In the news

Maryland Department of Health is investigating a cluster of illnesses that involves “individuals who all reported eating at Moby Dick House of Kabob restaurant.” Since Sept. 10, eight of the nine confirmed cases of salmonella infections reported eating hummus from Moby Dick House of Kabob, which has several locations in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. The state Health Departments of Virginia and DC did not report an investigation. The restaurant chain has voluntarily stopped the sale of its hummus. Sample of Hummus send by the restaurant to a third-party laboratory tested negatively for Salmonella. @ https://wtop.com/local/2019/09/salmonella-infections-linked-to-hummus-from-local-kabob-chain/

Scientists at Newcastle University have shown for the first time that bacteria can change form to avoid being detected by antibiotics in the human body. The team showed that bacteria could lose its cell wall that is the common target of many groups of antibiotics. They showed that bacteria could survive without a cell wall (known as “L-form switching”). The research shows that when antibiotics are present—such as in a patient with a UTI receiving penicillin or other cell wall-targeting antibiotic—then the bacteria can change form, losing the cell wall which is often the target of the antibiotic. In a previous publication, the team demonstrated that our immune system could also, to some extent induce L-form switching. The current study showed that L-forms of various bacterial species typically associated with UTIs including E. coli, Enterococcus, Enterobacter and Staphylococcus were detectable in 29 out of 30 patients involved in the study. The research also captured on video for the first time, L-form bacteria isolated from a patient with UTI re-forming a cell wall after the antibiotic had gone. @ https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2019/09/causeofantibioticresistanceidentified/

The FDA is advising pet owners not to feed their pets any Performance Dog frozen raw pet food due to a sample that tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. Two samples of different finished products collected during an inspection of Bravo Packing, Inc. in Carneys Point, NJ, the manufacturer of Performance Dog raw pet food, tested positive for Salmonella and/or L. monocytogenes.  Performance Dog raw pet food, lot code 072219, sold to customers frozen in two-pound pouches entered the market. The FDA is cautioning about all Performance Dog frozen raw pet food produced on or after July 22, 2019. Bravo Packing, Inc. had recalled products due to Salmonella in 2018.Bravo Packing, Inc. Performance Dog products are sold frozen in two-pound plastic pouches. @ https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/fda-cautions-pet-owners-not-feed-performance-dog-raw-pet-food-due-salmonella-listeria-monocytogenes?utm_campaign=9-26-2019-PerformanceDog&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

The FDA posted on its website that Euphoria Fancy Food Inc of Brooklyn, NY recalled its 7.05 oz packages of “CAPITAN K” salmon slightly salted pieces because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled “CAPITAN K ” salmon slightly salted pieces were distributed nationwide in retail stores and through mail orders. The product comes in 7.05 oz, vacuum package marked with container code of 070519 and with a best by date of 01/30/20. No illnesses have been reported to date and connection with this problem. The contamination was discovered after sampling by New York State Department of Agriculture and Market Food Inspectors and subsequent analysis by Food Laboratory personnel revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in some 7.05 oz vacuum packages of “CAPITAN K” salmon slightly salted pieces. @ https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/euphoria-fancy-food-inc-recalls-capitan-k-salmon-fillet-due-possible-health-risk?utm_campaign=Euphoria%20Fancy%20Food%20Inc.%20Recalls%20%E2%80%9CCapitan%20K%20Salmon%20Fillet%E2%80%9D%20Due%20to%20Possible%20Health%20Risk&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua