Researchers at Northeastern have discovered a new antibiotic that could treat infections caused by Gram-negative superbugs. The team discovered a new antibiotic that the named Darobactin, which can kill resistant gram-negative bacteria. The research was published in Nature. The team discovered the compound from Photorhabdus bacteria that live inside the gut of a nematode, found in soil. In experiments using mice, Darobactin cured E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae infections, with no signs of toxicity. The molecule has a unique structure and an unusual mode of action that make it particularly effective against gram-negative bacteria. Darobactin is coded by a silent operon with little production under laboratory conditions and is ribosomally synthesized. Darobactin has an unusual structure with two fused rings that form post-translationally. The compound is active against important Gram-negative pathogens, both in vitro and in animal models of infection. @ https://news.northeastern.edu/2019/11/20/can-darobactin-a-new-antibiotic-found-in-a-tiny-worm-become-our-best-weapon-against-drug-resistant-bacteria/
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Kim Lewis, University Distinguished Professor of biology, says we are in the midst of a global antibiotic resistance crisis. A new class of antibiotics discovered in his lab could be our best hope against some of the nastiest superbugs out there.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Missa Bay, LLC(Swedesboro, NJ), is recalling approximately 97,272 pounds of salad products that contain meat or poultry because the lettuce ingredient may be contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7. The salad product items were produced from October 14, 2019, through October 16, 2019. The items were shipped to distribution locations in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. As part of a foodborne illness outbreak investigation, the Maryland Department of Health collected an unopened package of Ready Pac Bistro Chicken Raised without Antibiotics Caesar Salad with FSIS EST number 18502B on the label. The state collected and tested individual ingredients in the salad, and the lettuce tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. All products from the same lot of lettuce are included in the recall. @ https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2019/recall-115-2019-release
Missa Bay, LLC, a Swedesboro, N.J. establishment, is recalling approximately 97,272 pounds of salad products that contain meat or poultry because the lettuce ingredient may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
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The Maryland Department of Health is investigating a cluster of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157) illnesses in seven patients in Maryland. All seven consumers reported eating Ready Pac Bistro® Bowl Chicken Caesar Salad purchased from various Sam’s Club locations in Maryland. There has been one hospitalization and no deaths associated with these cases. The same salads are also sold at many other retailers. One unopened salad that had been purchased by one of the patients identified in the outbreak was tested, and the presence of E. coli O157 was detected in the salad’s romaine lettuce. There was no recall of the product because, by the time the investigation was completed, the products identified are already significantly past their use-by dates. @ https://health.maryland.gov/newsroom/Pages/Maryland-Department-of-Health-investigating-E–coli-cluster.aspx
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This month the FDA will begin testing romaine lettuce for the presence of pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) and salmonella. This undertaking is a result of contaminated romaine lettuce caused three separate, multistate E. coli outbreaks. The three outbreaks killed five people and made another 295 sick. The purpose of the study is to identify sources of contamination and factors that may be contributing to them. Neither the FDA nor the industry has been able to determine exactly where all the outbreaks occurred, or how the romaine lettuce became contaminated. The testing program, which will continue until November 2020, is intended to help identify the cause of contaminated romaine lettuce. The agency will take 270 samples throughout the year, increasing the frequency during the spring and fall, when foodborne illness outbreaks associated with romaine lettuce consumption have most frequently occurred. Sampling will only include raw romaine lettuce before it is commingled during fresh-cut processing. If the FDA detects Salmonella spp. or pathogenic E. coli in a sample, the agency will notify the firm of the findings and work with the firm to take appropriate action to protect the public health. The agency may consider multiple compliance and enforcement actions based on the available evidence and the adequacy of the firm’s response to prevent future contamination. Enforcement activities include actions to correct and prevent violations and to remove contaminated food from the market, as appropriate. @ https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/11/19/FDA-begins-testing-romaine-lettuce-after-E-coli-outbreaks-sicken-hundreds/1711574113189/
The Food and Drug Administration this month will begin wide-scale testing of romaine lettuce for the presence of E. coli and salmonella.