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China finds 170 more tons of tainted milk powder
2/8/2010
Washington Post
CARA ANNA
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/08/AR2010020800989.html
BEIJING -- The discovery has punched a 170-ton hole in China's promises to overhaul its food safety system. Officials say they've found yet another case where large amounts of tainted milk powder from the country's 2008 scandal that should have been destroyed were instead repackaged.
China ordered tens of thousands of milk products laced with an industrial chemical burned or buried after more than 300,000 children were sickened and at least six died from the contamination. But, crucially, the government did not carry out the eradication itself, and this month an emergency crackdown has made it clear that tons of compromised products are still on the market.
Tainted dairy has recently been found in China's largest city, Shanghai, and in the provinces of Shaanxi, Shandong, Liaoning, Guizhou, Jilin and Hebei. At least five companies are suspected of reselling tainted products that should have been destroyed, the Health Ministry said last week. The problem products uncovered in the 10-day emergency crackdown have so far been limited to the domestic market.
For the complete news item, please go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/08/AR2010020800989.html
Molecular Basis and Evolution of Multiple Drug Resistance in the Foodborne Pathogen Salmonella enterica Serovar Ohio
2/8/2010
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. February 2010, 7(2): 189-198.
Noelia Martínez, Irene Rodríguez, Rosaura Rodicio, María del Carmen Mendoza, María del Rosario Rodicio
www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2009.0377
Abstract
The molecular basis and evolution of multidrug resistance were established for 54 isolates of Salmonella enterica serovar Ohio, recorded between 1991 and 2005 in Asturias, a northern region of Spain. All isolates were closely related, as shown by cluster analysis of XbaI-BlnI combined profiles. Of these, 33.3% were resistant to one or more unrelated agent(s). Sulphonamides, streptomycin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim, encoded by sul1, aadA1, tet(A) or tet(B), and dfrA1, respectively, were the most common resistances, but ampicillin (blaTEM-1), gentamicin (aacC2 or aacC4), kanamycin (aphA1), and chloramphenicol (catA1) were also detected. Two types of complex genetic elements, carried by large conjugative or mobilizable plasmids, were found in isolates resistant to four or more unrelated agents (multidrug resistant), which accounted for 18.5% of the total: (i) a class 1 integron (1600bp/dfrA1-aadA1) close to a defective Tn10, both inserted within a Tn21-like element that was carried in some cases by Tn9; (ii) Tn3-blaTEM-1, which was inserted within a defective Tn1721. These elements have been involved in the development and spread of multidrug resistance in S. enterica Ohio, which was detected between 1994 and 2001. The absence of multidrug resistance in later years could have been connected with the European Union strategies for combating antimicrobial resistance and controlling nontyphoid S. enterica in food-producing animals.
Characterization of Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporin–Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Heidelberg Isolated from Humans in the United States
2/8/2010
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. February 2010, 7(2): 181-187.
Jason P. Folster, Gary Pecic, Shanna Bolcen, Lisa Theobald, Kelley Hise, Alessandra Carattoli, Shaohua Zhao, Patrick F. McDermott, Jean M. Whichard
www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2009.0376
Abstract
During the past decade, extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistance has increased among human isolates of Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg, the fourth most common serotype in the United States. We therefore characterized 54 Heidelberg isolates with decreased susceptibility (minimum inhibitory concentrations =2mg/L) to ceftriaxone or ceftiofur; 49 (90.7%) contained the CMY-type ß-lactamase (blaCMY) gene. The 49 blaCMY-positive human Heidelberg isolates demonstrated a high degree of relatedness; 4 clusters (25 isolates total) had indistinguishable XbaI and BlnI patterns by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and were indistinguishable from 42 retail meat Heidelberg isolates. Further characterization of 15 of these isolates demonstrated that all of the bla genes were blaCMY-2 and plasmid-encoded, and most (11/15) of the plasmids were approximately 100kb in size and belong to the incompatibility group I1 (IncI1). All five IncI1 plasmids tested by plasmid multilocus sequence typing analysis were ST12. This report suggests that extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistance among human Heidelberg isolates is mediated by the spread of a common IncI1 blaCMY-2 plasmid, which may have a preference for a particular genetic background.
Microbiological Quality and Safety of Raw Milk and Soft Cheese and Detection of Autochthonous Lactic Acid Bacteria with Antagonistic Activity Against Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Spp., and Staphylococcus
2/8/2010
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. February 2010, 7(2): 175-180.
Maria Beatriz Tassinari Ortolani, Anderson Keizo Yamazi, Paula Mendonça Moraes, Gabriela Nogueira Viçosa, Luís Augusto Nero
www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2009.0390
Abstract
This study aimed to characterize the microbiological quality and safety of raw milk and soft cheese, verifying possible associations between microbial populations, and the detection of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with antagonistic activity against foodborne pathogens. Raw milk (n=36) and soft cheese (n=18) samples were collected and submitted for the analysis of mesophilic aerobes, total coliforms, Escherichia coli, LAB, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (CPS), Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. In all, 389 LAB isolates were randomly selected and submitted for antagonistic tests against L. monocytogenes, St. aureus, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Lactobacillus sakei. The samples presented high counts of mesophilic aerobes, total coliforms, and LAB, and also high and significant correlation indices between these populations. Low levels of CPS and E. coli were observed, as well as an absence of Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes. A substantial portion of the analyzed samples presented LAB cultures with antagonistic activity, but not against Salmonella Typhimurium. The obtained results indicate the antimicrobial potential of the autochthonous microbiota of raw milk and soft cheese. Despite the spoilage potential, the LAB present in the studied food products can be isolated and properly characterized as antagonistic cultures, to be used in bioconservation studies for pathogen control in foods.
Multidrug-Resistant Nontyphoidal Salmonella in New York State's Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network Counties
2/8/2010
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. February 2010, 7(2): 167-173.
Suzanne M. Solghan, Nellie B. Dumas, Timothy P. Root, Tammy M. Quinlan, Leeanna R. Armstrong, Nancy L. Spina, Shelley M. Zansky
www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2009.0329
Abstract
With the emergence of multidrug-resistant nontyphoidal (NT) Salmonella, knowledge of resistance patterns is critical for appropriate presumptive treatment. This report describes the prevalence and trends of NT Salmonella antimicrobial susceptibility within the New York State (NYS) Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet). The NYS Department of Health, Wadsworth Center Public Health Laboratory tested all Salmonella isolates from the NYS FoodNet catchment area between May 2003 and December 2007 for antimicrobial susceptibility to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfisoxazole, tetracycline, nalidixic acid, and ciprofloxacin. Isolate susceptibility results were linked to their corresponding demographic and clinical data and analyzed. Multidrug-resistant isolates were defined as resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfisoxazole, and tetracycline (R-type ACSSuT). Antimicrobial susceptibility for 2189 FoodNet cases (98.5% of total cases) showed 79.6% pansusceptible, 6.9% R-type ACSSuT, and 13.5% resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent but not R-type ACSSuT. Four (0.2%) isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin. From 2004 to 2007, cases with R-type ACSSuT significantly decreased from 8.7% (37/424) to 4.8% (24/499) (p<0.01). Serotypes with the highest proportion of R-type ACSSuT included Salmonella Typhimurium 17.9% (79/444), and Salmonella Newport 29.1% (51/175). Among Salmonella Typhimurium isolates, over 40% of the African-American cases (19/46) had R-type ACSSuT isolates, compared with 15.7% of the Caucasian cases (58/369) (p<0.01). R-type ACSSuT Salmonella Typhimurium cases were hospitalized (41.8%) more frequently than pansusceptible Salmonella Typhimurium cases (24.9%), after controlling for age (p<0.05). Length of hospitalization was not significantly different. Although R-type ACSSuT NT Salmonella has decreased since 2003 within the NYS FoodNet catchment area, monitoring resistance patterns remains important in identifying emerging resistant strains, vulnerable populations, and determining appropriate presumptive treatment regimens. The higher rate of R-type ACSSuT among the African-American cases requires further study.
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