Health News: Eight Vibrio infections, including two deaths reported in Florida ♦ How the discomfort from dry eye disease originates ♦ Physical activity decreases over time at all levels of COPD

Eightnfections, including two deaths reported in Florida  The Florida Department of Health has reported eight confirmed Vibrio vulnificus infections, including two deaths, so far this year. Vibrio is a naturally occurring bacterium found in warm, brackish seawater. Vibrio infections are rare, and the bacterium does not pose a risk to a normally healthy person (without any open cuts or wounds) who swims

Researchers discover how the discomfort from dry eye disease originates A study on the origin of the symptoms of dry eye disease has taken place, and explains the molecular mechanism leading to the discomfort that causes this disease. Dry eye is the most common eye disease in the world, and especially so in elderly people. It is caused by disorders in the quantity and quality of tears, and leads to continuous eye pain and irritation, increased blinking and altered vision, and can potentially cause blindness.

Physical activity decreases over time at all levels of COPD severity, leading to further decline Physical activity decreases substantially over time in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at all levels of severity

Ultrasound identifies RA patients in clinical remission who need more intensive treatment Two new studies have shown the importance of using ultrasound to identify those Rheumatoid Arthritis patients in clinical remission who would benefit from more intensive treatment.

Mechanism regulating gene expression linked to bone and joint damage in ankylosing spondylitis A new study reveals that DNA methylation -- a mechanism that regulates gene expression -- could influence the progression of structural damage to the joints and spine in ankylosing spondylitis. Study findings showed significant associations between a low methylation score and more radiographic progression of the disease, and implicated smoking in worsening of disease outcome.

CDC data show progress in reducing some foodborne infections

While some diseases decreased, overall infections from foodborne illness remain the same

In 2014, rates of infection from a serious form of E. coli and one of the more common Salmonella serotypes decreased compared with the baseline period of 2006-2008. Meanwhile, some other less common types of Salmonella increased. Campylobacter and Vibrio rose again in 2014, continuing the increase observed during the past few years, according to data published today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Today’s report summarizes the rates of infection per 100,000 population and tracks illness trends for key foodborne illnesses.

Infection with Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O157, which can sometimes lead to kidney failure, decreased 32 percent when compared with 2006-2008 and 19 percent when compared with the most recent three years. These infections are often linked to consumption of undercooked ground beef and raw leafy vegetables. Salmonella Typhimurium, which has been linked to poultry, beef, and other foods, was 27 percent lower than it was in 2006-2008, continuing a downward trend begun in the mid-1980s. Two other less common types of Salmonella, Javiana and Infantis, more than doubled for reasons that are unclear. Salmonella Javiana is concentrated in the southeastern United States, but has been spreading within the Southeast and to other areas of the country. However, when all Salmonella serotypes are combined, there was no change in 2014. Campylobacter increased 13 percent and Vibrio increased 52 percent compared with 2006-2008. Yersinia has declined enough to meet the Healthy People 2020 goal.

The data are from FoodNet, CDC’s active surveillance system that tracks nine common foodborne pathogens in 10 states and monitors trends in foodborne illness in about 15 percent of the U.S. population. Today’s report compares the 2014 frequency of infection with the frequency in the baseline period 2006-2008 and in the three most recent years. Overall in 2014, FoodNet logged just over 19,000 infections, about 4,400 hospitalizations, and 71 deaths from the nine foodborne germs it tracks. Salmonella and Campylobacter were by far the most common– accounting for about 14,000 of the 19,000 infections reported.

“We’re cautiously optimistic that changes in food safety practice are having an impact in decreasing E.coli and we know that without all the food safety work to fight Salmonella that more people would be getting sick with Salmonella than we are seeing now,,” said Robert Tauxe, M.D., deputy director of CDC’s Division of Foodborne Waterborne and Environmental Diseases. “The increasing use of whole genome sequencing to track foodborne illness cases will also help; however, much more needs to be done to protect people from foodborne illness.”  

The recent decline in the incidence of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157 follows several years of increasing scrutiny for beef products. Since 1994, the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken STEC O157:H7 extremely seriously and made a number of changes in its regulatory oversight of the beef industry to protect public health.

"We are encouraged by the reduction of STEC O157:H7 illnesses, which reflects our science-based approach to beef inspection, and we look forward to seeing further reductions in Salmonella and Campylobacter infections as our improved standards for poultry take effect later this year, " said Al Almanza, Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at USDA. "Data sources like FoodNet allow us to be strategic in developing our food safety policies, and we will do everything within our power to keep reducing cases of foodborne illness from all meat and poultry products."

Under the provisions of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is planning to publish major new regulations in 2015. The regulations are geared toward ensuring produce safety, implementing preventive controls on processed foods, and improving the safety of imported foods.

“Prevention of illness is the fundamental goal of our new rules under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act,” said Michael Taylor, deputy commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at FDA.  “We have worked with a wide range of stakeholders to devise rules that will be effective for food safety and practical for the many diverse elements of our food system. Once the rules are fully implemented, FoodNet will help us evaluate their impact.”

The FoodNet report also includes results of culture-independent diagnostic tests (a new method for diagnosing intestinal illnesses without needing to grow the bacteria) done in the many hospital laboratories in the FoodNet sites. In 2014, the results of more than 1,500 such tests were reported. More than two-thirds of the tests were for Campylobacter. Other tests performed were for STEC, Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio. Some of the tests had a positive result. However, the infections were not confirmed by culture, and so CDC experts did not include them in the overall FoodNet results for 2014.

For more information on avoiding illnesses from food, please visit www.foodsafety.gov

Food Research: FDA Doesn't Really Know What’s in Your Food ♦ Buffet: All-You-Can-Eat Illness ♦ Curcumin offers potential therapy for cancers caused by HPV

Why the FDA Doesn’t Really Know What’s in Your Food A massive legal loophole means companies can add new ingredients to foods with no government safety review. Rebecca Fattell was enjoying breakfast at a hotel in Berlin last summer when, after a few bites of a roll, her mouth started to itch, her gums started to hurt and before long, hives covered her skin. "My face, trunk, arms, legs," Fattell said, "they were all

Buffet: All-You-Can-Eat Illness Disease prevention specialists warn against shaking hands as a form of greeting since this is a common way people spread disease. Eating at a buffet exposes people to the hands of everyone who came to the restaurant and touched the common serving utensils

New method to detect most common bacteria contaminating oysters In a major breakthrough in shellfish management and disease prevention, researchers have discovered a new method to detect a bacterium that has contaminated New England oyster beds and sickened consumers who ate the contaminated shellfish. The new patent-pending detection method - which is available for immediate use to identify contaminated shellfish -- is a significant advance in efforts to identify shellfish harboring disease-carrying strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Curry: Curcumin offers potential therapy for cancers caused by HPV Curcumin, an antioxidant found in the curry spice turmeric, has been found to slow or limit the activity of the HPV virus, which causes oral and cervical cancers.

Huntington NY - Temporary Emergency Shellfish Closures

Suffolk County

Due to the documented illnesses caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a naturally-occurring marine bacterium, in individuals who consumed shellfish harvested from New York Shellfish Harvest Area NS-3 the following lands are designated as uncertified effective sunrise on Friday, September 5, 2014 and continuing until further notice.

Accordingly, it is unlawful to harvest oysters from the following areas:

Town of Huntington: All the normally certified areas in Northport Bay, Centerport Harbor, Duck Island Harbor, Lloyd Harbor, and that portion of Huntington Bay lying southerly of a line extending easterly from East Fort Point (Lloyd Neck) to Target Rock and thence continuing to the northwesternmost corner of the beach pavilion at the Town of Huntington's Hobart Beach (Eaton's Neck).

Furthermore, it is also unlawful to harvest hard clams from the following areas:

Town of Huntington: All the normally certified shellfish lands in Centerport Harbor, Duck Island Harbor, Price Bend, and Northport Bay lying easterly of a line extending southerly from the southernmost point of land a West Beach (also known as Sand City Beach) to the northeastern corner of the beach pavilion at the Town of Huntington's Crescent Beach (Huntington Bay).

Kumamoto Oysters Recalled Due to contaminated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Batch/UPC Code:	ONLY Kumamoto Oysters with UPC 21657100000, sold from July 17, 2014 through July 31, 2014 have been recalled. These oysters were sold at the following Wegmans stores only: NJ - Bridgewater, Manalapan, Mt. Laurel NY - Pittsford PA - King of Prussia, Montgomeryville
Reason for Recall:	Albion Fisheries Ltd. has issued a recall for this product because the oysters may be contaminated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This naturally-occurring bacterium can cause foodborne illness if the oysters are consumed without cooking. The recalled product was sold in Wegmans seafood departments at the stores listed above from July 17, 2014 through July 31, 2014. All product may be returned for a full refund. For more information, please call Wegmans Consumer Affairs at 1-855-934-3663, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

8/8//14 Health News: 5 Die From Food Poisoning ♦ TRUE IMPACT OF FOODBORNE ILLNESS ♦ Vibrio Illnesses Prompt Closure of Samish Bay’s Oyster Harvest

5 Die From Food Poisoning From Southern Chinese Snack

At least five people have died and another 17 others were poisoned in China’s southern Yunnan Province after they ate fermented corn flour snacks. Continue Reading

REAL-LIFE STORIES REVEAL THE TRUE IMPACT OF FOODBORNE ILLNESS

Alex Donley was a tender-hearted 6-year-old who dreamed of someday being a paramedic when he was stricken with an E. coli infection in 1993 after eating a hamburger made from contaminated ground beef. Four days later, he died in a hospital room after suffering a horrific bout of hemolytic uremic syndrome, a kidney disease stemming... Continue Reading

Vibrio Illnesses Prompt Closure of Samish Bay’s Oyster Harvest Until Sept. 30

Confirmation that shellfish from Samish Bay in northwest Washington state was the source of at least one illness, and possibly three others, caused by the bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus, has prompted the state’s health department to close commercial oyster harvesting in the bay until Sept. 30.Continue Reading

The Never Ending War on Pathogens

The war on emerging pathogens isn’t like any others. The war on drugs might well end with a new approach. The war on terrorism might eventually wind down. But the war on emerging pathogens is different. It will never end.

Morens and Fauci wrote: “While it has become possible to eradicate certain infectious diseases (smallpox and the veterinary disease rinderpest), and to significantly control many others (dracunculiasis, measles and polio, among others), it seems unlikely that we will eliminate most emerging infectious diseases in the foreseeable future.”

In “Emerging Infectious Diseases: Threats to Human Health and Global Stability,” published by PLOS, the authors from the National Institutes of Health paint a serious, if not scary, picture that the world faces from emerging pathogens: “The inevitable, but unpredictable, appearance of new infectious diseases has been recognized for millennia, well before the discovery of causative infectious agents.

The ease of world travel and increased global interdependence has made it more complex to containing these infectious diseases that affect not only the health but the economic stability of societies.”

Not all emerging pathogens will use food and waterborne transmission sources, but enough do to make emerging pathogens every bit as important a food-safety issue.

Emerging pathogens includes any bacteria, virus or parasite that, through rapid mutation, overwhelms human defenses to cause illness or death. E. coli O157:H7 was an emerging pathogen for the 20 years before it busted out and began causing dozens of outbreaks each year. A new Pathogen E coli Oio 4:H3  hit Europe last year killing 50.

And, just like then, there is now a new list of emerging pathogens being tracked by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Pathogens that have been newly recognized in the past two decades are: Acanthamebiasis, 
Australian bat lyssavirus, Babesia, atypical, 
Bartonella henselae, 
Ehrlichiosis, Encephalitozoon cuniculi, Encephalitozoon hellem, 
Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Hendra or equine morbillivirus, 
Human herpesvirus 8, 
Human herpesvirus 6 and
Parvovirus B19. And those on the re-emerging list include Enterovirus 71, Clostridium difficile, 
Mumps virus, Streptococcus, Group A 
and staphylococcus aureus.

Acanthamebiasis is found in freshwater and soil, Australian bat lyssavirus is a lot like rabies, and Babesia is a blood parasite. As for the re-emerging pathogens, a vaccine could eliminate mumps, but doctors tell patients they may not ever shake Clostridium difficile, which is often acquired during hospital stays.

Yet for thousands of scientists that work on emerging pathogens, both at the elite institutions and on research campuses across the country, most of the research sounds fairly normal. Take Dr. Anita Wright’s research, for example.

She is an associate professor at the University of Florida’s Emerging Pathogens Institute. Wright is among those in academia working to help the oyster industry in Apalachicola, FL, in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

Her research involves the species of Vibrio that makes people sick when they eat raw or undercooked oysters. Wright is looking for a post-harvest treatment for reducing or eliminating Vibrio without killing the oysters. She is also working with oysters in their natural estuarine habitat to find out how Vibrio infects shellfish in the first place.

Some astounding research occurs at these institutions, and it often goes virtually unnoticed. For example, after 9/11, the virus that caused the flu pandemic of 1918 was right up there with smallpox and anthrax as possible biological agents that could be weaponized.

But that’s not been a concern since 2009 because the annual flu vaccine now protects against the virus that killed 675,000 Americans in 1918, thanks to the work of Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, the institute director at Mount Sinai.

Oysters Recalled by Wegmans

The following Oysters have been recalled at Wegmans:

Island Creek Oysters UPC: 20614800000

Merry Oysters UPC: 20615400000

These products were sold at the Northborough, MA store ONLY

Reason for Recall:

The Massachusetts Dept of Public Health and the Massachusetts Dept of Fish and Game announced 8/30/13 a closure of oyster growing areas and a recall of oysters has been implemented. These oysters may be contaminated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This naturally-occurring bacterium can cause foodborne illness if the oysters are consumed without cooking.

The recalled products were sold in Wegmans seafood department at the Northborough, MA store ONLY between July 29, 2013 and August 31, 2013.

All products may be returned for a full refund.

For more information, please call Wegmans Consumer Affairs at 1-855-934-3663,Sunday from 9:00am-5pm or Tuesday through Friday from 8am-5pm.

Oysters Recalled in Massachusetts

Oyster beds in Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury, and Marshfield are closed until further notice because a pathogen that can cause nausea, fever, and other ailments has been linked to those areas, state officials said Friday.

The pathogen, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, has been tied to oysters harvested in the beds, the state Department of Public Health and Division of Marine Fisheries said in a joint statement.

Officials said the shuttered beds are in Plymouth Harbor, Kingston Bay, Duxbury Bay, Bluefish River, and Back River.

Harvesting oysters in these areas is prohibited during the closure, and officials have launched a recall of oysters collected from the affected spots since July 22, according to the statement. It is the first Vibrio outbreak linked to a specific harvest area in the Bay State, officials said.

Public health officials have linked three cases of Vibrio illness to oysters consumed from the affected areas, including two cases where oysters were eaten outside Massachusetts, the statement said. All three victims recovered.

Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illness usually lasts for three days, but people with weak immune systems may experience serious health problems, the CDC said on its website.

About 10 percent of victims may require hospitalization for blood infections, state officials said.

In Massachusetts, officials have received 50 confirmed reports of the infection in residents since May 31, compared with 27 cases during the same time period last year, authorities said.

“Vibrio is an emerging, naturally occurring bacterial pathogen often found in oysters harvested from warmer waters,” said the statement from the Massachusetts agencies. “It is not related to pollution of Massachusetts shellfish.”

Wegmans Recall Oysters in 4 States

Wegmans is recalling Cape Neddick Blue Point oysters, sold individually, because they may be contaminated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This bacteria can make you sick if the oysters are eaten raw. Only Cape Neddick/Blue Point oysters with these UPC codes are recalled: 2-06146-00000, 2-06152-00000, and 2-06153-00000.

The oysters were sold at Eastway, Canandaigua, Lyell Ave, Hornell, Fairmount, Corning, Ithaca, Johnson City, Niagara Falls Blvd, and Jamestown stores in New York; Warrington, Collegeville, Harrisburg, King of Prussia, Erie Peach St., Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Allentown, Bethlehem, and State College in Pennsylvania; and Dulles, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Lake Manassas, and Leesburg in Virginia.

The shellfish was also sold at Hunt Valley, Columbia, Bel Air, Frederick, and Crofton in Maryland; Mount Laurel, Ocean, Cherry Hill, Woodbridge, Princeton, Manalapan, and Bridgewater in New Jersey; and Northborough in Massachusetts. The oysters were sold between July 13, 2013 and August 5, 2013, and may have been sold in Wegmans restaurants, Food Bars, and Pubs in the store during that time period.

All products can be returned to the place of purchase for a refund. For questions, call Consumer Affairs at 1-855-934-3663 Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 4,000 cases of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection occur in the United States every year. Symptoms of infection include watery diarrhea, often with abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills. Usually these symptoms occur within 24 hours of ingestion. Illness is usually self-limited and lasts 3 days.