As of June 2, 2011, Germany's Robert Koch Institute had confirmed 520 patients with hemolytic uremic syndrome and 11 deaths in the STEC O104:H4 outbreak. Four suspected US cases, all in people who had recently travelled to Hamburg, awaited laboratory confirmation.
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Biological
Biological hazards in food: bacteria, viruses and contamination.
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Biological
What are the Most Common Food Infections?
A University of Florida report ranks pathogen-food pairs by economic burden: campylobacter in poultry leads, sickening more than 600,000 people at $1.3 billion a year, then toxoplasma in pork at $1.2 billion. Salmonella causes the most disease overall, about $3 billion.
Biological
Get Food Safety Answers on Your Smart Phone
The USDA's virtual food safety representative, Ask Karen, now runs on iOS and Android. Her database answers nearly 1,500 food safety questions around the clock, and users can chat with a live expert weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST or call the Meat and Poultry Hotline.
Biological
The foodborne illnesses most likely to sicken you
A University of Florida report names a bacterium-and-poultry pairing as the top cause of U.S. foodborne illness, sickening more than 600,000 people a year at a cost of $1.3 billion. Salmonella, Listeria, Toxoplasma and norovirus round out the top five.
Biological
Basics about Salmonella
Salmonella is the most common cause of US food poisoning. Symptoms of diarrhea, fever, cramps and vomiting start one to three days after exposure and usually clear in four to seven days. Contaminated eggs, poultry, milk, produce, reptiles and baby chicks spread it.
Biological
Basics about Botulism
A fact sheet on botulism: in infants it traces to honey and home-canned foods, with symptoms in 3 to 30 days; in children and adults to improperly canned foods, herb oils or foil-baked potatoes, bringing double vision, slurred speech and weakness in 12 to 72 hours. It is an emergency.
Biological
Basics about Noroviruses
Noroviruses cause gastroenteritis and spread through contaminated food, surfaces and infected people, bringing nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea and fever 12 to 48 hours after exposure and lasting 12 to 60 hours. Rest, fluids and not cooking for others are advised.
Biological
Basics about E. coli
Most E. coli living in the gut is harmless, but E. coli O157:H7 causes bloody diarrhea and can lead to kidney failure or death. It spreads through undercooked beef, unpasteurized milk and juice, raw produce and contaminated water. Illness runs 5 to 10 days; antibiotics should not be used.
Biological
Basics about Campylobacter
Campylobacter is among the most common US causes of food poisoning, usually in isolated cases rather than outbreaks. It comes from raw or undercooked poultry, unpasteurized milk and contaminated water. Symptoms start in 2-5 days and last 2-10; fluids and rest are the main treatment.
Biological
Basics about Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A spreads mainly through food or water contaminated with stool from an infected person, including shellfish from tainted waters and food touched by an infected handler. Symptoms appear about 28 days after exposure, and illness lasts two weeks to three months.
Biological
Basics about Listeria
Listeria grows even at refrigerator temperatures and turns up in soft cheeses, unpasteurized milk, deli meats and hot dogs. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches and nausea. Pregnant women are 20 times more likely to be infected, and infection can cause miscarriage or premature delivery.
Biological
Basics about Bacillus cereus
Bacillus cereus produces toxins behind two illnesses: a diarrheal form from contaminated meats, milk, vegetables and fish that starts in 6 to 15 hours, and a vomiting form from rice, potatoes, pasta and cheese dishes starting in 30 minutes to 6 hours. Both run about 24 hours.
Biological
Basics about Staphylococcus aureus
Staph aureus lives on the skin and in the noses and throats of up to half of healthy people, and causes food poisoning when a handler contaminates food that then sits unrefrigerated, letting the bacteria produce a toxin. Symptoms begin within 1 to 6 hours and last a day or two.
Biological
Pathogens: Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus
A fact sheet on Vibrio vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus, bacteria in warm coastal waters that sicken people who eat contaminated raw shellfish or expose open wounds to seawater. About half of V. vulnificus bloodstream infections are fatal, with liver disease and diabetes among the risk factors.
Biological
Tips to Reduce Your Risk of Salmonella from Eggs
Salmonella can be on and inside eggs that look normal. Keep eggs at or below 40°F, buy only from suppliers who refrigerate them, discard cracked or dirty ones, and cook until yolk and white are firm. Cooked eggs should not sit between 40 and 140°F for more than two hours.
Biological
Spring Cleaning the Office Refrigerator
The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline advises keeping the shared office refrigerator at 40 °F or lower, since bacteria multiply fastest between 40 and 140 °F, some doubling in 20 minutes. It suggests tossing perishables weekly, wiping spills at once and eating leftovers within four days.
Biological
Cap the Gene Spill
Jeffrey Smith introduces a two-minute video directed by advertising veteran Alex Bogusky arguing that genes from genetically modified crops self-propagate and permanently alter the gene pool, and asks readers to donate to the Institute for Responsible Technology.
Biological
Keeping Oysters, Clams and Mussels Safe to Eat
USDA researcher David Kingsley found high pressure processing at 60,000 pounds per square inch for five minutes inactivated 99.9 percent of hepatitis A virus in lab-exposed oysters, and later, with Italian colleagues, in North American blue and Mediterranean mussels.
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