E coli

(CIDRAP News) – Blocking proposals stemming from notorious foodborne-disease outbreaks last year, a California State Assembly committee yesterday rejected one bill aimed at reducing contamination in leafy greens and stalled voting on two others, despite the State Senate's earlier approval of all three.

(CIDRAP News) – A recent ground beef recall has been expanded to 5.7 million pounds following the identification of 14 Escherichia coli O157:H7 cases in six states, according the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

(CIDRAP News) – Two beef producers recently announced recalls of steak and hamburger products because of possible contamination with Escherichia coli O157:H7, following a small number of infections in California and Pennsylvania.

(CIDRAP News) – A scientific advisory panel assembled by Fresh Express, a California produce company, has selected nine research teams to receive awards up to $250,000 each to study how to keep Escherichia coli O157:H7 from contaminating fresh produce.

(CIDRAP News) – Preliminary data from 2006 show that foodborne illnesses caused by Escherichia coli and Vibrio rose, while cases caused by other pathogens leveled off or slowly declined, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently proposed rules that would relax some labeling restrictions on irradiated foods and invited the public to comment.

The FDA currently requires all irradiated foods to have the international radura symbol and the statement "treated by irradiation" or "treated with radiation" clearly displayed on the packaging.

March 30, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – Genetic elements that confer multidrug resistance (MDR) in both plague and foodborne bacteria have a common origin and may represent a significant public health threat, according to a study published Mar 20 in the journal PLoS One (Public Library of Science One).

(CIDRAP News) – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and California officials released a final report today on last fall's nationwide Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to fresh spinach, tracing the pathogen to a specific farm and identifying a handful of possible contamination sources.

The outbreak, which occurred in early fall, sickened 205 people and caused three deaths.

(CIDRAP News) – Federal health officials are using an analysis of an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak that involved 18 cases in December 2005 to remind people of the dangers of drinking unpasteurized milk.

(CIDRAP News) – The number of people sickened in a nationwide Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter grew by 41, to a total of 370 in 42 states, since the last update a week ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced yesterday.