Published Date: 2006-11-04 00:00:00
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - N. America (USA, Canada)
Archive Number: 20061104.3168

SALMONELLOSIS, SEROTYPE TYPHIMURIUM - NORTH AMERICA (USA, CANADA)
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[1]
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006
From: Joseph P. Dudley <jdudley@eaicorp.com>
Source: FDA [edited]
<http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01504.html>

The FDA today, 3 Nov 2006, announced the results of an investigation
by state and CDC investigators, which found consuming tomatoes in
restaurants as the cause of illnesses in the _Salmonella [enterica_
serotype] Typhimurium outbreak. To date, 21 states have reported 183
cases of illnesses to the CDC.
Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young
children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune
systems. Healthy persons often experience fever, diarrhea (which may
be bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In rare
circumstances, infection can result in the organism getting into the
bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses.
Based on information currently available from the CDC, the
investigation shows a peak in cases of illness in late September
2006. This suggests that the outbreak is not ongoing. The agency
believes that the tomatoes that caused the illnesses have at this
point been consumed, destroyed or thrown out because they are
perishable. Therefore, FDA does not believe a consumer warning about
tomatoes on store shelves is warranted at this time.
FDA has initiated a traceback of these tomatoes and continues its
close collaboration with the CDC and state and local authorities to
identify the source of contamination on tomatoes in this outbreak. In
particular, FDA is working closely with the states of Minnesota,
Massachusetts, and Connecticut, since groups of illnesses were
specifically reported in these states.
Investigations of foodborne illness usually begin at the local health
department level. A variety of scientific and technological methods
to trace the source of reported illnesses are used. Modern
technologies, such as PulseNet (the network of public health
laboratories that performs "DNA fingerprinting"), have greatly
improved the speed and precision of these types of investigations.
In light of recent outbreaks, FDA continues to emphasize consumer
advice to reduce the risk of foodborne illness, including
Salmonella-related illness, from fresh produce:
Buying Tips for Fresh Produce
-Purchase produce that is not bruised or damaged.
-When selecting fresh cut produce -- such as a half a watermelon or
bagged mixed salad greens -- choose only those items that are
refrigerated or surrounded by ice.
-Bag fresh fruits and vegetables separately from meat, poultry and
seafood products when packing them to take home from the market.
Storage Tips for Fresh Produce
-Certain perishable fresh fruits and vegetables (like strawberries,
lettuce, herbs, and mushrooms) can be best maintained by storing in a
clean refrigerator at a temperature of 40 degrees F or below. If
you're not sure whether an item should be refrigerated to maintain
quality, ask your grocer.
-All produce that is purchased pre-cut or peeled should be
refrigerated within 2 hours to maintain both quality and safety.
-Keep your refrigerator set at 40 degrees F or below. Use a
refrigerator thermometer to check.
Preparation Tips for Fresh Produce
-Many pre-cut, bagged produce items like lettuce are pre-washed. If
so, it will be stated on the packaging. This pre-washed, bagged
produce can be used without further washing.
-As an extra measure of caution, you can wash the produce again just
before you use it. Precut or prewashed produce in open bags should be
washed before using.
-Begin with clean hands. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm
water and soap before and after preparing fresh produce.
-Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fresh fruits and vegetables
before preparing and/or eating. Produce that looks rotten should be discarded.
-All unpackaged fruits and vegetables, as well as those packaged and
not marked pre-washed, should be thoroughly washed before eating.
This includes produce grown conventionally or organically at home, or
produce that is purchased from a grocery store or farmer's market.
Wash fruits and vegetables under running water just before eating,
cutting or cooking.
-Even if you plan to peel the produce before eating, it is still
important to wash it first.
-Washing fruits and vegetables with soap or detergent or using
commercial produce washes is not recommended.
-Scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush.
-Drying produce with a clean cloth towel or paper towel may further
reduce bacteria that may be present.
Separate for Safety
Keep fruits and vegetables that will be eaten raw separate from other
foods, such as raw meat, poultry or seafood -- and from kitchen
utensils used for those products.
In addition, be sure to:
-Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with hot
water and soap between the preparation of raw meat, poultry and
seafood products and the preparation of produce that will not be cooked.
-For added protection, kitchen sanitizers can be used on cutting
boards and counter tops periodically. Try a solution of 1 teaspoon of
chlorine bleach to 1 quart of water.
-If you use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards, run them
through the dishwasher after use.
--
Joseph P. Dudley, PhD
<jdudley@eaicorp.com>
******
[2]
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006
From: Joseph P. Dudley <jdudley@eaicorp.com>
Source: Forbes.com [edited]
<http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2006/11/03/hscout535933.html>

American health officials said Fri, 3 Nov 2006, they have traced the
source of the recent salmonella outbreak to tomatoes served in restaurants.
"We've done standard interviews with people who've become ill with
this organism and with well people in the same communities, and we've
identified tomatoes eaten in restaurants as the cause of this
outbreak," Dr. Christopher Braden, chief of outbreak response and
surveillance in the CDC's Foodborne Branch, said during a teleconference.
The outbreak has sickened 183 people in 21 states in the USA, as well
as 2 people in Canada; 21 people have been hospitalized. Most of the
cases have been east of the Mississippi River, with the exception of
Washington State.
Officials reassured the public that the outbreak is essentially over.
"The bulk of the cases occurred in the last half of September 2006,
approximately from 14 Sep to 1 Oct 2006," Braden said. "The most
recent onset of illness was 13 Oct 2006. We've not received reports
of illness with onset more recent than that, and for that reason we
do believe that this outbreak is not ongoing at this time."
Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer of the Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition at the FDA, said, "All evidence points
to the fact that this outbreak is not ongoing. Any tomatoes that
could have been implicated would have been destroyed, thrown out or
eaten by this time. Therefore, there is no need to issue specific
warnings to consumers regarding consumption of tomatoes."
With a specific food identified as the source of the outbreak, the
FDA is now doing a "trace back" to identify how the contamination may
have happened. "Hopefully, this will lead us back to a farm or group
of farms, or area of the country where the tomatoes were grown,"
Acheson said. That investigation should take several days, if not a
couple of weeks, Acheson added.
--
Joseph P. Dudley, PhD
<jdudley@eaicorp.com>
[ProMED thanks Dr. Dudley for contribution this information. Brent
Barrett also sent in a similar article. - Mod.LL]

See Also

Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - Canada (NB, PEI) 20061103.3156
Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - USA (multistate)(03) 20061103.3152
Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - USA (multistate)(02) 20061101.3123
Salmonellosis, serotype Typhimurium - USA (multistate): RFI 20061030.3110
Salmonella Oranienburg, health care - USA: alert, RFI 20060812.2259
Salmonellosis, frozen chicken - USA (MN)(02) 20060724.2039
Salmonellosis, frozen chicken - USA (MN): alert 20060722.2017
Salmonellosis, students - USA (MA)(03): owl pellets 20060714.1939
Salmonellosis, students - USA (MA) 20060621.1713
2005
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Salmonella typhimurium DT104 - Netherlands 20051203.3497
Salmonella typhimurium DT104, beef - Norway ex Poland 20051111.3296
Salmonellosis, county fair - USA (WI): swine exposure susp. 20051001.2876
Salmonellosis, food etiquette class - USA (NC) 20050921.2790
Salmonellosis - USA (CA)(02): not raw almonds 20050826.2524
Salmonellosis - USA (CA): raw almonds susp. 20050824.2499
Salmonellosis, unpasteurized orange juice - USA (multistate)(02) 20050714.2010
Salmonellosis, unpasteurized orange juice - USA
(multistate):alert 20050709.1951
Salmonellosis, ice cream - USA (multistate): recall 20050705.1896
Salmonellosis, Easter chicks - USA (multistate)(02) 20050615.1677
Salmonellosis, foodborne, fatal - USA (SC)(03): turkey 20050603.1550
Salmonellosis, foodborne, fatal - USA (SC) 20050527.1465
Salmonellosis, food-borne - Canada (ON) 20050516.1344
Salmonellosis, pet rodents, 2003-2004 - USA (multistate) 20050506.1258
Salmonellosis, Easter chicks - USA (multistate) 20050506.1248
Salmonellosis, frozen chicken - USA (MN, MI) 20050425.1151
2004
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Salmonellosis, tomatoes, convenience stores - USA (10) 20041227.3423
Salmonellosis, tomatoes, convenience stores - USA (Multistate) 20040715.1911
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