Campylobacter Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Campylobacter Blog

When we think of Arkansas, we do think of chickens.   That's why we were not surprised to see the University of Arkansas doing some major research focusing on chickens, Campylobacter jejuni, a pathogen found in poultry, and antibiotics.

The bottom line? The University of Arkansas found that Campylobacter jejuni in poultry is becoming resistant to ciprofloxacin, a synthetic antibiotic used by humans to fight bacterial infections.

For the study, the University went grocery shopping every week for nearly a year at two Fayetteville grocery stores.  They bought a total of 382 raw chicken carcasses.

From the first store, 85 percent of the chickens purchased had countable levels of Campylobacter (including its non-pathogenic species), with 27 percent of it resistant to ciprofloxacin.

From the second store, 46 percent of the carcasses had detectable Campylobacter and 6 percent of that was resistant to ciprofloxacin.  In a press release, the University said:

Ramakrishna Nannapaneni, who conducted the research while at Arkansas as a food science post-doctoral associate, said that ciprofloxacin has never been used in animals. However, it is closely related to two other antibiotics, enrofloxacin and sarafloxacin, which were previously approved for usage in poultry between 1995 and 2000 before they were banned on Sept. 12, 2005.

“When Campylobacter became resistant to enrofloxacin or sarafloxacin, it also showed cross-resistance to other fluoroquinolones (a group of antibiotics), such as in human medicine against ciprofloxacin,” said Nannapaneni, now an assistant professor of food science at Mississippi State University.

See the rest of the University of Arkansas story here.

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Some official comments in news are worth nothing. Stephen J. Hedges writing in last Friday's Chicago Tribune quotes John Sheehan, director of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's Office of Plant and Dairy Foods on raw milk.

Here's what he said: "Raw milk is inherently dangerous, and it should not be consumed by anyone at any time for any reason. There is absolutely nothing to the claims that it is magical, mystical elixir that cures all."

The Tribune went on to report this: "Health officials argue that raw milk can carry dangerous pathogens, such as E. coli, listeria, salmonella and campylobacter--bugs that are killed by pasteurization." Go to the rest of the story by clicking on this headline: "Raw milk trend concerns many: some love it, but safety isn't certain."

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Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, as the intestinal organisms are known, are merging into a single species, the April 11^th issue of the journal Science reports.  

 

FOX News says the researchers who authored the report think the marriage of the creatures represents a profound example of how people can affect evolution

 

"What we're seeing here is hybridization, and it's only been recently acknowledged as an important part of evolution," said Samuel Sheppard, an evolutionary microbiologist at Oxford University in England. "It's really exciting stuff."

 

FOX News describes the evolutionary history this way:

 

C. jejuni and C. coli are thought to have shared a common ancestor, or parent, in the ancient past.

When the microbial descendent split up and evolutionary pressures stepped in, two new species began to take shape and fill different niches within the guts of wild chickens, pigs and other animals.

Although the definition of a species is one of the most hotly debated topics among biologists, Sheppard said the two microbes are strikingly different, despite sharing about 85 percent of their genetic code.

See the entire FOX News story here.

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The First Post, an online daily magazine, tomorrow (4/10/08) takes on some myths about organic farming.   It reports that one of those myths is that organic food is healthier. 

Not only is that not true, organic can be dangerous.   The First Post warns:

Organic manure can also carry the dangerous bacteria Campylobacter which causes stomach infections, vomiting and diarrhoea. The Danish National Veterinary Laboratory found Campylobacter in 100 per cent of organic chicken flocks but only 36.7 per cent of conventional chicken flocks.

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We have to admit, we really don't like doing the grocery shopping.  If we do not read the labels, we're certain to buy something we don't want or need.  And, if you do read the labels, it can take forever.

Reading labels also leaves us feeling stupid.  What do some of these words mean?  That's why we were drawn to reading a story in the San Jose Mercury News about what "air-chilled" is suppose to mean.   Reporter Carolyn Jung writes:

The air-chilling process, common in Western Europe for more than 45 years, is still fairly new in the United States. It refers to a specific method used to cool chickens after slaughtering. Most chickens in this country are processed by being immersed in ice water. By contrast, air-chilling cools chickens by blasting them with cold air.

Air versus water? Is there really such a huge difference? Many retailers think so. Since January, Whole Foods has been steadily converting all of its full-service meat counters to sell only air-chilled chicken. Niman Ranch, known for its sustainable and humanely raised meats, is expected to start selling an air-chilled French heritage chicken called Poulet Rouge Fermiere in April. It will be the company’s first chicken product.

Whether air-chilled chicken is safer is not really clear. A USDA-sponsored study by the University of Nebraska in 2000 found that 350 air-chilled chickens had about 20 percent less bacteria (such as salmonella and campylobacter) than the same number of water-cooled poultry. That study, though, examined only one air-chilling plant and one water-immersion plant.

Less campylobacter and salmonella, that would be good news.  The cartoon with this was kind of what came to our mind when we first heard the term "air chilled chicken."   For the rest of the story, go here.

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Now this is interesting, and somewhat ironic. 

Last June, over a quarter of 800 bicyclists in a race in British Columbia became ill from  what public health officials believe is one of the biggest reported outbreaks in this country of Campylobacter jejuni - a diarrhea-causing bacteria that is generally contracted through consumption of contaminated food or water.

But it wasn't the food or water the cyclists consumed that made them sick.  No, it was the mud.  June can be a rainy month in BC and the mud was so thick in places that bikers had to dismount and push their way through it.

So when so many became sick, the mud was suspected from the beginning by both health officials and those involved in the race.

"All you could see were the whites of their eyes from the pictures we saw," Dr. Eleni Galanis said of the riders. "There was a lot of mud flying."

Findings of the investigation into the outbreak were presented Monday  (3/17/08) at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta.  It was the feces in the mud that gave the riders campylobacter.

The Canadian Press Report on the outbreak can be found here.

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There's a trial going on down in federal court in Tulsa that seems to have everything going for it.  Colorful expert testimony, a determined state attorney general, and some of the nation's top food companies who appear determined to come across as just good old boys.

Robert J. Smith, who writes for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, has been doing an excellent job of covering the proceedings that pit Arkansas' economic interests against Oklahoma's campaign to clean up the Illinois River.  At issue is how high Salmonella and campylobacter bacteria levels  will be allowed in the Illinois River.

And the good old boys?  Oh, they are the defendants and our friends at Tyson Foods of Springdale; Simmons Foods of Siloam Springs; Cargill of Minneapolis; Cobb-Vantress of Siloam Springs; George’s of Springdale; Peterson Farms of Decatur; Willow Brook Foods of Springfield, Mo.; and Cal-Maine Foods of Jackson, Miss.

They've all been sued by Oklahoma's Attorney General Drew Edmondson.  Smith explains:

Oklahoma contends people are at risk in the watershed, which includes portions of eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas, because they spend time in the river and drink from wells. Sections of the 99-mile-long river in Oklahoma are popular for swimming, canoeing and fishing.

Oklahoma blames the poultry companies for bacteria found in water, soil and litter samples, saying the litter threatens human health because it leaches from fields where it’s spread.

Experts have clashed over how high or low the risk to the river from the Arkansas poultry industry.

Smith's weekend wrap up can be found here.

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Its not often an outbreak results in some instant justice.   But when 11 students at the University of Nevada Reno were diagnosed with campylobacter, a food-borne illness, the investigation quickly turned to the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

Here's the story from the Reno Review Journal:

A fraternity at the University of Nevada, Reno has been slapped with a two-year suspension for hazing.The university took the action after the local Alpha Tau Omega chapter was accused of hazing pledges by branding their buttocks with dry ice and making them eat raw poultry.

The hazing came to light in December after as many as 11 pledges sought treatment at the student health center after eating uncooked chicken or turkey, said Sally Morgan, the university's director of student conduct.

The pledges were diagnosed with campylobacter, a food-borne illness required to be reported to the county health department, Morgan told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

The students were questioned during a campus investigation in January when they returned from their winter break. Morgan said fraternity members used dry ice to etch the Greek letter omega, resembling an upside down U, on pledges' buttocks.

Oh and the fraternity is appealing the suspension.

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Arkansas and Oklahoma are not getting along these days and a debate about Campylobacter took center stage recently in the dispute.

It seems  that Oklahoma wants Arkansas to help cleanup the Illinois River by stopping the spreading of "poultry litter."   It basically sounds like Arkansas lets Tyson Foods and others spread chicken poop throughout the land.    And--surprise, surprise--its hell on the water quality.  As for  the Campylobacter debate,  reporter Robert J. Smith at the Arkansas Democrat Gazette provides the play-by-play, which occurred in court. Here goes:

Christopher Teaf, associate director of biomedical research at Florida State University in Tallahassee... in particular, drew pointed questions from (Tyson attorney Robert) George, a Fayetteville attorney. Teaf said Adair County in Oklahoma had 10 illnesses related to campylobacter in 2005, but George suggested that the testimony didn’t paint a fair picture for U. S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell.

Campylobacter is a common bacteria that can cause infection and diarrhea.

George accused Teaf of cherry-picking evidence to support the state’s theories about poultry litter contamination and bacteria — but ignoring evidence that refutes those theories.

Teaf didn’t mention that three other Oklahoma counties in the watershed — Sequoyah, Cherokee and Delaware — had incidents of campylobacter lower than the state average.

Louis Bullock, a private attorney working for the state, asked Teaf why he didn’t mention the other counties.

“Why is Adair County important ?” Bullock asked.

“It’s immediately adjacent to Arkansas,” Teaf said.

“And what do you find a concentration of in Arkansas ?” Bullock asked.

“Chicken,” Teaf said.

Lot's more on OK's fight for clean water here.

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We like to track as much food-borne illness data as we can.   We think its important for many reasons.  

The Irish Medical News recently reported that Campylobacter was Ireland's No. 1 food-borne illness for 2006, the latest year for which complete data is available.  The Medical News reports:

Campylobacter infection is the most important cause of sporadic cases of foodborne illness in Ireland with almost 2,000 cases reported in 2006, according to the annual report of the Food Safety Authority.

Go here to read the entire Irish Medical News story.

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The government of New Zealand latest attempts to combat Campylobacter have come under fire from the country's Green Party.  Scoop, an independent news service in New Zealand, says the Greens think the Poultry code too weak to tackle campy epidemic. It reports that:

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority has missed a vital chance to stem this country's campylobacter-related epidemic, the Green Party says.

The new Code of Practice for processing of poultry, while a small step in the right direction, fails to include some very simple measures to stem the tide of campylobacter contamination of chicken meat being sold to New Zealanders, Safe Food Spokesperson Sue Kedgley says.

"Campylobacter is a nasty food-borne illness that is estimated to affect around 100,000 New Zealanders each year, and sees about 650 people hospitalised. Estimates are that around 80 percent of cases stem from contaminated chicken.

The Authority's own studies show that campylobacter cross-contamination is occurring at virtually all stages of poultry processing and sale, yet the simple steps that can be taken to prevent this have barely been addressed in the new Code of Practice.

"A higher emphasis should be placed on more hygienic methods of transportation to avoid cross-contamination between live birds. Campylobacter lives in the gut of the chicken and transporting them in cages stacked on top of each other will inevitably result in the droppings from birds higher up the stack contaminating those below them

The complete report can be found here.

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Campylobacter is a big problem in New Zealand.  Reporting for Meat & Poultry, the business journal for meat and poultry processors,  Bryan Salvage says:

New guidelines for poultry processors have been developed by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (N.Z.F.S.A.) and the New Zealand Poultry Industry Association to reduce food poisoning cases associated with Campylobacter

New Zealand has the highest rate of Campylobacter in the world. The new code of practice will be implemented on March 1.

Meat & Poultry further reports that:

The new code of practice will apply to all poultry processors, with a goal to halve the number of cases of Campylobacter in the next five years, the N.Z.F.S.A. reported. Sharon Waggener, senior program manager of production, says the guidelines are far clearer than the existing ones and allow for suspension or even closure penalties if a processor fails to comply.

When we see a more complete summary of the new code from the government, we will pass it along.

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The new issue of  Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) Food and Nutrition Research Briefs, published on line by the United States Department of Agriculture, reports that a new medium developed by ARS that provides a quicker, simpler way to distinguish between Campylobacter species has been licensed for manufacture by two U.S. companies.

Food and Nutrition Research Briefs reports that:

A quicker, simpler way to distinguish between Campylobacter species has now been licensed for manufacture by two U.S. companies: Becton Dickinson and Co. of Franklin Lakes, N.J., and Neogen Corp. of Lansing, Mich. An Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist began working with Polish scientists in 1987 to develop the new medium, which was patented in 1999. The new culture medium, called Campy-Cefex, is specifically designed to detect and differentiate C. jejuni and C. coli mixtures of food-contaminating microbes. These two bacteria are important causes of foodborne illness. Campy-Cefex selects for Campylobacter among competing flora in a sample, cultivating colonies that resemble tiny water droplets. From these, microbiologists can estimate the level of Campylobacter contamination in the sample.

For more information :Details

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The Washington Department of Health warned that milk produced at the Pleasant Valley Dairy in Ferndale, Washington, may be contaminated with Campylobacter this week.  Campylobacter - a bacterium that causes diarrhea, somach cramps, and other symptoms of food poisoning, is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness. 

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

The bacteria were found in a routine testing sample taken Dec. 11, the department said.

Local health departments are reviewing Campylobacter illness reports that may be related to the milk, the news release said. Symptoms of the illness usually occur two to five days after ingestion and generally last for seven to 10 days.

The milk was sold in half-gallon plastic containers at the Pleasant Valley farm store and at Barganica, Community Food Co-op and Terra Organica in Bellingham; Skagit Valley Co-op in Mount Vernon; Arlington Health, Petosa's, Manna Mills, Tru Health and Bob's Corn Patch in Snohomish County; and Spuds in Seattle, the news release said.

The milk has a sell-by date of December 20.

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49abcnews.com reported last week that at least 87 Kansans had become ill with Campylobacter infections after consuming raw dairy products in November.  The outbreaks were caused by raw cheese and raw milk - both products that have been identified as past food poisoning outbreaks, including E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks. 

In the first outbreak in southwest Kansas, 68 people became ill after eating cheese made from raw (unpasteurized) milk donated by a local dairy for a community celebration. Nineteen people were ill enough to seek medical attention, and two people were hospitalized. Four of these persons tested positive for Campylobacter jejuni; no other food items served at the event were associated with illness.

The second outbreak is linked to a dairy in south central Kansas that sells raw milk directly to consumers. As of November 30, 2007, 19 cases of campylobacteriosis had been reported. Each person reported drinking raw milk purchased from the dairy.

The International Food Safety Network and other food safety advocates have repeatedly warned about the dangers of consuming "raw", or unpasteurized, milk, cheese, and other dairy products.  In May, Braw Surgeoner of iFSN wrote on the organization's blog:

Every week in the U.S. there is a report of unpasteurized milk testing positive for listeria or salmonella or E. coli or campylobacter (see Contamination shows up in dairy, Capital Press, May 18/07); every month there is a report of people, largely children, sickened after consuming unpasteurized milk in the misguided belief that all things natural are good.

She lists previous foodborne illness outbreaks linked to unpasteurized dairy products in the post, then counters raw milk advocates' claims that unpasteurized milk is safe.  Read the entire iFSN post on raw milk here.

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US - A quicker, simpler way to distinguish between Campylobacter species has now been licensed for manufacture by two U.S. companies. The new culture medium called Campy-Cefex is specifically designed to detect and differentiate C. jejuni and C. coli mixtures of food-contaminating microbes. These two bacteria are important causes of foodborne illness.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) microbiologist Norman Stern, with the ARS Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit (PMSRU) in Athens, Ga., began developing the new medium in 1987. That’s when he traveled to Poland to work with researchers Boleslaw Wojton and Kris Kwiatek at the Veterinary Research Institute in Pulawy, Poland.

keep reading here.

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A Queensland University of Technology (QUT)researcher has developed a new technique that can help scientists and clinicians quickly and cheaply diagnose the bacteria which causes the most common bout of food poisoning in Australia. Erin Price, from QUT's Faculty of Science, has developed a novel set of methods that uses genetic markers to pinpoint the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni.

"Campylobacter jejuni is the commonest cause of bacterial food-borne gastroenteritis in westernised countries," Ms Price said. "It is more common than salmonella, yet most people have never heard of it."

keep reading here

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Annette Saldivar, 38, was living a normal life as a dialysis technician and as a mother of two teenage girls.

Then, in February, she began to experience restless leg syndrome, a tingling sensation that kept her awake at night.

Later, she complained about headaches, vertigo, weakness and vision problems. She was fatigued all the time.

Finally, after seeing several physicians and undergoing all sorts of tests, a doctor diagnosed her illness as Guillain-Barré syndrome, a debilitating disease that strikes one in 100,000 people.

"She was getting so bad, I thought she was going to die," said Joe Saldivar, her father. "My twin girls are my pride and joy. I thank God he didn't take her from me."

Keep reading here

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Washington - Danger could be hiding in your dinner salad.

Food most people consider healthy, such as raw sprouts, salad greens, cooked fruit and rice, can pose serious health risks if they are improperly prepared and stored.

Sprouts are considered risky because they grow in a bacteria-friendly moist environment. Outbreaks have involved raw alfalfa and mixed sprouts that were contaminated with salmonella, which can lead to fever, cramps, diarrhea and even death, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Thorough cooking significantly reduces health risks for sprouts, as well as other foods.

Certain people are at greater risk, including young children, the elderly, the immune-compromised and pregnant women, according to Sam Beattie, a food safety extension specialist at Iowa State University.

The bacteria campylobacter, salmonella and E. coli, as well as Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses, cause the most commonly recognized food-borne infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC is working on analyses to estimate the number of illnesses each year in the United States from various foods. Initial reports are expected in 2008.

Keep reading here.

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A survey of unpasteurized milk samples drawn from dairy farms across Wisconsin found a significant presence of Coxiella burnetii and Listeria monocytogenes, two different types of bacteria that can cause serious infection and even death in some people.

These findings have particular relevance for consumers seeking raw milk products.

The study, reported at the annual International Conference on Diseases in Nature Communicable to Man held last week in Madison, Wisconsin, was based on a random sampling of milk from 901 Wisconsin dairy farms. The farms were chosen to encompass small and large herds, producers of Grade A and B milk, and all five of the state's geographic regions.

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Many communities nationwide hold yearly agricultural fairs, but few rival the Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair. The fair offers a wide range of entertainment, concessions, exhibits, livestock, amusement rides and much, much more.

Most fair-goers will tell you that the food, especially the funnel cakes and sticky buns, and the chance to reunite with family and friends are among their favorites about the fair. Many also will agree that Grange Fair just wouldn't be complete without the animals. The animals provide enjoyment, entertainment, and an educational experience for children and adults. Those who raise and exhibit their animals are rewarded with the pride of showing an award-winning animal, while those not involved in animal agriculture get an opportunity to learn more about the animals they may have only seen from a distance.

keep reading here

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ATLANTA, GA (July 20, 2007) - Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin reminded Georgians today about the dangers associated with drinking raw (unpasteurized) milk.

“Although there is a movement touting its benefits, people should remember there are numerous dangers associated with drinking raw milk,” said Commissioner Irvin. Among these dangers are illnesses resulting from Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes and Yersinia enterocolitica. These bacteria can cause a variety of health problems, including vomiting and diarrhea, encephalitis, septicemia and spontaneous abortion.

Keep reading here

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New research conducted now suggests that the ban on the use of fluoroquinolone to treat Campylobacter in humans may not be as effective as hoped.

The fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics is commonly used by doctors treat food poisoning caused by Campylobacter. However, poultry farmers began using fluoroquinolones to treat respiratory disease in flocks, resulting in the drugs being less effective in people.

Due to these concerns, in 2005, the FDA banned the use of these drugs in poultry. However, a new study suggests that the ban may not be enough to fix the problem.

A team of Johns Hopkins researchers made weekly trips to Baltimore supermarkets for 20 weeks in 2004 and 15 weeks in 2006. Each week, they bought chicken from five different producers: three producers had never used any antibiotics; two were major conventional producers that declared they had ceased all use of fluoroquinolones in 2002. The scientists tested one piece of chicken from each package for Campylobacter, confirmed the bacterium's identity using DNA analysis, then tested for antibiotic resistance using the minimal inhibitory concentration method.

The bacteria from conventional chicken were more likely to be fluoroquinolone-resistant than those from antibiotic-free products. The researchers compared each poultry producer to every other producer in a pair-wise fashion. In both 2004 and 2006, this statistical analysis showed that the Campylobacter strains from the conventionally produced chicken were more likely to be resistant than the strains from antibiotic-free samples.
In addition, between 2004 and 2006, the proportion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the conventionally produced chicken showed no significant change, indicating that the prevalence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter was not decreasing in chicken from these producers, even after four years.

Results suggest that once antibiotic-resistant bacteria have developed, they may show up on grocery store shelves long after drug use stops. The authors note that they could not verify claims of voluntary fluoroquinolone prohibition because poultry producers are not required to report their use of drugs in food animals to regulatory agencies.

Other studies have shown that resistant bacteria can linger in poultry farms' water distribution and ventilation systems and in reused litter. The authors state that additional interventions, such as requiring thorough disinfection and regular litter changing in poultry houses, may be necessary to reduce the public health burden of fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter.

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I showed up at the farm in the dark of night. This was not a necessary element to procuring my illicit elixir, but it somehow seemed apropos. A lone light and the moon illuminated the gravel drive between my car and the barn in rural Alamance County. A black cat scurried across my path, and I mused at the irony.

Just as promised, I found the milk in the fridge. "Nelson" was printed neatly on the glass with indelible ink on an otherwise unlabeled jar. No one was around except for a dog, who surveyed my intentions and went back to guarding the cows. I left the money on the counter and departed with my contraband.

This was actually the least secretive element in my quest to find raw milk. Getting here had required everything short of a secret handshake.

Keep reading here

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June 19, 2007 -- A quick trip to the deli salad bar can result in an even quicker bout of food poisoning.

With the summer heat upon us, health experts warn that the popular "pay-by-the-pound" salad bars found in delis citywide are prime breeding grounds for bacteria and other pathogens.

Keep reading here

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University of Nottingham experts have joined forces with Canadian biotech company GangaGen Life Sciences Inc to develop new weapons in the fight against food poisoning.

They are engaging in a major research project to develop methods for the control of Campylobacter — the commonest cause of infectious bacterial intestinal disease in England and Wales, according to the Health Protection Agency. Campylobacters are found in poultry and other animals and cause millions of cases of food poisoning worldwide.

The researchers intend to develop bacteriophage-based treatments for the control of Campylobacter.

Bacteriophages — the term literally means 'bacterium-eater' — are naturally occurring agents that target and destroy bacteria with a high degree of efficiency, and do so selectively and specifically, without affecting beneficial bacteria or gut cells. The term is commonly used in its shortened form, phage.

keep reading here

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Academics from the Universities of the West of England and Bristol have found that faeces from healthy people and those with infectious diarrhoea differ significantly in their chemical composition and could be used to diagnose quickly diseases such as Clostridium difficile (C. Diff.).

It is hoped the discovery of these chemical profiles will lead to the development of an electronic device capable of rapid diagnosis at the bedside, saving both time and money.

The study has just been published online in The FASEB Journal. It is the result of a collaboration between Dr Chris Probert, Consultant and Reader in Gastroenterology at Bristol University and Professor Norman Ratcliffe at the University of the West of England.

Keep reading here.

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Memorial Day is the traditional start of summer, and that means parties, cook-outs and picnics. But the El Paso County Health Department reports as many as 5,000 Americans will die, this year, from food-borne illnesses. Environmental Health Specialist, Laura Dixon, says "Food borne illness is caused by microorganisms from raw foods. And mostly e-coli, campylobacter, norovirus." She says food-borne illnesses are a real and present threat.

The CDC estimates that 76 million Americans will get sick from food borne illness each year. They say the problem is that most people think they'll get sick from eating out at restaurants. But Dixon says, "In fact, a lot of the diseases and illnesses are coming from your own home."

Keep reading here.

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Residents of Cayuga County and surrounding counties are being warned not to drink or use unpasteurized raw milk sold from a Genoa farm because of possible bacteria contamination, according the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Raw milk sold by the Phil Stauderman Farm, 3128 Blakely Road, Genoa, may be contaminated with Campylobacter, a bacteria that can cause diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, nausea, headache and muscle pain in children and young adult, according to a news release from the Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The Stauderman farm has a department permit to legally sell raw milk at the farm, according to the news release.

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What is Food Poisoning?

Food poisoning results when you eat food contaminated with bacteria or other pathogens such as parasites or viruses. Your symptoms may range from upset stomach to diarrhea, fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps and dehydration. Most such infections go undiagnosed and unreported.

But the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year about 76 million people in the United States become ill from pathogens in food, and about 5,000 of them die.

Over 55% of such cases are caused by improper cooking and storage of foods, and 24% by poor hygiene, such as not washing your hands while preparing food. Only 3% of cases are from unsafe food sources. Keeping your hands clean while working with food is the single most important thing you can do to prevent food poisoning.

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The CDC today released its preliminary 2006 food-borne illness data from 10 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee. A total of 17,252 confirmed cases (actual cases may be anywhere between 20 and 30 times the confirmed cases) of food-borne illness were reported in those states in 2006, according to the CDC. The most commonly reported illnesses were:

Salmonella: 6,655 cases

Campylobacter: 5,712 cases

Shigella: 2,736 cases

Cryptosporidium: 859 cases

E. coli O157: 590 cases

E. coli non-O157: 209 cases

Yersinia: 158 cases

Vibrio: 154 cases

Listeria: 138 cases

Cyclospora: 41 cases

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Many people have spent a tropical vacation with a bad stomach bug. They might have had dysentery, a painful intestinal infection that is usually caused by bacteria and rarely by parasites. Dysentery is defined as diarrhea in which there is blood and pus.

There are two main types of dysentery. The first type, amoebic dysentery or intestinal amebiasis, is caused by a single-celled, microscopic parasite living in the large bowel . The second type, bacilliary dysentery, is caused by invasive bacteria. Both kinds of dysentery occur mostly in hot countries. Poor hygiene and sanitation increase the risk of dysentery by spreading the protozoa or bacteria that cause it through food or water contaminated by infected human feces.

Causes
Bacterial infections are by far the most common causes of dysentery. These infections include Shigella, Campylobacter, E. coli, and Salmonella species of bacteria. The frequency of each pathogen varies considerably in different regions of the world. For example, shigellosis is most common in Latin America while Campylobacter is the dominant bacteria in Southeast Asia. Dysentery can have a number of causes. Dysentery is rarely caused by chemical irritants or by intestinal worms.
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A York County dairy has suspended its raw milk sales for the second time in a month under the advice of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which warned that the milk might be linked to a case of gastrointestinal illness.

The state is advising people not to drink raw milk purchased from Stump Acres Dairy in New Salem since March 19. The dairy voluntarily suspended sales Tuesday, though the health department has not at this time established that any of the milk is contaminated with bacteria or otherwise unsafe.

"The results are still pending," said Larissa Bedrick, spokeswoman for the department of health.

The department also recommends a doctor visit for anyone who has become ill after consuming the dairy's raw milk.

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Here is a safety alert about chicken. Our partners at Consumer Reports ran extensive tests for bacteria and found 83 percent of the chicken tested harbored the kinds of bacteria that are the leading causes of food poisoning.

Leighton Kunkle has nerve damage in his hands and feet from Guillain-Barré syndrome, a side effect of food poisoning caused by the bacteria campylobacter. He believes he got sick from eating undercooked chicken in a restaurant.

"I spend the next few months in the hospital, in ICU, sitting there paralyzed from the neck down, had to learn how to walk again, eat again, talk again," said Kunkle.

The chicken that was tested nationwide was examined to see if it contained the bacteria campylobacter or salmonella, the two leading bacterial causes of food poisoning.

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SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food said Monday bacteria that cause campylobacter were not found in milk samples tested last week.

Utah County health officials issued a warning against raw milk consumption last week after several cases of a severe food-borne illness were linked to products from the same dairy -- Woolsey's Dairy in Payson.

The department tested samples taken directly from a cow and a goat, the production line and from consumers.

The samples were not part of the original milking associated with the illnesses, the department said.

"We can't test milk consumed three weeks ago," spokesman Larry Lewis said.

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah County health officials issued a warning against raw milk consumption.

Seven cases of a severe food-borne illness have been linked to products from the same dairy.

Utah's Department of Agriculture and Food has issued a notice of investigation to Woolsey's Dairy in Payson, where the sick consumers say they purchased raw milk.

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The owner of a Utah County dairy that's being inspected by health officials says he doesn't know if raw milk from his dairy is what made seven people sick.

Lars Woolsey of Woolsey's Dairy in Payson says he does not think the milk is what caused the food-borne illness. Woolsey says he sent off samples to be tested earlier this week and the county health inspectors were at the dairy Wednesday.

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PAYSON — Utah County health officials issued a warning Wednesday about the outbreak of a food-borne illness that appears to be linked to a Payson dairy farm.

So far 15 people have tested positive for campylobacteriosis, an infectious disease caused by ingesting bacteria. Officials also say several others have reported symptoms similar to those caused by the bacteria.

The disease is not unusual and is rarely life-threatening, authorities say, but the recent outbreak is much larger than normal. "We basically have seen a fourfold increase" in the number of cases, said Lance Madigan, Utah County Health Department spokesman.

The disease usually causes diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever within one to 10 days after exposure. Some experience nausea or vomiting, as well.

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Science Daily — A University of Arkansas-led research team has found that an effective way to get rid of pathogenic Campylobcter bacteria in turkeys is to use proteins produced naturally by other bacteria. The proteins are called bacteriocins. The researchers found that these proteins can eliminate the detectable Campylobacter and that they can also change conditions in the gut so that the pathogen has fewer places to hide and develop.

“If we can eliminate Campylobacter, we don’t have to worry about antibiotic resistance,” said Dan Donoghue, a UA Division of Agriculture poultry science researcher who led the project funded by the Food Safety Consortium. The UA group worked with USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists led by Annie Donoghue in Fayetteville, Ark., and Norm Stern in Athens, Ga., along with several Russian government microbiologists.

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Science Daily — Researchers from The Netherlands have identified a protein in the digestive tract of chickens that may serve as an antimicrobial agent against food-borne pathogens. They report their findings in the March 2007 issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Food-borne pathogens, responsible for most cases of food poisoning in developed countries, are commonly affiliated with poultry products including chicken. Therapeutic doses of antibiotics in chicken feed have been administered since the 1950s, but are now discouraged due to increasing rates of antibiotic resistance.

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WASHINGTON, March 3 (UPI) — U.S. regulators are expected to approve the use of a powerful antibiotic in cattle despite warnings it would speed the appearance of resistant microbes.

InterVet Inc., a Delaware company, has applied to the Food and Drug Administration to market Cefquinome for treatment of a pneumonia-like disease, the Washington Post reported. Its application is likely to be granted because of a change in FDA rules, unless a demonstrated direct danger to humans can be shown.

Critics like Edward Belongia, an epidemiologist at the Wisconsin-based Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, point to the approval of two powerful drugs in the 1990s for use in poultry. Doctors soon encountered a drug-resistant strain of campylobacter.

The industry says that 'until you show us a direct link to human mortality from the use of these drugs in animals, we don't think you should preclude their use,' Belongia told the Post. But do we really want to drive more resistance genes into the human population? It's easy to open the barn door, but it's hard to close the door once it's open.

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