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At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Viral contamination of food products: a poorly understood public health problem].

Throughout the world there have been several epidemics of food-borne diseases (FBD) about which there is lack of sufficient information for public health institutions to take appropriate measures. This study was conducted for the purpose of contributing to the dissemination of information on these diseases and their etiologic agents, epidemiology, and control. The study was based on data from 61 sources, including review articles, reports of outbreaks, and databases. Results reveal considerable underregistration and lack of data on FBD throughout the various countries, with viruses being the second most important cause of FBD in the United States of America. Two agents, Norwalk virus and hepatitis A virus, were the fifth and sixth most frequent causes, respectively, although the former was the single most frequent cause of FBD in 1982 and the second most frequent cause of water-borne diseases during the period from 1986 to 1988. Despite the scarcity of information on the problem, rotavirus, poliovirus, hepatitis E virus, astrovirus, and small gastroenteric viruses are also important causes of FBD. We also discuss the importance of viral zoonoses, especially hemorrhagic fevers transmitted by contact with rodent feces and tick-borne viral encephalitides (Lassa fever). There is discussion of the controversial mad cow disease and its potential transmission through food products, as well as of dietary aspects of the management of AIDS and other viral infections. Finally, measures for the prevention and control of FBD are described.

Brazil↗
PubMed2001

Contamination of food and agro products in Hungary.

This report gives a short survey of the situation concerning chemical contamination of foods in Hungary. It starts with a legal background and lists the institutions partaking in control and monitoring of food contamination. The report gives the most important food contaminants analysed in Hungary, and in some cases provides information about the actual levels. It concludes by stressing the importance and the need to unify the national monitoring system.

Food Contamination↗
PubMed2002

International legislation on trace elements as contaminants in food: a review.

Environmental contaminants such as trace elements may be present in all foods. Foods, raw materials and ingredients for food production are to an increasing extent traded across borders. Hence, there is a need for international legislation on trace elements as contaminants in food. In 1961, the FAO and WHO established the Codex Alimentarius to elaborate international food legislation. Contaminants in food are handled by the Codex Committee for Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC). The Codex Alimentarius system for developing legislation concerning trace elements as contaminants in food is based upon the Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food (GSCTF). By October 2001, the principles for setting maximum limits (MLs) for contaminants in food are agreed, and work is in progress on MLs for trace elements such as lead and cadmium in the various food categories. The status for the proposals is presented and discussed. The EU Regulation 466/2001 of 8 March 2001 sets MLs for lead and cadmium in various foods. This regulation will apply from 5 April 2002. The EU regulation is more detailed but similar to the Codex draft standards for lead and cadmium in food. In future, legislators and administrators in the Codex and EU and analytical chemists will discuss how to use more and better analytical data as risk-management tools to protect public health. Trace elements' speciation is an important aspect of this discussion.

European Union↗
PubMed2003

Foodborne transmission of hepatitis A--Massachusetts, 2001.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is transmitted typically from person to person by the fecal-oral route. Foodborne transmission occurs when an HAV-infected food handler contaminates food during preparation or when food is contaminated during harvesting or processing before reaching the food service establishment or home. Postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) with immune globulin (IG) can prevent hepatitis A among exposed persons if administered within 14 days of exposure. However, the decision about whether to implement PEP for persons who eat food prepared by an infected food handler depends on an assessment of the duties performed by the food handler and personal hygiene while potentially infectious, which are often difficult to determine. This report summarizes the investigation of an outbreak of foodborne hepatitis A in Massachusetts in which a food handler with hepatitis A, who was considered unlikely to transmit HAV, was implicated as the source. The findings underscore challenges faced by local and state health departments when determining whether PEP is appropriate.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Use of copper cast alloys to control Escherichia coli O157 cross-contamination during food processing.

The most notable method of infection from Escherichia coli O157 (E. coli O157) is through contaminated food products, usually ground beef. The objective of this study was to evaluate seven cast copper alloys (61 to 95% Cu) for their ability to reduce the viability of E. coli O157, mixed with or without ground beef juice, and to compare these results to those for stainless steel. E. coli O157 (NCTC 12900) (2 x 10(7) CFU) mixed with extracted beef juice (25%) was inoculated onto coupons of each copper cast alloy or stainless steel and incubated at either 22 degrees C or 4 degrees C for up to 6 h. E. coli O157 viability was determined by plate counts in addition to staining in situ with the respiratory indicator fluorochrome 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium. Without beef extract, three alloys completely killed the inoculum during the 6-h exposure at 22 degrees C. At 4 degrees C, only the high-copper alloys (>85%) significantly reduced the numbers of O157. With beef juice, only one alloy (95% Cu) completely killed the inoculum at 22 degrees C. For stainless steel, no significant reduction in cell numbers occurred. At 4 degrees C, only alloys C83300 (93% Cu) and C87300 (95% Cu) significantly reduced the numbers of E. coli O157, with 1.5- and 5-log kills, respectively. Reducing the inoculum to 10(3) CFU resulted in a complete kill for all seven cast copper alloys in 20 min or less at 22 degrees C. These results clearly demonstrate the antimicrobial properties of cast copper alloys with regard to E. coli O157, and consequently these alloys have the potential to aid in food safety.

Alloys↗
PubMed1981

[Contamination of foods and feeding stuffs from selected areas of the district of Erfurt with lead and cadmium. 2. Burden in agricultural products in the effective range of a lead emitter as compared to a control area].

Using the inverse voltammetric method already described (cf. Part I), the authors determined the lead and cadmium contents in 126 forage samples and 86 cereal samples from the surroundings of a lead emitter (area A) and from the control area B. To assess the heavy metal burden in forage plants at different growth stages, 33 samples of plants taken from both areas at the first stage of growth, not yet used for feeding, were analyzed. The lead burdens in the samples from area A varied with the distance from the emitter, a works which processes pure lead. 20 of the 87 forage samples from this area exhibited lead contents greater than 10 mg/kg of dry matter. 11 of the 55 cereal samples (grains) there taken contained more than 0.5 mg of lead/kg of fresh matter. As expected, there was no correlation between the cadmium values and the lead contents. These results are compared with those obtained from samples from the control area (39 forage samples and 31 cereal samples). Conclusions are drawn as to the agricultural use of land in the area of the emitter.

Agriculture↗