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CORE update of October 03, 2024: the CORE list of outbreaks and adverse events includes eight activities. There was only one change for this week. The outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 (ref #1249) linked to an unidentified product, the FDA has initiated an inspection. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigations-foodborne-illness-outbreaks?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
The following is a list of outbreak and adverse event investigations primarily being managed by FDA’s CORE Response Teams.
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The FSA reported that James Hall & Co Ltd. (Preston, England), the primary wholesaler to SPAR, recalled SPAR-branded corned beef products from the British marketplace because Listeria monocytogenes were found in the product. The recall only affects SPAR stores in the Northwest of England, and package size of 120 g, with use by 20 September 2024 @ https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-40-2024
The Food Safety Authority of Irelands reported that Mlekpol (a Polish company) recalled Zloty Mazur Cheese in Slices due to the possible presence of Salmonella Newport. The recall affects a single batch of the product, distributed widely. The product recalled was sold in slices of 150g packs. The batch code for the recalled product is 30.08/P6, with a best-before date of 28/11/2024. Whole sellers/distributors were requested to contact their affected customers, recall the implicated batch, and provide a point-of-sale recall notice to their retailer customers. https://www.fsai.ie/news-and-alerts/food-alerts/recall-of-a-batch-of-golden-mazure-cheese
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A new article published in J. of Infection (September 06, 2024): “Machine learning to attribute the source of Campylobacter infections in the United States: a retrospective analysis of national surveillance data,” describes how integrating pathogen genomic surveillance with bioinformatics can enhance public health responses by identifying risk and guiding interventions. The study focuses on the two predominant Campylobacter species, commonly found in the gut of birds and mammals and often infect humans via contaminated food. Rising incidence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are a global concern, and there is an urgent need to quantify the main routes to human infection. 8,856 Campylobacter genomes from human infections and 16,703 from possible sources were sequenced. Using machine learning and probabilistic models, the researchers target genetic variation associated with host adaptation to attribute the source of human infections and estimate the importance of different disease reservoirs. Poultry was identified as the primary source of human infections, responsible for an estimated 68% of cases, followed by cattle (28%), and only a small contribution from wild birds (3%) and pork sources (1%). There was also evidence of increased multidrug resistance, particularly among isolates attributed to chickens. National surveillance and source attribution can guide policy, and our study suggests that interventions targeting poultry will yield the greatest reductions in campylobacteriosis and the spread of AMR in the US. @ https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(24)00199-3/fulltext
