Salmonella Contamination during Production of Cantaloupe: A Binational Study

2004 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 713-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. CASTILLO ◽  
I. MERCADO ◽  
L. M. LUCIA ◽  
Y. MARTÍNEZ-RUIZ ◽  
J. PONCE de LEÓN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Environmental Samples ◽  
Rio Grande Valley ◽  
The United States ◽  
South Texas ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Binational Study ◽  
Valley Area

Six cantaloupe farms and packing plants in South Texas (950 cantaloupe, 140 water, and 45 environmental samples), including the Rio Grande Valley area, and three farms in Colima State, Mexico (300 cantaloupe, 45 water, and 15 environmental samples), were sampled to evaluate cantaloupe contamination with Salmonella and Escherichia coli during production and processing. Samples collected from external surfaces of cantaloupes, water, and the environments of packing sheds on cantaloupe farms were examined for the presence of Salmonella and E. coli. Of a total of 1,735 samples collected, 31 (1.8%) tested positive for Salmonella. Fifteen Salmonella serotypes were isolated from samples collected in Texas, and nine from samples collected in Colima. Two serotypes (Poona and Oranienburg) that have been associated with three large Salmonella outbreaks in the United States and Canada linked to the consumption of contaminated cantaloupe were found in water samples collected at four farms (three from the United States). Susceptibility of Salmonella isolates to 10 antimicrobials was evaluated by disk diffusion. Eighty-eight percent of the isolates from the United States and Mexico were pansusceptible to the antimicrobials tested; eight isolates from the United States demonstrated an intermediate susceptibility to streptomycin and only two isolates were resistant to the same antimicrobial. From Mexico, four isolates showed an intermediate susceptibility to streptomycin and one isolate was resistant to nalidixic acid and streptomycin. Repetitive sequence-based PCR analysis of Salmonella isolates helped to trace potential sources of Salmonella contamination in source water and in subsequent water samples obtained after the filtration systems of U.S. and Mexican cantaloupe farms. No differences could be seen between the levels of Salmonella contamination in melons from both countries.

The Community Union model of organizing in Rio Grande Valley colonias

2020 ◽  
pp. 239965442091139
Author(s):  
Danielle Z Rivera
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Community Organizing ◽  
Rio Grande Valley ◽  
Rio Grande ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dominant Mode ◽  
South Texas ◽  
Political Support ◽  
Union Model ◽  
Basic Services

In theorizing community organizing, Saul Alinsky’s model still forms the dominant narrative in the United States. Yet, countless communities do not map neatly onto this model. In particular, there is growing recognition of César Chávez’s organizing in South Texas and, additionally, how this work differs from Chávez’s more well-known organizing in California. In the 1960s, Chávez created the Community Union model, which forms the basis of contemporary organizing in much of the region’s colonias, extralegal communities within 150 miles of the United States/Mexico border that suffer from a dearth of basic services and infrastructures. By providing these basic services and political support, the Community Union model has become the dominant mode of organizing and engagement in South Texas colonias. Through an insurgent historiography provided by colonia organizers in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, a counternarrative of colonia organizing shows the past, present, and potential future of the Community Union model in South Texas colonias. This counter narrative was composed through archival research on the United Farmworkers and open-ended interviews with colonia organizers conducted between 2014 and 2017. Ultimately, this analysis of the Community Union model suggests that Latinx organizing may be marginalized in organizing literature due to their “everyday” characteristics: slow movements, non-direct actions, and (re)questioning of priorities. From this, the role of organizing theories from organizers on-the-ground becomes central: we cannot assume organizers everywhere operate under universally applied theories. As such, it is important to see organizers as dynamic and context-specific in their motivations and guiding theories.

scholarly journals 1675. Epidemiology of Urinary Tract Infections in the United States, 2009 - 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S823-S823
Author(s):  
Kendra Foster ◽  
Linnea A Polgreen ◽  
Brett Faine ◽  
Philip M Polgreen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Urinary Tract ◽  
Klebsiella Pneumoniae ◽  
Urinary Tract Infections ◽  
Proteus Mirabilis ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Tract Infections

Abstract Background Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections. There is a lack of large epidemiologic studies evaluating the etiologies of UTIs in the United States. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of different UTI-causing organisms and their antimicrobial susceptibility profiles among patients being treated in a hospital setting. Methods We used the Premier Healthcare Database. Patients with a primary diagnosis code of cystitis, pyelonephritis, or urinary tract infection and had a urine culture from 2009- 2018 were included in the study. Both inpatients and patients who were only treated in the emergency department (ED) were included. We calculated descriptive statistics for uropathogens and their susceptibilities. Multi-drug-resistant pathogens are defined as pathogens resistant to 3 or more antibiotics. Resistance patterns are also described for specific drug classes, like resistance to fluoroquinolones. We also evaluated antibiotic use in this patient population and how antibiotic use varied during the hospitalization. Results There were 640,285 individuals who met the inclusion criteria. Females make up 82% of the study population and 45% were age 65 or older. The most common uropathogen was Escherichia Coli (64.9%) followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (8.3%), and Proteus mirabilis (5.7%). 22.2% of patients were infected with a multi-drug-resistant pathogen. We found that E. Coli was multi-drug resistant 23.8% of the time; Klebsiella pneumoniae was multi-drug resistant 7.4%; and Proteus mirabilis was multi-drug resistant 2.8%. The most common antibiotics prescribed were ceftriaxone, levofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin. Among patients that were prescribed ceftriaxone, 31.7% of them switched to a different antibiotic during their hospitalization. Patients that were prescribed levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin switched to a different antibiotic 42.8% and 41.5% of the time, respectively. Conclusion E. Coli showed significant multidrug resistance in this population of UTI patients that were hospitalized or treated within the ED, and antibiotic switching is common. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals Epidemiologic and Microbiologic Characteristics of 28 Hospitalized Patients Cocolonized With Multiple Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s62-s62
Author(s):  
Timileyin Adediran ◽  
Anthony Harris ◽  
J. Kristie Johnson ◽  
David Calfee ◽  
Loren Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Positive Culture ◽  
The United States ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Surveillance Culture ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Carbapenem Resistant ◽  
Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Epidemiological Significance

Background: As carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) prevalence increases in the United States, the risk of cocolonization with multiple CRE may also be increasing, with unknown clinical and epidemiological significance. In this study, we aimed to describe the epidemiologic and microbiologic characteristics of inpatients cocolonized with multiple CRE. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of a large, multicenter prospective cohort study evaluating risk factors for CRE transmission to healthcare personnel gown and gloves. Patients were identified between January 2016 and June 2019 from 4 states. Patients enrolled in the study had a clinical or surveillance culture positive for CRE within 7 days of enrollment. We collected and cultured samples from the following sites from each CRE-colonized patient: stool, perianal area, and skin. A modified carbapenem inactivation method (mCIM) was used to detect the presence or absence of carbapenemase(s). EDTA-modified CIM (eCIM) was used to differentiate between serine and metal-dependent carbapenemases. Results: Of the 313 CRE-colonized patients enrolled in the study, 28 (8.9%) were cocolonized with at least 2 different CRE. Additionally, 3 patients were cocolonized with >2 different CRE (1.0%). Of the 28 patients, 19 (67.6%) were enrolled with positive clinical cultures. Table 1 summarizes the demographic and clinical characteristics of these patients. The most frequently used antibiotic prior to positive culture was vancomycin (n = 33, 18.3%). Among the 62 isolates from 59 samples from 28 patients cocolonized patients, the most common CRE species were Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 18, 29.0%), Escherichia coli (n = 10, 16.1%), and Enterobacter cloacae (n = 9, 14.5%). Of the 62 isolates, 38 (61.3%) were mCIM positive and 8 (12.9%) were eCIM positive. Of the 38 mCIM-positive isolates, 33 (86.8%) were KPC positive, 4 (10.5%) were NDM positive, and 1 (2.6%) was negative for both KPC and NDM. Also, 2 E. coli, 1 K. pneumoniae, and 1 E. cloacae were NDM-producing CRE. Conclusion: Cocolonization with multiple CRE occurs frequently in the acute-care setting. Characterizing patients with CRE cocolonization may be important to informing infection control practices and interventions to limit the spread of these organisms, but further study is needed.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

‘KILLER BEES’ BLAMED IN TEXAS MAN'S DEATH

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-118
Author(s):  
J. F. L.
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
The United States ◽  
South Texas ◽  
First Person ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Federal Department ◽  
Africanized Bees ◽  
Insect Stings

Harlington, TX, July 19 (AP)—Federal agricultural officials say that the honey bees that killed an 82-year-old rancher last week were the Africanized variety known as "killer bees." "Our lab has confirmed that the bees are Africanized," said Kim Kaplan, a Spokeswoman for the Federal Department of Agriculture in Greenbelt, MD. Final autopsy results are not yet available, but the pathologist who did the autopsy listed the preliminary cause of death as acute fluid buildup in the lungs caused by insect stings. If the cause of death is confirmed, the rancher, Lino Lopex, would be the first person killed by Africanized bees in the United States since the aggressive variety migrated into Texas in 1990. Harlington, TX, in South Texas, is about 15 miles from the Mexican border. Mr. Lopez apparently tried to drive the bees out of a wall in an abandoned house by poking the hive with a stick wrapped with a burning burlap sack. He was dead on arrival at the hospital, with about 40 stingers still attached to his body, officials said.

Preliminary Estimates of Costs of Foodborne Disease in the United States

1989 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 595-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
EWEN C. D. TODD
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Foodborne Diseases ◽  
Hemorrhagic Colitis ◽  
E Coli ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Total Impact

Although the full economic impact of foodborne diseases has yet to be measured, preliminary studies show that the cost of illness, death, and business lost is high indeed. This impact is probably greatest in developing countries, but few facts are known. For the United States, preliminary estimates are 12.6 million cases costing $8.4 billion. These may seem excessive but other authors have postulated even higher case and dollar figures. Microbiological diseases (bacterial and viral) represent 84% of the United States' costs, with salmonellosis and staphylococcal intoxication being the most economically important diseases (annually $4.0 billion and $1.5 billion, respectively). Other costly types of illnesses are toxoplasmosis ($445 million), listeriosis ($313 million), campylobacteriosis ($156 million), trichinosis ($144 million), Clostridium perfringens enteritis ($123 million), and E. coli infections including hemorrhagic colitis ($223 million). Botulism has a high cost per case ($322,200), but its total impact is only $87 million because relatively few cases occur (270). This is because the food industry has been able to introduce effective control measures. Salmonellosis, however, is much more widespread (2.9 million cases) and affects all sectors of the food industry.

scholarly journals Phylogeographic Analysis Reveals Multiple International transmission Events Have Driven the Global Emergence of Escherichia coli O157:H7

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 428-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eelco Franz ◽  
Ovidiu Rotariu ◽  
Bruno S Lopes ◽  
Marion MacRae ◽  
James L Bono ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Human Case ◽  
Whole Genome Sequencing Data ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Phylogeographic Analysis ◽  
International Distribution

AbstractBackgroundShiga toxin–producing Escherchia coli (STEC) O157:H7 is a zoonotic pathogen that causes numerous food and waterborne disease outbreaks. It is globally distributed, but its origin and the temporal sequence of its geographical spread are unknown.MethodsWe analyzed whole-genome sequencing data of 757 isolates from 4 continents, and performed a pan-genome analysis to identify the core genome and, from this, extracted single-nucleotide polymorphisms. A timed phylogeographic analysis was performed on a subset of the isolates to investigate its worldwide spread.ResultsThe common ancestor of this set of isolates occurred around 1890 (1845–1925) and originated from the Netherlands. Phylogeographic analysis identified 34 major transmission events. The earliest were predominantly intercontinental, moving from Europe to Australia around 1937 (1909–1958), to the United States in 1941 (1921–1962), to Canada in 1960 (1943–1979), and from Australia to New Zealand in 1966 (1943–1982). This pre-dates the first reported human case of E. coli O157:H7, which was in 1975 from the United States.ConclusionsInter- and intra-continental transmission events have resulted in the current international distribution of E. coli O157:H7, and it is likely that these events were facilitated by animal movements (eg, Holstein Friesian cattle). These findings will inform policy on action that is crucial to reduce the further spread of E. coli O157:H7 and other (emerging) STEC strains globally.

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