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Linked to Canadian Salmonella Outbreak Source of
Article: http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/11810 Date Published: Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 Sprouts
are in the news again for a potential Salmonella
contamination. It seems onion and alfalfa sprouts are the likely suspects
in spreading a rare Salmonella subtype that has sickened 12 people in Canada.
The illnesses affected people in Ontario and Alberta, specifically, and have
been reported since April, said the Canadian Cattlemen. On
August 9, the Canadian
Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a health hazard alert for the
Brantford, Ontario firm of Sprouts Alive and Sunsprout brand onion sprouts
and mixed onion/alfalfa sprouts, said the Canadian Cattlemen. Sunsprout
Natural Foods distributed the affected sprouts. According
to the CFIA, no confirmed illnesses have been linked to consumption of the
sprouts; however, Sunsprout initiated a voluntary recall of the involved
sprout products bearing best-before codes up to and including August 27,
reported the Canadian Cattlemen. Ontario’s health ministry did say that “a
few” people who have fallen ill allegedly reported eating sprouts, said the
Canadian Cattlemen, citing a release made public last week. Also,
the federal Public Health Agency reported that seven cases—to date—of
Salmonella Cubana have been reported in Ontario and five more in Alberta
based on the known date of illness, with illnesses beginning between
mid-April and late July, said the Canadian Cattlemen. The
recalled sprouts were distributed in Ontario and the Maritimes, said the
CFIA, according to the Canadian Cattlemen, which noted that the recalled
sprouts were possibly sold in Quebec. The rare Salmonella subtype in all
these cases is Salmonella Cubana, which the health ministry said is typically
confirmed only a couple of couple of reported cases in Ontario annually,
reported the Canadian Cattlemen. Sprouts
present a unique food borne contamination challenge in that they can become
tainted prior to harvesting, when growing. The conditions required for sprout
growing are optimal for growing pathogens: Bacteria need the right temperature,
nutrients, and water and sprouts grow in watery, warm environments, ideal for
rapid bacterial growth. Of
importance, because sprouts are often eaten raw with no additional treatment,
such as cooking, which eliminates bacteria, washing sprouts does not
necessarily remove bacteria because bacteria grow within the sprouts and
cannot be washed away. Salmonella
is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young
children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea
(which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare
circumstance, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting
into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial
infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. |
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