 grievances were handled by the FSAI’s advice line this past year, with 34 percent relating to unfit food and 30 percent to poor hygiene standards. This was a decrease on the 3,460 complaints in 2019. The reduction largely reflects the impact of COVID-19, where many…