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Foodborne Illness

NuriNuri
edited June 2011 in Science
We have a bajillion threads about specific recalls, foods, and incidences of illness, but I can't find a thread for general food sickness stuff. Howsabout we consolidate?

Let's start with "Europe's Mutant E. Coli Outbreak"
According to the Beijing Genomics Institute in China, which has been working with German scientists on the outbreak, the new strain is dangerous:
Bioinformatics analysis revealed that this E. coli is a new strain of bacteria that is highly infectious and toxic.

This is a new serotype — not previously involved in any E. coli outbreaks. Comparative analysis showed that this bacterium has 93% sequence similarity with the EAEC 55989 E. coli strain, which was isolated in the Central African Republic and known to cause serious diarrhea. This new strain of E. coli, however, has also acquired specific sequences that appear to be similar to those involved in the pathogenicity of hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. The acquisition of these genes may have occurred through horizontal gene transfer. The analysis further showed that this deadly bacterium carries several antibiotic resistance genes, including resistance to aminoglycoside, macrolides and Beta-lactam antibiotics: all of which makes antibiotic treatment extremely difficult.
The preliminary genetic analysis indicates that the new strain is a mutant, the combination of two distinct groups of E. coli: enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC).

Read more.
AWESOME.
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Comments

  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    This thing is monumental. Nearly unprecedented. And a novel strain of pathogenic E. coli? Fuck.

    1600 ill and 17 dead. This is saying nothing about the ~500 cases of HUS, which will result in either death or permanent kidney damage. This is probably the highest rate of complication to HUS of any pathogenic E. coli we've ever seen.

    And they still don't know the vector.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    And they still don't know the vector.
    Wow, I'm cook my food extra long for the next month or so.
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    Wow, I'm cook my food extra long for the next month or so.
    You're not in Europe. Just don't eat anything imported from anywhere in Europe.
  • NuriNuri
    And it looks like it basically took all the worst parts of the pathogenic strains and combined them all into one super-strain. Even antibiotic resistance!

    So long, Germany. It's been fun.
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    And it looks like it basically took all the worst parts of the pathogenic strains and combined them all into one super-strain. Even antibiotic resistance!
    Yeah, E. coli does that. The pathogenicity genes are present on plasmids, which can be trivially passed between different individual organisms. That's what makes it so hard to work with these little bastards; they can actually change as you're working with them. They hide among regular E. coli colonies, and a lot of people hypothesize that they just sort of pick up plasmids and drop them at will. So you might detect the thing but not be able to culture it. Or the markers might be present among several different colonies which all work in aggregate to produce the same effect. Then, when you separate them out, they each appear innocuous.

    Yes, I'm saying that pathogenic E. coli is a sentai team.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    Oh, jeez. No more Roquefort for Dave. You win, Pete.

    This thread popped up just as I found a question in need of answering. How long does honey keep? We found some sealed bottles of honey I brought back from Guatemala ages ago, and this stuff is seriously awesome (made by killer bees), but y'know, I'm not about to dump a pile of botulism spores into my morning tea.
  • StarfoxStarfox
    How long does honey keep?
    Forever. They found some in the pyramids.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    How long does honey keep?
    Forever. They found some in the pyramids.
    Yes, but did they eat it? Honey frequently contains various endospores, including C. botulinum. I'm not keen on getting botulism from honey.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    You're not in Europe. Just don't eat anything imported from anywhere in Europe.
    But they don't know the vector, who knows where it's spreading to now.
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    How long does honey keep?
    Forever. They found some in the pyramids.
    Yes, but did they eat it? Honey frequently contains various endospores, including C. botulinum. I'm not keen on getting botulism from honey.
    Botulism from honey is a non-issue for adults. The spores can germinate in an infant's intestines, but there is no toxin load. Botulism needs a moist environment; the sugar content of honey is too high to allow growth.

    FYI, something like 10% of honey has C. bot spores. Odds are you've already ingested it.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    edited June 2011
    How long does honey keep?
    Forever. They found some in the pyramids.
    Yes, but did they eat it? Honey frequently contains various endospores, including C. botulinum. I'm not keen on getting botulism from honey.
    Botulism from honey is a non-issue for adults. The spores can germinate in an infant's intestines, but there is no toxin load. Botulism needs a moist environment; the sugar content of honey is too high to allow growth.

    FYI, something like 10% of honey has C. bot spores. Odds are you've already ingested it.
    The more you know!

    I have to say, knowing a food safety expert is really useful sometimes.
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • ChurbaChurba
    I'm not keen on getting botulism from honey.
    Fair call. You know what I'm keen on getting Botulisim from? Not a fucking thing.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    I'm not keen on getting botulism from honey.
    Fair call. You know what I'm keen on getting Botulisim from? Not a fucking thing.
    Yeah, well, that's kind of granted.
  • dsfdsf
    I've been poopy sick for the last week or so, I can't imagine how it must feel to have that monster. :(
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    So as I've been reading more about this O104:H4, it seems that calling it a novel strain isn't exactly correct. It's extremely rare, and the CDC is unaware of any cases of infection with this bug ever having been reported in the US. There have been one or two other cases, ever, overseas. Those cases predated our current genotyping technology.

    It definitely carries the EAEC virulence plasmid, and it also carries stx2. I'm not sure if this is exactly a novel mutation for this serotype, or if these are the markers that this serotype happens to carry.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    image
  • theknoxinatortheknoxinator
    I have to say, knowing a food safety expert is really useful sometimes.
    Truth. I wouldn't know anything about food safety if not for this forum.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    So Germany suspects bean sprouts...
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    So Germany suspects bean sprouts...
    Yup.

    I told you. People think I'm paranoid. Then they eat bean sprouts and 22 people die, and 500-something have HUS and will either die or suffer permanent kidney damage.

    Seriously, raw sprouts are bad fucking news.
  • AprecheApreche
    Seriously, raw sprouts are bad fucking news.
    I think of you every time there are accidental sprouts in something I order.
  • SailSail
    Seriously, raw sprouts are bad fucking news.
    I think of you every time there are accidental sprouts in something I order.
    Hahaha, me too, actually.
  • RymRym
    Seriously, raw sprouts are bad fucking news.
    I think of you every time there are accidental sprouts in something I order.
    Hahaha, me too, actually.
    And I as well.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    Seriously, raw sprouts are bad fucking news.
    I think of you every time there are accidental sprouts in something I order.
    Hahaha, me too, actually.
    Yep. And then I think of all of Pete's statistics. And then I think, "I hope my kidneys are okay after this Pad Thai."
  • trogdor9trogdor9
    "I hope my kidneys are okay after this Pad Thai."
    Wait, shit. I knew bean sprouts were bad, and I knew bean sprouts were in Pad Thai, but I didn't make the connection for some reason. I am going to die.
  • SailSail
    But wait, wouldn't the sprouts not be raw in Pad Thai?
  • trogdor9trogdor9
    But wait, wouldn't the sprouts not be raw in Pad Thai?
    It's usually served with raw bean sprouts on top, not cooked with the rice noodles.
  • NuriNuri
    E. Coli Not Found in Initial Testing of Sprouts; They still have 17/40 samples left to read results from, but the first 23 came back clean.

    At the same time, the article uses this as an opportunity to discuss the dangers of eating sprouts. LULZ.
  • Zack PatateZack Patate
    I did groceries today. There was a customer with her child there that I think spoke German. Kinda crazy to come this far, but hey.
  • gomidoggomidog
    No sprouts for me until they start irradiating them.
    Why do they not irradiate sprouts more often?
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    No sprouts for me until they start irradiating them.
    Why do they not irradiate sprouts more often?
    Cause people are afraid of cell phone emissions, irradiating food scares them shitless.
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