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The use of a sandwich ELISA for the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin A in foods from outbreaks of food poisoning.
Foods from outbreaks of food poisoning were examined for the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) by a sandwich ELISA using microtitre trays as the solid phase and SEA antibodies raised in sheep. The presence of SEA was confirmed by neutralization tests. The toxin was detected in 12 of 15 foods from separate outbreaks of staphylococcal food poisoning; all 15 foods contained a strain of Staphylococcus aureus which produced SEA. For most foods a simple extraction procedure without a concentration step was sufficient to detect the toxin. The method was semi-quantitative and recoveries of SEA added to control foods varied from 30 to 80%. The foods from outbreaks contained between 1 and 10 micrograms of SEA/100 g. SEA was not found in foods from 21 outbreaks in which an SEA-producing strain of Staph. aureus was not isolated.
Is it food poisoning?
Food borne infections and intoxications, typically manifesting as gastroenteritis, are a common community acquired illness in Australia. For infants, immunocompromised people, pregnant women and the elderly, food borne illness can be fatal. Food borne illness can be difficult to distinguish from illness transmitted by other routes, but specific pathogens, clinical syndromes, and epidemiological clues suggest possible 'food poisoning'. Management is usually supportive, but investigations provide information of public health value. Persons with gastroenteritis should be given simple advice to reduce the risk of transmitting infection to others, and educated about how enteric infections may be spread from infected persons and animals, and from food.
[Microbiological aspects of food poisoning & food-borne infections].
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A survey of bacterial toxins involved in food poisoning: a suggestion for bacterial food poisoning toxin nomenclature.
There is at present no accepted nomenclature for bacterial protein toxins, although there have been several attempts at dividing them into groups by their mode of action. In this paper we will not try to describe all known bacterial protein toxins, but concentrate on the toxins involved in food poisoning. Although most of these toxins are enterotoxins (protein exotoxins with the site of action on the mucosal cells of the intestinal tract) there are also other toxins involved in food poisoning, like the neurotoxins. In Table 1 the most important food pathogens in Europe are listed. For most, but not all, of these food pathogens, toxins are virulence factors. Generally, we divide food poisoning into infections and intoxications, where Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. are typical examples of infections and Clostridium botulinum and Staphylococcus aureus for intoxications. We consider it better to make four different groups of food pathogenic bacteria, according to Table 2. Today the first three groups are all defined as infections, although for both group 2 and 3 the bacterium itself does not harm the host directly. The bacterium in such locations is like an 'enterotoxin factory'. The bacteria belonging to group 3 do not even interact with the epithelial cells in the intestine, while the bacteria of group 2 must colonise the epithelial cells prior to enterotoxin production.
Physiology of food poisoning microorganisms and the major problems in food poisoning control.
There remains considerable public concern regarding the current high level of food poisoning disease in Europe and the fact that, year by year, it continues to rise rather than fall. At the same time, there are strong and increasing demands from consumers for foods that are more convenient, fresher, more natural, less heavily processed (e.g. 'REPFEDS' and 'Sous Vide' foods, mildly heated and distributed at chill temperatures; Lund and Notermans, 1992), less heavily preserved (e.g. less acid, less salt, less sugar; Gould, 1995) and less reliant on additive preservatives than hitherto (e.g. sulphite, nitrite, organic acids and esters; Russell and Gould, 1991). Most of these trends result in a general reduction in the intrinsic preservation of foods. Furthermore, many food poisoning microorganisms escape the attention of preservation techniques altogether, reaching the consumer more or less directly from contaminated foods, most often foods of animal origin. It has therefore been argued that a substantial reduction in food poisoning in the near future will be difficult to achieve unless we obtain a greatly improved understanding of the physiology of the most important target organisms (Knochel and Gould, 1995). This knowledge must then be exploited in ways which effectively improve our means for the control of these hazards and reduce the risk to the consumer. A three year AAIR Concerted Action Programme (PL920630: 'Physiology of Food Poisoning Microorganisms') was therefore initiated in 1992 in order to bring together research groups working on the physiology and related aspects of food poisoning microorganisms. The principal objectives of the programme were: 1. To determine the physiological, biochemical and genetical bases of the organisms' survival of and responses to food-relevant stresses; 2. to determine the physiological and genetical factors influencing infectivity and toxinogenesis; 3. to understand the physiological bases of those synergistic systems that are already empirically applied or that have future potential; 4. to make a wide range of modern techniques in which particular members have expertise more widely available. As can be read in the subsequent contributions to this special issue, the area is a fruitful one for microbiological research and the Programme has been successful in bringing together disparate strands of the topic. It has also highlighted areas where this scientific knowledge may be better exploited in improving the microbiological safety of foods for the consumer.
Cockroaches (Blattaria) as vectors of food poisoning and food infection organisms.
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[Hygienic evaluation of the finding of the causative agents of food poisoning in food products].
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[Poisoning and food poisoning in 1996].
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[Studies on relationship between Staphylococcus aureus inhabiting human and staphylococcal food poisoning. 3. The outbreaks of food poisoning due to rice ball contaminated with staphylococci inhabiting human (author's transl)].
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Enterotoxigenic profiles of food-poisoning and food-borne Bacillus cereus strains.
The enterotoxigenic profiles of 51 B. cereus food-related strains were compared to those of 37 B. cereus food-poisoning strains. cytK and association of hbl-nhe-cytK enterotoxin genes were more frequent among diarrheal strains (73 and 63%) than among food-borne strains (37 and 33%). Unlike diarrheal strains, food-borne strains showed frequent nhe and hbl gene polymorphisms and were often low toxin producers.
A hospital outbreak of Clostridium perfringens food poisoning--implications for food hygiene review in hospitals.
An outbreak of Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) food poisoning affected 17 of 44 (38.6%) patients interviewed on two hospital wards. A case-control study showed a statistically significant association between the consumption of roast pork and illness (P < 0.01). C. perfringens type A, untypable serotype, was isolated from samples of pre-cooked vacuum sealed pork supplied by a local meat producer. Faults were noted in the food production process at the factory. Cuts of meat were too large and equipment to ensure rapid cooling of cooked meat was not installed. Cost improvements taken by hospitals, such as the use of commercially cooked meat, may not be consistent with the highest standards of food safety. Amendments to the District Catering Policy were implemented to prevent further outbreaks.
Surveillance of food poisoning and other food-borne diseases in Singapore.
The more important food-borne diseases in Singapore are food poisoning, enteric fever, cholera and hepatitis A. Bacterial food poisoning caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella and Vibrio parahaemolyticus is prevalent, but chemical poisoning due to ingestion of toxic plants and animals is uncommon. Enteric fevers have been brought under control. An increasing proportion of the cases reported in recent years were imported from Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Cholera continues to be introduced into the country with sporadic cases reported from time to time. Hepatitis A remains an important food-borne disease involving predominantly the adolescents and young adults. Consumption of raw and partially-cooked cockles has been associated with both sporadic transmission and periodic outbreaks of hepatitis A. Prevention and control strategies implemented include surveillance and outbreak investigation, food control and legislation, health education and maintenance of a high standard of environmental sanitation.
[Food poisoning and food-related infections--1989].
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Staphylococcus aureus and food poisoning.
Food-borne diseases are of major concern worldwide. To date, around 250 different food-borne diseases have been described, and bacteria are the causative agents of two thirds of food-borne disease outbreaks. Among the predominant bacteria involved in these diseases, Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of gastroenteritis resulting from the consumption of contaminated food. Staphylococcal food poisoning is due to the absorption of staphylococcal enterotoxins preformed in the food. Here, we briefly review the latest data on staphylococcal enterotoxins and some papers exemplifying the interactions between S. aureus and the food matrix; environmental factors affecting staphylococcal enterotoxin production are discussed.
[Comparison of epidemiological markers for Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from food poisoning].
Vibrio parahaemolyticus food poisoning, is the most prevalent among bacterial food poisoning in Japan. Study of epidemiologic markers is important in an attempt to trace the source of contamination. The purpose of this study was to compare seven different typing methods (serotyping, plasmid profile, antibiogram, phage susceptibility. TDH production, tdh and trh gene and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis [PFGE]) for V. parahaemolyticus. Outbreaks of V. parahaemolyticus food poisoning which occurred during the 13 years from 1981 to 1993 numbered 43 including 481 cases in Nagano Prefecture. Serovar O4:K8 was the most prlevalent serovar isolated, serovar O2:K3, O4:K63 and O3:K5 followed. Forty one strains of V. parahaemolyticus were used in this study. All of the strains were isolated from 12 food poisoning cases at Nagano Prefectual Research Institute for Health and Pollution. Of the 41 strains, twenty two strains (O4:K8, O4:K63) were sensitive to both phi VP 253 and phi VP 143 phages, six strains (O3:K5) to phage phi VP 143. Thirteen strains (O3:K29, O4:K11, O4:K12 and O5:KUT) were insensitive to both phages. CBPC, CBPC.CEZ and CBPC.CEZ.KM.SM resistant strains was determined in 22 strains out of 41 strains. Five strains of V. parahaemolyticus carried plasmid. Of the 41 strains, thirty nine strains were possessive to tdh gene and productive to TDH. Chromosomal DNA of the isolates from 12 different outbreaks was analysed by PFGE after Not I digestion. PFGE analysis of the digested DNA yielded 11 to 21 DNA fragments. Twelve distinctive fragment patterns were identified in 41 V. parahaemolyticus isolates from 12 different food poisonings. These results showed that the PFGE method is an useful tool to analyse an epidemiological survey for isolates of Vibrio parahaemolyticus food poisoning.
Action in cases of suspected chemical food poisoning.
Chemical food poisoning is a periodic menace both for the health of the consumers and for trade. It can be intentional or unintentional. In the latter case, poisoning may have a very large attack rate and it may be caused by sophistication (e.g., the methanol poisoning in Italy in 1985) or by environmental pollution (e.g., the Iraq accident in 1971-1972 due to mercury-contaminated flour). As a general statement, they are acute events, often noticed by outbreaks of unexplained deaths or sickness. The purposed lines for intervention (monitoring and biological testing) and some related problems are briefly described. Emphasis is placed on biological of suspected food items by a sensitive method to detect the presence of a noxious agent of unknown origin. The basic principle is to administer the highest amount possible of the suspected food to two different species of rodents for 5 days. Finally it should be noted that the characteristics and severity of every episode depend on the food and the chemical involved; thus only general suggestions may be given.