In the news

{“post_id”:5691,”post_type”:”post”,”shortcode”:”peepso_postnotify”,”permalink”:”https:\/\/ask-bioexpert.com\/blog-post\/persister-bacteria-travel-an-alternate-path-to-antibiotic-resistance\/”}

FDA announced a “New Era of Smarter Food Safety” including new technologies for traceability, digital technologies, and new evolving food business models. The FDA intends to evaluate new technologies and upgrade their abilities to rapidly track and trace food through the supply chain. Another effort will be in applying distributed ledgers, sensors, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence to guard the food supply. The FDA will assess technologies that could create a more digital, transparent and safer food system while also addressing consumer demands for quick access to information about where their foods come from, how it was produced and if the food is the subject of an ongoing recall. Initially, they intend to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to explore new ways to enhance the agency’s review of imported foods. The FDA also will look into the implications of home delivery and other changes in food delivery on safety and identify new standards of care. A public meeting will be held, later this year, to learn more about what other stakeholders are doing to create a smarter, safer food system. @ https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/statement-acting-fda-commissioner-ned-sharpless-md-and-deputy-commissioner-frank-yiannas-steps-usher?utm_campaign=04302019_Statement_FDA%20announces%20steps%20to%20usher%20the%20U.S.%20into%20a%20new%20era%20of%20smarter%20food%20safety&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

According to the CDC and 10 state health agencies, a total of 177 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 have been reported from 10 states – Georgia (41), Kentucky (65), Ohio (10), Tennessee (52), Virginia (2), Indiana (1), Florida (3), Illinois (1), Mississippi (1) and Minnesota (1). The Illnesses started on March 1, 2019, to April 14, 2019. Twenty-one people have been hospitalized. No deaths or f hemolytic uremic syndrome have been reported. Epidemiological data indicate that ground beef is the likely source of this outbreak. Officials at USDA-FSIS, in Kentucky, and Tennessee collected ground beef from a restaurant and an institution where ill people reported eating, and laboratory testing identified the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 in the ground beef collected in Tennessee. E. coli O103 was identified in the ground beef collected in Kentucky, but laboratory results are pending to determine if it is closely related to the E. coli O103 identified in ill people. Grant Park Packing in Franklin Park, Ill., recalled approximately 53,200 pounds of raw ground beef products on April 24, 2019. K2D Foods, doing business as Colorado Premium Foods, in Carrollton, Ga., recalled approximately 113,424 pounds of raw ground beef products on April 23, 2019. The CDC report did not reveal where the meat packaged by K2D did and Grant Park come from. The restaurant locations are also not revealed. @ https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2019/o103-04-19/index.html

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has linked the nationwide Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak to frozen Celebrate-brand of profiteroles and mini chocolate éclairs and issued a recall for the products. The agency says 73 people became ill (laboratory confirmed)due to salmonella, most of them in B.C. (27), with cases reported in Alberta (12), Saskatchewan (9), Manitoba (10), Ontario (13) and Quebec (2). Nineteen of those needed to be hospitalized, with two deaths reported. “However, it hasn’t been determined whether salmonella was a contributing cause in these deaths.” says the CFIA in a statement. “Many of the people who became sick reported eating Celebrate brand classic/classical or egg nog flavored profiteroles or mini chocolate éclairs purchased at various grocery stores before their illnesses occurred.” Dr. Eleni Galanis with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control says investigators have linked the Salmonella that caused the disease to Celebrate-brand of profiteroles and mini chocolate éclairs. “That is not a common food … that we see reported by people who are part of an outbreak, especially for salmonella. We anticipate chicken or egg being a common source,” she said. Galanis said the B.C. outbreak was linked to products purchased at AG Foods stores in the Interior and northern B.C. and Fairway Markets in and around Victoria. The implicated products were manufactured in Thailand by Mountain Mist (The Belgian Baker) Thailand Ltd. and distributed in Canada by Retail Resource Services Inc., located in Beaumont, Alberta, Canada (Retail Resource). @ https://www.coastmountainnews.com/news/celebrate-products-linked-to-salmonella-outbreak/