Food Safety Issues
FACTS ABOUT E. coli O157:H7
FACTS ABOUT E. coli O157:H7: Toxin-producing Escherichia coli Several strains of the bacterium E. coli cause a variety of diseases in humans and animals. E. coli O157:H7 is a type associated with a particularly severe form of human disease E. coli O157:H7 is one of the most virulent (highly infectious)...
About Campylobacter
Estimations are that in the United Sates, between two and eight million people become sick and 200 to 800 die because of campylobacter every year. The infection has also been linked to Guillain-Barr syndrome, which causes severe nerve damage. Studies indicate that 20 to 40 percent of the 5,000 annual...
About Ciguatera Fish Poisoning
Ciguatera fish poisoning in humans is most commonly caused by eating carnivorous fish contaminated by a toxin produced by the dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus toxicus. The toxin bio-accumulates through the food chain, and carnivorous fish such as barracuda, red snappser, grouper, sturgeon, and amberjack are usually the most commonly involved. In Canada,...
About Cyclosporiasis
On September 29, 1997 at the 37th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in Toronto, Canada, Dr. David Relman presented a review and update of current knowledge of cyclosporiasis as an emerging infectious disease. He reminded listeners that, variably acid-fast organisms with an approximate diameter of 8-10 microns...
About Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A (HAV) is a virus that infects the liver and causes hepatitis A, an illness with an abrupt onset that can include fever, malaise, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark urine and jaundice after a prolonged incubation period (for example, more than two months). In children less than six years old,...
Salmonella
Salmonella bacteria cause diarrhoea and systemic infections, which can be fatal particularly in susceptible persons, such as the immunocompromised, the very young and the elderly. Animals used for food production are common carriers of Salmonella, which can subsequently contaminate foods such as meat, dairy products and eggs. Foods often implicated...
About Vibrio
Vibrio bacteria are most commonly associated with foods containing seafood. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the species most commonly reported as a cause of foodborne disease; it generally causes watery diarrhoea and abdominal pain lasting one to seven days and commonly follows consumption of improperly handled cold seafood salads. Vibrio vulnificus is...
Historical Overview Of Key Issues In Food Safety
E. M. Foster Madison, Wisconsin, USA Foodborne transmission of pathogenic and toxigenic microorganisms has been a recognized hazard for decades. Even half a century ago we knew about the dangers of botulism from underprocessed canned foods; staphylococcal poisoning from unrefrigerated cream-filled pastries, sliced ham, meat, and poultry salads; and salmonellosis...
About The Costs of Food Borne Illness in The USA
Most Americans only worried about becoming sick from eating contaminated food when they travelled to distant lands. After all, it was almost indisputable that the U.S. food supply was the safest in the world. But a chain of recent events has raised doubts in the minds of many. These days,...