The Marler Clark Network

Campylobacter in Chickens Down in UK

Posted by Campylobacter Lawyer on April 15, 2012

13886.photo.2.jpgOne in five chicken products sold in UK supermarkets are contamined with campylobacter, according to a new investigation by Which?

Which? tested standard, oranic and free-range whole chickens and chicken portions from Aldi, Asda, The Co-operative, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose, taking a total of 193 samples. They found that one in five (18%) of the samples were contaminted with campylobacter, while 14% were contanimated with listeria and 1.5% were contamined with salmonella.

The consumer organisation said that while the results suggest an improvement on the FSA’s findings in 2009 that 65% of fresh chickens were contamined with campylobacter at point of sale, the levels of contamination were still to high to be acceptable.

It pointed to its research last year, which revealed that 82% of the public want better control of campylobacter throughout the supply chain, rather than having to deal with contamination when cooking and handling chicken.

“While the situation is improving, it is still unacceptable that one in five chickens we tested were found to be contaminated with campylobacter,” said Richard Lloyd, Which? executive director.

“We want to see the risk of contamination minimised at every stage of production, because for far too long consumers have been expected to clean up mistakes made earlier in the supply chain.”

California Announces Raw Milk Recall - Claravale Farm, Campylobacter

Posted by Campylobacter Lawyer on March 23, 2012

cow.pngThe California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) today announced a recall of "raw milk, raw nonfat milk and raw cream produced by Claravale Farm of San Benito County."

The action was based on results of testing that revealed the presence of Campylobacter bacteria in the company's raw cream.

The CDFA states that"consumers are strongly urged to dispose of any product remaining in their refrigerators with code dates of “MAR 27” and earlier, and retailers are to pull those products immediately from their shelves."

The farm had ceased distribution of its products last Monday, March 19, after CDFA "made a preliminary positive finding of campylobacter in raw cream."

While no illness have been definitively linked to the raw milk,  the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is "currently conducting an epidemiological investigation of reported clusters of campylobacter illness where consumption of raw milk products may have occurred."

Family Cow Dairy - Largest Campylobacter Outbreak in Pennsylvania

Posted by Campylobacter Attorney on February 25, 2012

milk-2201dc1b485885c6.jpgThe number of people who became sick with an intestinal infection after drinking raw milk from a Franklin County farm continues to rise.

As of today, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said 78 cases of campylobacter bacteria are connected to unpasteurized milk sold in mid-January by The Family Cow dairy in Chambersburg.

The department says it is the largest foodborne outbreak related to raw milk in the state.

Of the cases, 68 people were sickened in Pennsylvania, five in Maryland, two in New Jersey and three in West Virginia. At least nine people were hospitalized, state Department of Health spokeswoman Holli Senior said.

Notable Campylobacter Illness Outbreaks of 2011

Posted by Campylobacter Lawyer on December 23, 2011

Over at Outbreak Database, we have been keeping track of foodborne illness outbreaks – small and large – over the last 12 months.  Here are some of the more interesting Campylobacter Outbreaks:

Jerry Dell Farm Unpasteurized, Raw Milk September 2011 – 2 Ill.  At least two people became ill due to Campylobacteriosis after drinking raw milk. Jerry Dell Farm in Freeville, New York had produced the milk. The farm had an agricultural permit to sell raw milk at the farm. The milk was confirmed to be contaminated with Campylobacter.

Matanuska-Suisitna Valley Cow Share Program Raw Milk May 2011 – 18 Ill.  An outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni was linked to the consumption of raw milk obtained through a cow share program in southeast Alaska. In Alaska, regulations did not allow the sale of raw milk; however owning shares of a cow to obtain milk was permissible. Campylobacter was not isolated from milk, but was isolated from manure samples collected at the dairy farm. Coincidentally Listeria was isolated, but no human illness had been attributed to this pathogen.

Campylobacter in California

Posted by Campylobacter Lawyer on May 20, 2011

San Joaquin County is experiencing a marked increase in the number of cases of campylobacteriosis, a gastrointestinal disease that is one of the most common causes of diarrhea in the United States.

County Health Officer Dr. Karen Furst said there were almost 100 more cases reported in 2010 compared with 2009 — 233 vs. 135 — and the rise that began last summer is continuing into this year.

San Joaquin County Public Health Services conducted a study to look for a common source and specimens were sent to the California Department of Public Health Laboratory for more specific DNA identification.

No common source of exposure was discovered.

Read more: http://www.modbee.com/2011/05/19/1696316/digestive-disorder-on-the-rise.html#ixzz1MxeDZtvt

FSIS Targets Campylobacter in Chickens and Turkeys

Posted by Campylobacter Attorney on March 20, 2011

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service has announced implementation of revised and new performance standards aimed at reducing the prevalence of salmonella and campylobacter in young chickens and turkeys.

The improved standards, effective in July 2011, will assist establishments slaughtering chickens and turkeys to reduce pathogens such as salmonella and campylobacter in their products. In two years, the new standards are estimated to prevent about 5,000 campylobacter illnesses and about 20,000 salmonella illnesses each year.

Wash your hands after touching English chicken

Posted by Campylobacter Lawyer on February 05, 2011

article-1350028-0CE2EBEF000005DC-74_233x393.jpgShoppers are being warned to wash their hands after picking up a chicken wrapped in plastic, after a study revealed 40 per cent of supermarket samples were contaminated with dangerous bacteria.

Local health officials found evidence of the campylobacter bug on chicken cartons, which can induce vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

The food safety team at Birmingham council surveyed 20 supermarkets, convenience stores and butcher's shops across the city. They found that eight were contaminated on the outside of the packet.

They also found seven chickens were contaminated inside the wrapping, while one tested positive for salmonella. There was no link between those infected inside and outside the packaging. Both types of bacteria are dealt with by thorough cooking and hand washing. 

Read more

Hinerwadel's Grove in Syracuse, N.Y., Hit again with Campylobacter

Posted by Bill Marler on October 05, 2010

Public health officials are investigating an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness among people who ate at Hinerwadel’s Grove in North Syracuse.

At least seven people in Central New York became ill with the bacterial infection Campylobacter after eating at Hinerwadel’s Sept. 15, according to the Onondaga County Health Department. The infection can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. People who become ill from the infection can have symptoms for up to two weeks.

The incubation period for the infection can be as long as 10 days. Dr. Cynthia Morrow, the county’s health commissioner, said she anticipates the number of people ill associated with the outbreak will grow.

The Health Department said there is no indication of improper food handling at Hinerwadels. The department said it is working to determine the source of the infection.

The Health Department is asking anyone who ate at Hinerwadel's on or after Sept. 15 and who became ill to call the department at 435-6607.

More than 200 people got sick at Hinerwadel’s in 2008 from the same infection. Raw mahogany clams were suspected as the source of that outbreak.

Campfire Lodge Resort Linked to Campylobacter Illnesses

Posted by Bill Marler on July 30, 2010

County and state health officials on Friday said several people have become ill after consuming water from a privately owned public water supply near Hebgen Lake.  The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services has confirmed 14 cases of campylobacter gastrointestinal illness, a common sickness, the Gallatin County Health Department said in a statement Friday morning.

Information collected about the cases "strongly suggests that exposure occurred at the Campfire Lodge Resort," according to the statement. At least 70 more cases are considered "probable."  Along with county health agents and DPHHS, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Madison County Health Department are involved in the probe.

Camplobacteriosis symptoms include diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and sometimes fever within two to five days of exposure, according to the statement. The illness typically lasts one week. Indirect transmission of the bacteria through consumption of contaminated food or water is the most common vector of infection.

Anyone with questions or concerns should talk to their doctor or the health department at 582-3100.

Colorado Billy Goat Dairy Linked to 26 E. coli and Campylobacter Illnesses

Posted by Campylobacter Lawyer on July 08, 2010

According to last week's press reports, Boulder County Public Health officials on Friday said they’d identified at least 26 cases of people who said they became ill after drinking raw milk from Billy Goat Dairy.  That’s 10 people more than the county reported on Wednesday, when it announced it had launched an investigation and had ordered the Billy Goat Dairy to cease distributing raw, unpasteurized raw milk.  Illnesses reported so far have been E. coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter.

“Right now, we’re waiting for confirmed lab results” from the people who became sick and from the dairy at 7577 N. 107th St., Alden said, to determine whether the illnesses are linked to goat milk from the dairy.  “We can say that everyone who has reported illness also reported drinking raw milk from Billy Goat Dairy,” Alden said.

Two children were examined at The Children’s Hospital in Aurora after becoming ill. Alden said Friday that one is still hospitalized and remains in serious condition with hemolytic uremic syndrome.