Campylobacter Blog - Surveillance & analysis on Campylobacter news & outbreaks

April 26, 2006
Washington Post
Bonnie S. Benwick

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which for decades had recommended that poultry be cooked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees for safe eating, has reevaluated that assessment.

Earlier this month, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service established 165 degrees as the single safe minimum internal temperature to kill food-borne pathogens and viruses in poultry.

The months of commissioned study and testing by the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods were not prompted by reports of overcooked white meat but by reported outbreaks of Salmonella bacteria that were traced to partially cooked, frozen poultry products.

By Ben Wasserman
Apr 17, 2006, 23:17

April 17 (foodconsumer.org) - Overuse of antibiotics in men or animals is attributed to the ever-increasing bacterial drug resistance. A new Australian study has linked less antibiotic use in animals with low levels of drug-resistant bacteria in humans.

The study, published in the May 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, was to examine whether less use of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones would lower the bacterial drug resistance in humans. In Australia, the government has banned use of the antibiotic in poultry.

In the study of 585 patients from five Australian states, Australian researchers examined drug resistance of Campylobacter jejuni, a leading bacterial cause of foodborne illness in industrialized countries, in the study patients. None of the patients had received fluoroquinolone within the month prior to becoming ill.

Posted on: 04/17/2006

Australia 's policy of restricting antibiotic use in food-producing animals may be linked with lower levels of drug-resistant bacteria found in its citizens, according to an article in the May 15, 2006 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

Campylobacter jejuni is a leading bacterial cause of foodborne illness in industrialized countries. Drug resistance can make Campylobacter infections difficult for physicians to treat, and can result in longer bouts of diarrhea and a higher risk of serious or even fatal illness. Bacterial resistance to drugs is generally attributed to inappropriate prescribing or overuse of antibiotics.

April 2006
Journal of Food Protection, Volume 69, Number 4, April 2006, pp. 928-931(4)
Meldrum, R.J. et al

Abstract:
A 36-month study of Campylobacter and Salmonella in retail raw whole chicken was carried out to measure baseline rates at the retail level, establish seasonality, and observe changes in rates over time. In total, 2,228 samples were taken between November 2001 and December 2004. The Campylobacter rate was unchanged over the 3 years of the study, but the Salmonella rates declined significantly between 2001 and 2004. There was also some seasonality in Campylobacter rates in fresh samples. The overall conclusion from the study was that the Salmonella rate in raw chicken available to consumers in Wales fell significantly between 2001 and 2004, while the Campylobacter rate remained unchanged and is still by far the greater problem.

April 2006
Journal of Food Protection, Volume 69, Number 4, pp. 762-767(6)
Zhao, Tong and Doyle, Michael P.

Abstract:
Eight chemicals, including glycerol monolaurate, hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid, lactic acid, sodium benzoate, sodium chlorate, sodium carbonate, and sodium hydroxide, were tested individually or in combination for their ability to inactivate Campylobacter jejuni at 4 degrees C in suspension. Results showed that treatment for up to 20 min with 0.01% glycerol monolaurate, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 50 or 100 mM sodium chlorate, or 1% lactic acid did not substantially (<0.5 log CFU/ml) reduce C. jejuni populations but that 0.1 and 0.2% hydrogen peroxide for 20 min reduced C. jejuni populations by ca. 2.0 and 4.5 log CFU/ml, respectively. By contrast, treatments with 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% acetic acid, 25, 50, and 100 mM sodium carbonate, and 0.05 and 0.1 N sodium hydroxide reduced C. jejuni populations by 5 log CFU/ml within 2 min. A combination of 0.5% acetic acid plus 0.05% potassium sorbate or 0.5% acetic acid plus 0.05% sodium benzoate reduced C. jejuni populations by 5 log CFU/ml within 1 min; however, substituting 0.5% lactic acid for 0.5% acetic acid was not effective, with a reduction of C. jejuni of 0.5 log CFU/ml. A combination of acidic calcium sulfate, lactic acid, ethanol, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and polypropylene glycol (ACS-LA) also reduced C. jejuni in suspension by 5 log CFU/ml within 1 min. All chemicals or chemical combinations for which there was a 5-log/ml reduction of C. jejuni in suspension were further evaluated for C. jejuni inactivation on chicken wings. Treatments at 4 degrees C of 2% acetic acid, 100 mM sodium carbonate, or 0.1 N sodium hydroxide for up to 45 s reduced C. jejuni populations by ca. 1.4, 1.6, or 3.5 log CFU/g, respectively. Treatment with ACSLA at 4 degrees C for 15 s reduced C. jejuni by 5 log CFU/g to an undetectable level. The ACS-LA treatment was highly effective in chilled water at killing C. jejuni on chicken and, if recycled, may be a useful treatment in chill water tanks for poultry processors to reduce campylobacters on poultry skin after slaughter.

April 2006
Journal of Food Protection, Volume 69, Number 4, pp. 729-738(10)
Ahlborn, Gene; Sheldon, Brian W.

Abstract:
The biological activity (D-value determination) of eggshell membrane (ESM) was examined to determine the membrane components and mechanisms responsible for antibacterial activity. Biological and enzymatic activities (i.e., β-N-acetylglucosaminidase [β-NAGase], lysozyme, and ovotransferrin) of ESM denatured with trypsin, lipases, or heat were compared with those of untreated ESM. Trypsin-treated ESM lost all biological activity (D-values at 54 degrees C were 5.12 and 5.38 min for immobilized and solubilized trypsin, respectively) but showed no significant loss of enzymatic activities. Treatments with porcine lipase and a lipase cocktail did not impact biological or enzymatic activities. Heat denaturation of ESM (at 80 and 100 degrees C for 15 min) resulted in significant decreases in biological activity (D-values of 3.99 and 4.43 min, respectively) and loss of β-NAGase activity. Lysozyme and ovotransferrin activities remained but were significantly reduced. Purified ESM and hen egg white components (i.e., β-NAGase, lysozyme, and ovotransferrin) were added to Salmonella Typhimurium suspensions (in 0.1% peptone water) at varying concentrations to evaluate their biological activity. D-values at 54 degrees C were 4.50 and 3.68 min for treatment with lysozyme or β-NAGase alone, respectively, and 2.44 min for ovotransferrin but 1.47 min for a combination of all three components (similar to values for ESM). Exposure of Salmonella Typhimurium cells to a mixture of ovotransferrin, lysozyme, and β-NAGase or ESM resulted in significant increases in extracellular concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+. Transmission electron microscopic examination of Salmonella Typhimurium cells treated with a combination of ovotransferrin, lysozyme, and β-NAGase revealed membrane disruption and cell lysis. The findings of this study demonstrate that ovotransferrin, lysozyme, and β-NAGase are the primary components responsible for ESM antibacterial activity. The combination of these proteins and perhaps other ESM components interferes with interactions between bacterial lipopolysaccharides, sensitizing the outer bacterial membrane to the lethal affects of heat and possibly pressure and osmotic stressors.

April 6, 2006
Scripps Howard News Service
Lance Gay

America's disease detectives credit pasteurization of milk as one of the great health advances of the 20th century. But drinkers of raw milk argue the heating process that destroys dangerous pathogens also kills beneficial nutrients and vitamins.

Advocates are accelerating their lobbying in some of the 23 states that ban sales of un-pasteurized milk, arguing that it's no more dangerous than raw meat or un-pasteurized fruit juice. Encouraging dairy farmers to sell un-pasteurized milk at the farm gate will save small farms that are losing their milk markets, they say.

"Technology is destroying nature's perfect food,'' said Sally Fallon, head of the Weston A. Price Foundation in Washington, who argues Americans would be healthier returning to drinking raw milk. The foundation is spearheading a drive to make raw milk more available.

April 5, 2006
Food Safety Web Specialists
Food Safety and Inspection Service

WASHINGTON -- The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today advised consumers that cooking raw poultry to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F will eliminate pathogens and viruses.

The single minimum internal temperature requirement of 165 degrees F was recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF).

"The Committee was asked to determine a single minimum temperature for poultry at which consumers can be confident that pathogens and viruses will be destroyed," said Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond. "The recommendation is based on the best scientific data available and will serve as a foundation for our programs designed to reduce foodborne illness and protect public health."

April 2, 2006
Press Release Newswire

Chicken is one of the most versatile and economical main dishes for people looking for nutritious and easy-to-fix meals. But if not stored, cooked and cleaned correctly, chicken can cause food poisoning and other food-borne illnesses.

Little Rock -- "Chicken? Again?" That's probably one of the most common laments heard over and over at dinnertime in homes throughout Arkansas.

Chicken is one of the most versatile and economical main dishes for people looking for nutritious and easy-to-fix meals. But if not stored, cooked and cleaned correctly, chicken can cause food poisoning and other food-borne illnesses.