Campylobacter Blog - Surveillance & analysis on Campylobacter news & outbreaks

Unlicensed cheese-maker ordered to halt operations

By RICK OLIVO Staff Writer
The Daily Press
Monday, June 26th, 2006

Cheese curds infected with the Campylobacter bacteria are now being blamed for over 100 suspected cases of illness in places as far away as Oregon.

The contaminated cheese curds were manufactured by an unlicensed Highbridge cheese-maker using unpasteurized milk, says the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services.

Wesley Lindquist was ordered to cease the production of curds and any other dairy products following the outbreak, which apparently began shortly after Memorial Day when a number of visitors were in the Ashland area for graduations and other events. Over 40 confirmed cases of illness have been identified as coming from the tainted curds, and many others from different areas of the state and even other states have also become ill.

Unlicensed cheesemaker told to halt production

By JESSE GARZA
jgarza@journalsentinel.com
Posted: June 22, 2006

More than 40 people have become ill after eating unpasteurized cheese curds produced by Wesley Lindquist of Highbridge, state health officials said Thursday.

Test results from six of those people confirmed the presence of Campylobacter jejuni bacteria, a statement from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services said.

The bacteria cause nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fever and vomiting. On rare occasions, those affected develop more severe complications such as temporary arthritis or paralysis, generally after the initial symptoms have disappeared, the statement said.

KidsHealth.org
Jun 20, 2006

You probably have lots of concerns about the foods you give to your child. Is it a nutritious meal? Will your child eat it? Is there too much fat? But one thing that may not cross your mind as you're slicing and dicing in the kitchen is food safety.

Why is food safety so important? Proper food preparations are necessary to prevent your family from becoming sick from food-borne illnesses caused by bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria (which can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and dehydration). Food safety precautions include knowing how to select foods in the grocery store, how to store them, how to cook them, and how to clean up afterward.

County has 13 possible cases of bacterial illness

June 7, 2006
The Daily Press (Wisconsin)
Rick Olivo

Ashland County and state public health officials are investigating an outbreak of a diarrheal illness that is possibly related to an unpasteurized dairy product.

According to Ashland County Health Officer Terry Kramolis, one person has been confirmed with an infection by the Campylobacter bacteria, which can cause nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramping and occasional vomiting. On rare occasions, the illness has more severe complications such as temporary arthritis or paralysis, generally after the initial symptoms have disappeared.

"Currently, 13 people from Ashland County have probable Campylobacter infections," Kramolis said. "And several people have been hospitalized.

DON THOMPSON
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO - Spoiled milk was likely responsible for an outbreak of gastroenteritis that sickened more than 1,300 inmates and 14 employees at 11 state prisons last month, officials said Friday.

The inmates and employees had symptoms between May 16 and 26 that included fever, headaches, diarrhea, cramping and vomiting caused by campylobacter, a bacteria.

Investigators were never able to find the bacteria in food and milk samples, and they said milk processing equipment tested clean at the Deuel Vocational Institution farm in Tracy, which supplied milk to the 11 prisons.

But milk was "the only food item that had any significant connection" among the sick inmates, said Dr. Mark Starr of the California Department of Health Services. "It was quite a dramatic difference."

Those who consumed milk were 11 times more likely to have symptoms, he said.

The animal-borne bacteria is commonly spread to humans through meats or animal-contaminated milk or water.

Dr. Stephen Beam, chief of the milk and food safety branch of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, speculated that contaminated containers, packaging equipment or holding tanks may have been the problem, as the farm's pasteurization process and other procedures met health standards.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's acting secretary, James E. Tilton, said there was no evidence of human tampering. A few inmates were treated at prison infirmaries, but most were treated in their cells.

"The outbreak seems to be over," and the public was never affected, he said.

Dairy production was shut down for a few hours for inspection May 19, and 25,000 half-pint containers of milk produced May 8-18 were recalled and destroyed. Milk containers during that period had a higher bacteria count, Beam said, but the bacteria could not be identified.

The farm at Deuel produces about 6,000 gallons of raw milk each day. It is one of three prison dairies that employ about 300 inmates and supply milk to all but three of the state's prisons.