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PubMed1989

Listeriosis: a community problem?

Three epidemiologically distinct cases of listeriosis, one perinatal and two adult, presented in hospital over a three day period. Clinical signs were non-specific with pyrexia and respiratory distress. Diagnosis in all three was made by blood cultures. Such cases reflect the general increase in reporting of listeriosis and suggest that the condition is increasing in incidence in the community, most likely due to food contamination. Raw vegetables, milk, soft cheeses, pre-cooked and inadequately cooked meats have all been implicated. Regular public health inspection of foods and food storage facilities with increased public awareness of the hazards of inadequate cooking and storage of food are the most effective means of preventing listeriosis and its potentially disastrous consequences especially for pregnant women and immunosuppressed patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1975

Potential carcinogenicity of food additives and contaminants.

The potential role in carcinogenesis of food additives and contaminants presents a complex problem in terms of assessing the risk to the general public. Long-term testing in laboratory animals is still the most feasible method for determining potential carcinogenicity of various chemicals. The disadvantages encountered in the present methods of animal testing are discussed and a review is made of the current status of particular food additives and contaminants under scrutiny as possible carcinogens. It is suggested that, since it may not be possible to remove all carcinogenic materials from the environment, methods to mitigate or neutralize their harmful effects should be sought. Greater cooperation is called for among food technologists, toxicologists, laboratory researchers, and epidemiologists in the decision-making process regarding the role of possibly carcinogenic additives and contaminants.

2-Acetylaminofluorene↗

PubMed1991

Assessment of radiocesium incorporation in Austrians after the Chernobyl accident.

Residents of Vienna, Austria were whole-body counted for radiocesium content due to fallout deposited after the Chernobyl accident. Data for a 2-y period were compared with prior estimates of radiocesium body burden based on food consumption. Our results suggest that the prior estimates be revised and the rejection limit be increased by a factor of 2 for contaminated food.

Accidents↗

PubMed2002

Review of the trends and causes of food borne outbreaks in Malaysia from 1988 to 1997.

This paper examines the trend and possible contributing factors for the occurrence of the food borne diseases outbreaks in Malaysia. These diseases mainly are cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, dysentery and food poisoning. The outbreaks still occur sporadically in certain high risk areas throughout the country. The incidence rate of all the other three major food borne diseases steadily declined from the year 1988 to 1997 except for food poisoning and cholera. Statistic of food poisoning from the year 1996 to 1997 showed that 66.5% of the outbreak occurred in schools whereas only 0.4% originated from the contaminated food sold at various public food outlets. The school age group is always more affected than the general population. Amongst the contributing factors identified are related to unhygienic food handling practices followed by inadequate safe water supply and poor environmental sanitation. A multisectoral approach between Ministry of Health and other government agencies or private agents needs to be undertaken in the management of the food borne diseases in order to curb the incidences of food borne diseases in Malaysia.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Review of effects of water pollution on the breeding success of waterbirds, with particular reference to ardeids in Hong Kong.

Predatory waterbirds, such as ardeids, are susceptible to bioaccumulation of pollutants through the ingestion of contaminated food sources. High body burdens of contaminants, including PCBs, PAHs, cadmium, mercury, lead, copper, zinc and arsenic have been detected in many bird species worldwide. There is a paucity of literature, however, linking contaminant body burden and effects on reproductive success in waterbirds. This review is a synthesis of pertinent literature on this topic, with specific reference to contaminant residues in various tissue types, relationship between body burden and reproductive success, and the use of biomarkers to predict more serious adverse affects. The impetus for this review was the development of a conservation strategy and management plan (commissioned by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)) for an important wetland in Hong Kong that supports many threatened waterbirds, including ardeids.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Morphological significance of cladosporium contaminants on materials and utensils in contact with food.

Cladosporium contaminants on materials and utensils that come into contact with food were morphologically investigated. The most common contaminants, C. cladosporioides and C. sphaerospermum, were detected on the samples. The morphological changes of the Cladosporium species were investigated by using stereoscopic, optical light, fluorescent, and scanning electron microscopes. Microscopically the Cladosporium contaminants were observed as aggregated dark brown spots, strongly pigmented, irregularly swollen, and in long chains. Using fluorescent microscopy, the Cladosporium mycelia were clearly stained with fluorescein diacetate as viable cells, but the old cells were mostly non-viable, as shown by staining with propidium iodide. The dynamics of the morphological changes showed that the penetrating mycelia were closely attached to the surface of the materials and utensils under investigation. These results provide information about the significance of Cladosporium contamination on materials and utensils in contact with food and may contribute to the control of fungal contamination.

Cladosporium↗

PubMed2000

Evaluation of biohazards in dehydrated biofilms on foodstuff packaging.

Plastic materials used for food packaging are clean but not sterile when the food is just packaged. Accidental wet contamination may occur at every moment between packaging and opening by the consumer: on polyethylene (PET), bacteria may adhere strongly and constitute a biofilm in less than 24 h. By rolling on themselves, PET sheets may contaminate food. We tried to show that contact with salted foodstuffs favoured microbial recovery. Four strains were chosen to perform biofilms on PET: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. Biofilms were dried up 24 h. Biofilm bacteria were stressed by adhesion, by starvation and by dehydration. However, they were capable of recovery in salted solutions or media, probably because one (or more) stress protected them against another stress. Stress was demonstrated by stress protein production, by mean of electrophoresis, and membrane lesions by mean of flow cytometry. Stress recovery was performed in aqueous salted solutions or salted brain-heart infusion with NaCl 9, 15, 20 and 30 g/l. Staphylococci were more sensitive to these stresses and recovery was a function of salt concentration. Gram-negative bacteria were little affected by stresses; salt effects were less important. If all these biofilms were capable of recovery from stresses in salted media, flexible PET could possibly lead to a health hazard when it is used for wet salt meats, e.g.

Bacterial Adhesion↗

PubMed2004

Mechanism of antifertility in male rats treated with 3-monochloro-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD).

3-Monochloro-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) is a food contaminant that is often found in foods containing acid-hydrolyzed (AH) protein, like seasonings and savory food products. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of 3-MCPD on male fertility, sperm, and hormonal levels and its antifertility mechanism. In vivo male fertility testing was performed to observe the adverse effects of 3-MCPD on the functioning of the male reproductive system and pregnancy outcome. 3-MCPD (0.01-5 mg/kg) was administered daily by gavage to Sprague-Dawley (SD) male rats for 4 wk. At the end of the pretreatment period, male rats were mated overnight with untreated females. Males successfully inducing pregnancy were sacrificed to assess sperm parameters, reproductive organ histopathology, and spermatogenesis. The resulting pregnant females were sacrificed on 20 of gestation to evaluate pregnancy outcome. The paternal administration of 3-MCPD (5 mg/kg) was found to result in adverse effects on male fertility and pregnancy outcome without inducing remarkable histopathological changes in testes and epididymides. Additionally, 3-MCPD (5 mg/kg) significantly reduced sperm motility, copulation, fertility indices, and the number of live fetuses showed steep dose-response curves. 3-MCPD did not affect spermatogenesis or induce hormonal changes in the blood and testes of male rats. An in vitro hormone assay using primary isolated Leydig cells showed no significant changes in related hormone levels after 3-MCPD treatment. To evaluate the effects of 3-MCPD on apoptotic induction and H+-ATPase levels in the testis and epididymis, 10 or 100 mg/kg of 3-MCPD was administered by gavage to male rats and testes and epididymides were examined at 3, 6, 12, and 24 h later. Apoptosis was not detected in the testes of animals treated with 100 mg/kg 3-MCPD. However, the level of H+-ATPase in the cauda epididymis was reduced by 3-MCPD treatment. These results indicate that 3-MCPD induced a spermatotoxic effect, which was mediated by reduced H+-ATPase expression in the cauda epididymis, and suggest that an altered pH level in the cauda epididymis might lead to a disruption of sperm maturation and the acquisition of motility.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Development of a colony lift immunoassay to facilitate rapid detection and quantification of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from agar plates and filter monitor membranes.

E. coli O157:H7 is a food-borne adulterant that can cause hemorrhagic ulcerative colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Faced with an increasing risk of foods contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, food safety officials are seeking improved methods to detect and isolate E. coli O157:H7 in hazard analysis and critical control point systems in meat- and poultry-processing plants. A colony lift immunoassay was developed to facilitate the positive identification and quantification of E. coli O157:H7 by incorporating a simple colony lift enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with filter monitors and traditional culture methods. Polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes (Millipore, Bedford, Mass.) were prewet with methanol and were used to make replicates of every bacterial colony on agar plates or filter monitor membranes that were then reincubated for 15 to 18 h at 36 +/- 1 degree C, during which the colonies not only remained viable but were reestablished. The membranes were dried, blocked with blocking buffer (Kirkegaard and Perry Laboratories [KPL], Gaithersburg, Md.), and exposed for 7 min to an affinity-purified horseradish peroxidase-labeled goat anti-E. coli O157 antibody (KPL). The membranes were washed, exposed to a 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine membrane substrate (TMB; KPL) or aminoethyl carbazole (AEC; Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, Mo.), rinsed in deionized water, and air dried. Colonies of E. coli O157:H7 were identified by either a blue (via TMB) or a red (via AEC) color reaction. The colored spots on the PVDF lift membrane were then matched to their respective parent colonies on the agar plates or filter monitor membranes. The colony lift immunoassay was tested with a wide range of genera in the family Enterobacteriaceae as well as different serotypes within the E. coli genus. The colony lift immunoassay provided a simple, rapid, and accurate method for confirming the presence of E. coli O157:H7 colonies isolated on filter monitors or spread plates by traditional culture methods. An advantage of using the colony lift immunoassay is the ability to test every colony serologically on an agar plate or filter monitor membrane simultaneously for the presence of the E. coli O157 antigen. This colony lift immunoassay has recently been successfully incorporated into a rapid-detection, isolation, and quantification system for E. coli O157:H7, developed in our laboratories for retail meat sampling.

Agar↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Zoonotic infections.

More than 200 diseases are transmitted from animals to humans. Zoonotic infections can be transmitted via animal bites, arthropod vectors, especially ticks and mosquitoes, and direct contact with animals. Infections also can be contracted indirectly by ingestion of contaminated food or water or contact with contaminated hides, wool, or fur. Persons at risk of zoonotic infections include people who enjoy outdoor leisure activities such as hiking, camping, hunting, spelunking, and fishing. Occupational groups at risk include animal control officers, hunters, abattoir workers, farmers, fisherpersons, persons working with hides or wool, and laboratory workers working with zoonotic pathogens. The risk of infection can be reduced by appropriate use of personal protective equipment, immunizations, and measures to avoid insect bites.

Animal Husbandry↗

PubMed1978