Campylobacter Watch

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Wednesday, August 03, 2005
By Carrina Stanton, cstanton@chronline.com
Thousands of visitors will soon flock to the Twin Cities for the Southwest Washington Fair.
And more than likely, more than a few of them will come by the barns to see the Erven family’s sheep they raise through the 4-H program.
“That’s part of the fair experience, and part of the reason for the exhibit, so kids can see where milk comes from and where produce comes from,” said mother Peggy Erven, Salkum.
Interacting with farm animals is as much a part of most people’s fair experience as elephant ears and cotton candy. But each year, health organizations warn the public to take steps to make sure the only memento they bring home from animal exhibits is a memory.Continue Reading Go ahead and pet the animals

Wednesday, August 3, 2005BY LOIS MAHARG
Ann Arbor News Bureau
‘When in doubt, throw it out” is never better advice than during picnic season, when food sits out in the hot summer sun.
“Bacteria grow well between 70 and 120 degrees, but they grow most rapidly between 90 and 110 degrees,” said Joan Miller, extension educator at Michigan State University Extension. “And in a picnic setting generally there’s a lot of moisture in the air that allows bacteria to grow fast.”
These bacteria – E. coli 0157, Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter – can wreak havoc on the gastrointestinal tract and, in some cases, lead to serious illness and death.Continue Reading Cutting down onfood-borne illness Leave E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter off the guest list

Wednesday, August 3, 2005 12:29 PM CDT
DES MOINES (AP) — Food service giant Compass Group, which cooks for schools, museums, hospitals and corporations nationwide, unveiled a first-of-its kind purchasing policy aimed at reducing the use of antibiotics in pork production.
Released Tuesday, it comes just days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of Baytril in poultry because of concerns the drug could lead to antibiotic-resistant infections in people.Continue Reading Policy aims to curb antibiotic use in pork production

August 1, 2005
Baytril antibiotic, used in chickens and turkeys, causes resistant bacteria to emerge
BETTE HILEMAN
The Food & Drug Administration has banned the use of the antibiotic Baytril in poultry because it causes resistance to emerge in Campylobacter bacteria. Campylobacter in poultry is one of the most common causes of severe bacterial food poisoning in humans.
Baytril, a fluoroquinolone known generically as enrofloxacin, is the first veterinary drug to be banned because it leads to the emergence of resistant bacteria. It is chemically similar to the antibiotic Cipro, which is widely prescribed to treat food-borne illness in people. Use of Baytril in poultry, FDA says, reduces the effectiveness of Cipro in treating Campylobacter in humans. Baytril’s manufacturer, Bayer, has 60 days to appeal FDA’s decision.
Most of the Baytril given to chickens and turkeys is used for therapeutic, not growth promotion, purposes. When a respiratory infection shows up in a few birds in a flock, for example, Baytril is commonly given to the entire flock.Continue Reading FDA Bans Veterinary Drug

July 21, 2005 12:31 PM US Eastern Timezone
DUBLIN, Ireland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 21, 2005–Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c21227) has announced the addition of Understanding Pathogen Behaviour: Virulence, Stress Response and Resistance to their offering
Pathogens respond dynamically to their environment. Understanding their behaviour is critical both because of evidence of increased resistance to established sanitation and preservation techniques, and because of the increased use of minimal processing technologies which are more vulnerable to the development of resistance. “Understanding Pathogen Behaviour” summarises the wealth of recent research and its implications for the food industry.Continue Reading Research and Markets: Understanding Pathogen Behaviour: Virulence, Stress Response and Resistance

20/07/2005 – UK-based food processors who use poultry in their products are likely to face more safety regulations after a government report singles out chicken meat as the largest contributor to Campylobacter infections in the country.
“Given the prevalence of Campylobacter in poultry, and knowing how easily pathogens can persist and spread in the domestic and catering environments, we believe that reducing the level of the organism in poultry meat is likely to make a significant contribution to the battle against human foodborne illness,” the advisory committee stated in a report to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).Continue Reading UK regulator targets Campylobacter in poultry

When diners become ill and blame something they ate, state experts start sleuthing. They interview the victims, conduct food lineups and try to narrow down the suspects.
By Scott Joseph
Sentinel Restaurant Critic
July 20, 2005
Sometimes people think it’s just a touch of the flu, a 24-hour bug. Upset stomach, cramps and diarrhea might be some of the discomforts they experience. But on occasion, these are actually indicators of a food-borne illness, and, for epidemiologists such as Dean Bodager, they aren’t symptoms, they’re clues.
Whenever there is an outbreak of food-borne illnesses, it falls to Bodager and other members of the Florida Department of Health to track down the source. Sometimes it’s simple. Most outbreaks occur at the point of preparation — a restaurant employee who didn’t wash his or her hands properly, food that wasn’t kept at the correct temperature to prevent bacteria growth, or some sort of cross-contamination.Continue Reading Food detectives

Article published Saturday, July 16, 2005
TOLEDO ZOO
By ROBIN ERB
The Toledo Zoo’s petting zoo is scheduled to reopen today, less than a month after officials warned they might close it for the summer because a routine animal screening detected an infectious bacteria.
One Lucas County child became infected with campylobacteriosis, the illness caused by the bacteria campylobacter, after visiting the zoo in June, according to an epidemiologist at the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.
But it was unclear whether the boy picked up the bacteria at the zoo or elsewhere.
Health officials say the organism is extremely common. Once passed to humans, it can cause a fever, diarrhea, and vomiting that typically lasts several days, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Continue Reading Petting area slated to reopen for patrons

Source: Society for Experimental Biology
Date: 2005-07-11
Do you enjoy eating oysters on a hot sunny afternoon? Make the most of it — it may not last forever. Research has shown that global warming increases the sensitivity of oysters to metal pollution, causing a deadly threat to populations in polluted areas.Continue Reading Global Warming Increases Oyster Sensitivity To Pollution

July 2005
Arthritis, in children or adults, is called “reactive” when it is due to a delayed reaction to an infection. The arthritis usually occurs two to four weeks after the infection and lasts from eight to 16 weeks. It may recur or last longer in some people. Current research supports combining antibiotics with other…