January 2007 / From Farm to Fork Food Safety Specialist Training Program

Outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7: Alberta

Twelve cases of laboratory-confirmed E. coli O157:H7 were identified through notifiable disease surveillance in the Capital Health Region (metro Edmonton) in May 2006. Enhanced surveillance methods were employed, which resulted in the identification of an outbreak associated with consumption of beef donairs from one local restaurant chain. At the time of the outbreak, a local professional hockey team was involved in a playoff tournament. Several cases reported taking part in the hockey celebrations, and when prompted about food history during the festivities these cases also reported consumption of beef donairs from one Edmonton restaurant specializing in this food product. Other outbreak cases also recalled that during the incubation period they had consumed donairs from a different Edmonton location of the same restaurant chain. The case definition was restricted to residents of or visitors to the Capital Health Region who were positive for E. coli O157:H7 national PFGE pattern ECXAI 0.1455 in stool collected between 1 May and 30 June, 2006. A total of nine cases met this definition, eight cases were infected with an isolate of provincial PFGE pattern ECXAI 0.1455, and the ninth case was infected with an isolate of pattern ECXAI 0.1468. Both PFGE patterns had not been previously observed in Alberta. There were nine additional laboratory-confirmed E. coli O157:H7 cases reported in the Capital Health Region during this same period that did not meet the case definition. Of the nine cases that met the case definition, seven (78%) reported consumption of a beef donair during the incubation period. This food item was purchased at one of two locations of an Edmonton restaurant chain specializing in the food product. There were six locations (designated A-F) of the implicated restaurant chain in the Capital Health Region at the time of the outbreak. Of those cases that reported donair consumption, five (71%) purchased the donair at restaurant location A, and two (29%) at restaurant location B. Location A is located in the area of Edmonton where the hockey post-game celebrations took place.

06/02/2007 - With six countries placing import bans on UK poultry due to the outbreak of avian influenza, one of the country's largest processors is fighting a rearguard action to retain its markets.

Ireland, Russia, Hong Kong, South Africa, South Korea and Japan have banned UK poultry meat, live birds and hatching eggs.

The Department of the Environment, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has also said that it is in the process of confirming whether India has also imposed a ban. Other countries could also impose bans as the UK has now lost its "disease free" status under International Health Organisation rules.

While the UK's regulators are advising the public that the risk of H5N1 being transmitted from poultry to humans was "extremely low", they can take heed of what happened last year in Europe, when a number of countries were affected by outbreaks. Due to a decline in consumption and exports, some EU members were forced last year to stockpile supplies.

In the case of the current outbreak, UK-based Bernard Matthews is attempting to assuage consumer fears about the discovery of the H5N1 strain of the virus at its Suffolk turkey production site. About 2,600 turkeys died last week before authorities closed off the site and began culling birds. Fred Landeg, Defra's deputy chief veterinary officer, yesterday confirmed that the culling operation had been completed on Monday night (5 Febuary) and that about 159.000 turkeys had been culled.

Authorities are still trying to track down how the disease managed to infect domestic birds raised in an enclosed area. In a statement Bernard Matthews said none of the affected poultry had entered the food chain, therefore making it unnecessary to recall or withdraw any products or to issue refunds. Poultry meat from the company were "perfectly safe to eat", according to the statement.

Bernard Matthews produces about eight million turkeys every year in the UK,rearing them on 57 farms throughout Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire. It also provides retailers with a variety of different frozen, fresh and chilled branded products from its processing centres. The company also has production sites in Germany and Hungary, whereavian influenza also reappeared last week. Meanwhile the Financial Times today reported that Tesco had said shoppers at its stores are shunning poultry in favour of beef. Asda and Sainsbury both told the newspaper that sales figures remained unchanged during the weekend. After H5N1 was found in a wild swan in Scotland last March retailers reported no downturn in consumption. The H5N1 strain is usually carried by wild birds and then transmitted to domestic flocks. In rare cases the deadly disease can be transmitted to humans.

08/02/2007 - Sweden's claim to have poultry stocks with the lowest Salmonella infection rates in the EU has come under severe attack after 100,000 birds had to be culled this week after an outbreak of the disease.

The outbreak in Sweden indicates that producers and processors can never be too vigilant in preventing persistent pathogens such as Salmonella from infecting poultry flocks and later ending up on dinner plates. In a study last year the European Commission found that among EU states Luxembourg and Sweden had the lowest levels of Salmonella infection rates in their poultry flocks.

The Swedish Poultry Meat Association and the country's food safety regulator say the current Salmonella outbreak is now under control, according to media reports. Regulators found birds at seven farms in southern Sweden had tested positive for Salmonella, resulting in the cull.

The outbreak runs counter to boasts by the industry association that Sweden had beaten back the pathogen.

"Sweden has achieved efficient control of Salmonella, despite the industrialisation of animal production," the association states on its internet site. "Due to the control, both red and white meat produced in Sweden can today be claimed to be virtually free from Salmonella."

Last year the European Commission set targets for member states to meet in reducing the presence of Salmonella in poultry, and has proposed trade bans on eggs from flocks with persistent high levels of the pathogen. The Commission said it is also looking into the possibility of introducing a trade ban on eggs from Salmonella infected flocks as soon as possible.

The regulations are part of the overall EU strategy to reduce food borne diseases and is line with a timetable for drawing up Salmonella reduction targets for different animal species, which were set out in a 2003 regulation on zoonoses.

Salmonella, campylobacter, and viruses were the most important causes of reported foodborne outbreaks in 2005. Egg and bakery products were the most common sources of Salmonella outbreaks, whereas broiler meat was an important source for both salmonella and campylobacter outbreaks. Foodborne virus outbreaks were most often caused by drinking water, fruit and vegetables.

14/02/2007. Ministry of Agriculture of Turkey has clarified Avian Influenza cases appeared in Batman, Diyarbakır and Isparta. On February 8, 2007 in Bogazköy, a village in Batman, Avian Influenza was identified and 1.518 birds and poltry have been killed. In Doluca village of the same city, it has been seen suspicious deaths and after several tests H5N1 has been identified. 829 birds and poultry have been killed.

On February 13, 2007 in Akçayır, a village in Diyarbakır, it has been observed suspicous poultry deaths and H5N1 has been identified by Elazığ Vetenerinary Control and Research Institute. 362 birds and poultry have been killed.

On February 13, 2007 in Keçiburlu, a village in Isparta, it has been observed suspious deaths, examples taken by Konya Veterinary Control and Research Institute have been rapidly tested and the result was negative. Studies are countiuning.