Staphylococcus Aureus

  • Tainted desserts sicken 100, Illinois bakery pulls products

    Posted: December 23rd, 2010 - 9:22pm by Doug Powell

    Sucks to be in public health in Illinois these days. Maybe there’s sprouts on cupcakes in some new foodie trend.

    The Illinois Dept. of Public Health announced today that over 100 people in at least four separate outbreaks have been sickened with Staphylococcus aureus after dining on desserts from Rolf's Patisserie, a wholesale and retail sales bakery in Lincolnwood, just outside Chicago. No mention of the outbreaks on the company website.

    Some became ill after eating the desserts at an unnamed restaurant while others were sickened after a holiday party, a catered party or company event.

    Initial laboratory tests shows one food item to be contaminated with high levels of, a bacteria that produces toxins in foods that can make people ill. The bacteria can spread if a person with a staph infection has an uncovered lesion or sore that comes in contact with food or food processing equipment, the release said.
     

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    chicago, food safety, Illinois, Lincolnwood, Rolf's Patisserie, Staphylococcus Aureus
  • Antibiotic resistant microbes in soil

    Posted: March 8th, 2010 - 5:11pm by Rob Mancini

    Author: 
    Rob Mancini
     
     
    University tuition is not cheap and I, like many others, had to find employment throughout my university career to help pay for courses. Unfortunately, I ended up working in a hospital dealing with patients suffering from MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) and VRE (vancomycin resistant enterococcus), very disturbing and heartbreaking at the same time. A recent study in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology indicates that there is more evidence pointing towards microorganisms in the soil becoming more resistant to antibiotics, ultimately ending up in the food supply; not unlikely. For instance, the use of avoparcin in Europe, an antimicrobial drug used as a growth promoter in food producing animals was shown to be one important factor leading to VRE in animals and that foodborne VRE may cause human colonization1.
     
    The United Press International reports:
     
    The researchers said that trend during the past 60 years continues despite more stringent rules on the use of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture, as well as improved sewage treatment technology that broadly improves water quality in surrounding environments.
    David Graham of Britain's Newcastle University and his colleagues said scientists have known for years that resistance was increasing in clinical situations, but the new study is the first to quantify the same problem in the natural environment over long time-scales.
    The scientists said they are concerned increased antibiotic resistance in soils could have broad consequences to public health through potential exposure from water and food supplies. They said their findings "imply there may be a progressively increasing chance of encountering organisms in nature that are resistant to antimicrobial therapy."
     
    1. L. Clifford McDonald, Matthew J. Kuehnert, Fred C. Tenover, and William R. Jarvis. Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci Outside the Health-Care Setting: Prevalence, Sources, and Public Health Implications. Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol 3. No.3. July-September 1997. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
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    MRSA, Staphylococcus Aureus, United Press International, VRE
  • Every health inspector needs one of these.

    Posted: November 26th, 2009 - 2:20pm by Rob Mancini

     

    Oh snap, this is an awesome T-shirt. I know the writing is small, so this is what it says.

    You know you are a health inspector when…

    1. People ask you where to eat and…… you just smile.
    2. You interrogate the cook at your own family’s Thanksgiving dinner
    3. The waiter asks “How would you like your burger?”and you reply,”Cooked to 160°F please.”
    4. Vomiting, diarrhea, and parasitic organisms are just part of the dinner conversation.
    5. You have a pool and spa kit on the edge of your bathtub.
    6. Your pockets contain test strips, alcohol wipes, thermometers, and spare change.
    7. Examining septic systems and leach fields constitute your daily aerobic workout.
    8. You know how to pronounce words like “Escherichia” and “ Staphylococcus.”
    9. Children avoid your neighborhood when setting up lemonade stands.
    10. You have developed a HACCP plan for your backyard barbeques.

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    Diarrhea, Escherichia, Staphylococcus Aureus, Thanksgiving, Vomiting
  • Restaurant sued after staph intoxication linked to death

    Posted: February 19th, 2009 - 4:28pm by Katie Filion

    72-year old David Maupin, right, passed away after contracting Staphylococcus aureus intoxication from an Easter dinner he ate at a Louisville restaurant, according to Wave 33 TV.

    On March 23, 2008, Maupin, his wife, brother, and sister-in-law all ate Easter Dinner at the Claudia Sanders Dinner House. Two days later he died.

    The restaurant was closed for three days. After an investigation by the North Central Public Health Department, it was determined that hams being served that day were contaminated with the Staphylococcus aureus. Toxins produced when the bacteria grows causes food poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Bob Silverthorn, Jr., the Maupin family’s Attornery, said,

    "[Y]ou just don't expect to go to your Easter Dinner or whatever and then the next couple of days somebody is gone because of something they ate. “

    He continued,

    “You know when you do an autopsy, stool sample, death certificate, FDA examination of food products, it all ties this together. I think [the restaurant] is going to have a very difficult time in light of all the scientific data that we have and will be presenting."

    Food handlers are usually the main source of food contamination in outbreaks, however equipment and environmental surfaces can also be sources of contamination with Staphylococcus aureus.

    Often foods that are not kept at proper temperatures, not kept hot enough (60°C, 140°F, or above) or cold enough (7.2°C, 45°F, or below), provide a good environment for certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus to produce enterotoxins, which in turn cause intoxication if this food is ingested by humans.

    The most common symptoms of staphylococcal food poisoning include nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps. The onset of symptoms is rapid, and usually runs a short course, however on rare occasions death from staphylococcal food poisoning has occurred.
     

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    Food Intoxication, Staphylococcus Aureus
  • Staph suspected in illnesses among Claudia Sanders patrons

    Posted: March 29th, 2008 - 11:35pm by Doug Powell

    State health officials said that a staph bacteria may have sickened more than 137 people who ate an Easter buffet at Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville.

    Preliminary results from the Kentucky State Lab suggested that staphylococcus aureus might be the culprit in the food poisoning, although it's not definitive since it was found in some stool samples and not others.

    The restaurant served 3,100 people on
     aster Sunday. Ham is the chief suspect in the case, although officials are also exploring other possible contaminated food.

    Claudia Sanders and her husband, Col. Harland Sanders, moved into a large white house on four acres on U.S. 60 in Shelbyville in 1959. They initially used the house as the headquarters for Kentucky Fried Chicken, but later put up a building next door for that purpose.

    When the fast-food franchise was sold in the 1960s, the couple turned the building next to their home into a restaurant. Now owned by a former employee, the restaurant serves country-style food, including fried chicken.
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    Hamburger, Sanders, Staphylococcus Aureus