In the news

A new article (Pulford, C.V., Perez-Sepulveda, B.M., Canals, R. et al. entitled “Stepwise evolution of Salmonella Typhimurium ST313 causing bloodstream infection in Africa”, Nat Microbiol (2020), published 21 December 2020), explores how Salmonella evolved to kill hundreds of thousands of immunocompromised people in Africa. Bloodstream infections caused by a drug-resistant type of Salmonella Typhimurium ST313 are a significant public health concern in Africa, causing ~49,600 deaths every year. In the study, mutations that influenced gene function during the evolution of ST313 were identified for the first time. The researchers also discovered a new antibiotic-susceptible lineage of ST313 that emerged in Malawi in 2016 and is closely related to Salmonella variants that cause stomach infections in the United Kingdom and Brazil. The study provides a snapshot of the extensive repertoire of genomic changes that shaped the emergence of successful ST313 lineages. The researchers speculate that changes in antibiotic (the phased removal of chloramphenicol from clinical practice) in Malawi between 2002 and 2015 could have resulted in the emergence of this new antibiotic-susceptible ST313 lineage. @ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-020-00836-1#Sec2

In the UK, the FSA issued a Product Withdrawal Information Notices to Lidl GB supermarket chain. The supermarket chain recalls Red Hen Breaded Chicken Nuggets and Red Hen Southern Fried Chicken Pops because salmonella contamination has been found in some of the products in the batch. The products that are being recalled are Red Hen Breaded Chicken Nuggets 450g packs with a best before date of February 2022 and Red Hen Southern Fried Chicken Pops 210g packs with a best before the date of 5 February 2022. @ https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-60-2020

The FDA announces the completion of two E.coli O157:H7 outbreak investigations. The third investigation continues. The investigation known as Source3 identified 18 reported illnesses in nine states: California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. After the investigation, no single farm was identified as a common source of the outbreak. The other completed outbreak investigation ( Source 1) identified 32 reported illnesses in 12 states: California, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. The E. coli strain is genetically similar to a strain linked to a romaine outbreak that occurred in the spring of 2018. A specific food was not linked to the current outbreak, and a common source of the outbreak was not found.  @ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-e-coli-o157h7-unknown-food-fall-2020?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Meatpackers across North America are concerned about a resurgence of coronavirus cases, trying to avoid the shutdowns that left supermarket shelves empty earlier in the pandemic. Cargill has temporarily closed one of its beef plants in Canada after some employees tested positive. JBS sent 5,000 of its vulnerable U.S. workers home on paid leave. Sanderson Farms sees infections rising among its workers as cases increase in Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Louisiana. Companies are better prepared, having spent millions of dollars to reconfigure factories, implement social distancing, and distribute the protective equipment workers need to stay safe while keeping the food supply chain running. Tyson spent $540 million to adapt its U.S. facilities in 2020, JBS invested more than $200 million in health and safety measures and over $160 million to pay higher wages. Smithfield has invested more than $700 million in extensive efforts aimed at Covid-19 prevention.  The U.S. meat industry wants its workers to be among the top priority for vaccines. @ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-18/pandemic-is-starting-to-hit-north-american-meat-plants-again