Campylobacteriosis, unpasteurized milk - USA (02): (WI)
Date: Wed 16 Sep 2009
Source: WisBusiness.com [edited]
<http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=170412>
DNA test results and other evidence have now established that an
outbreak of illness involving at least 35 people, the majority
children and teens, was linked to drinking unpasteurized milk.
Wisconsin food safety officials are cautioning consumers not to drink
raw milk and farmers not to sell it to the public.
"Laws requiring pasteurization of milk have been on the books for more
than half a century, and there are good public health reasons for
that," said Steve Ingham, head of the Food Safety Division in the
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection [DATCP].
"We have very compelling evidence linking these illnesses to drinking
raw milk. This is the 3rd major outbreak in Wisconsin since 2001 that
has been tied to raw milk consumption. That's not to mention a number
of smaller ones in which the link was strongly suspected, but patients
were unwilling to identify farms that provided the milk. So far we've
been fortunate that the infections have not been life-threatening, but
raw milk is an inherently risky food and it can lead to other, more
dangerous illnesses, including _E. coli_ 0157:H7 infection."
An epidemiologic investigation conducted by DATCP and the Wisconsin
Department of Health Services has found 35 confirmed cases of
_Campylobacter jejuni_ infection, including 21 patients under age 18.
One person was hospitalized. All the patients had consumed
unpasteurized milk. 30 of the patients identified Zinniker Family
Farm, Elkhorn, as the source of the raw milk. The farm sells raw milk
through a "cow-share" program. 27 of the confirmed cases were in
Walworth and Waukesha counties; the rest were in Racine and Kenosha
counties.
Additional testing showed that the _C. jejuni_ isolated from 25 of the
patients, all linked to Zinniker Family Farm, had the same DNA
fingerprint. Manure samples obtained directly from milking cows on
that farm also tested positive for _C. jejuni_ with the same DNA
fingerprint. Manure on the cows' udders or in the milking barn
environment can contaminate milk. Pasteurization kills _C. jejuni_ and
other disease-causing bacteria in milk.
_C. jejuni_ is a bacterium that causes symptoms including diarrhea,
abdominal cramping, fever, nausea and vomiting. Rarely, an infection
may lead to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a nervous system disease, which
may require hospitalization and artificial respiration. This generally
occurs after the initial symptoms have disappeared. The infection can
be transmitted by consuming food contaminated by animal feces or
handled by someone with the infection who has not adequately washed
his/her hands after using the bathroom.
Milk samples from the farm taken after the initial outbreak did not
test positive, which is not unusual, Ingham said. Cattle shed the
bacteria intermittently, so the bacteria may not have been present
when the samples were taken. Changes in sanitation procedures could
also explain the absence of bacteria in later milk samples, he said.
Because Zinniker Family Farm sells milk to a defined customer list,
there is little risk to the general public in this case. However, the
outbreak should discourage consumers from joining "cow-share,"
membership, or other similar arrangements to buy raw milk, and should
discourage dairy producers from adopting such an arrangement for their
farms, Ingham said.
"Selling raw milk to consumers is illegal in Wisconsin. Some farmers
believe that such arrangements exempt them from the law. They are
mistaken. The law says that owners may consume raw milk from their
farms, but those owners have to be true owners with a real financial
stake in the farm. And the law clearly says that unpasteurized milk
can be sold only to a licensed dairy plant or to other licensed
businesses that sell to dairy plants," he said.
Other outbreaks in Wisconsin that have been tied to raw milk include:
- in December 2001, at least 30 laboratory-confirmed cases of _C.
jejuni_ were identified in northwestern Wisconsin, all tied to a
cow-share program;
- in June 2006, 19 laboratory-confirmed and 39 probable cases of _C.
jejuni_ infection were traced to cheese curds made from unpasteurized
milk in an unlicensed facility by an unlicensed cheese maker in
Ashland. The cases occurred in many Wisconsin counties and 6 other
states.
Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that
45 outbreaks tied to unpasteurized milk or cheese consumption occurred
from 1998 to 2005. These outbreaks occurred in 22 states, 2 were
multi-state outbreaks, and they resulted in 1000 illnesses, 104
hospitalizations, and 2 deaths.
In an article published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal in August
2000, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health reported that from 1992
to 1999, consumption of raw milk and raw milk products was one of the
top 3 risks for _E. coli_ 0157:H7 infection in Wisconsin. _E. coli_
0157:H7 infections can be fatal.
Source: WisBusiness.com [edited]
<http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=170412>
DNA test results and other evidence have now established that an
outbreak of illness involving at least 35 people, the majority
children and teens, was linked to drinking unpasteurized milk.
Wisconsin food safety officials are cautioning consumers not to drink
raw milk and farmers not to sell it to the public.
"Laws requiring pasteurization of milk have been on the books for more
than half a century, and there are good public health reasons for
that," said Steve Ingham, head of the Food Safety Division in the
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection [DATCP].
"We have very compelling evidence linking these illnesses to drinking
raw milk. This is the 3rd major outbreak in Wisconsin since 2001 that
has been tied to raw milk consumption. That's not to mention a number
of smaller ones in which the link was strongly suspected, but patients
were unwilling to identify farms that provided the milk. So far we've
been fortunate that the infections have not been life-threatening, but
raw milk is an inherently risky food and it can lead to other, more
dangerous illnesses, including _E. coli_ 0157:H7 infection."
An epidemiologic investigation conducted by DATCP and the Wisconsin
Department of Health Services has found 35 confirmed cases of
_Campylobacter jejuni_ infection, including 21 patients under age 18.
One person was hospitalized. All the patients had consumed
unpasteurized milk. 30 of the patients identified Zinniker Family
Farm, Elkhorn, as the source of the raw milk. The farm sells raw milk
through a "cow-share" program. 27 of the confirmed cases were in
Walworth and Waukesha counties; the rest were in Racine and Kenosha
counties.
Additional testing showed that the _C. jejuni_ isolated from 25 of the
patients, all linked to Zinniker Family Farm, had the same DNA
fingerprint. Manure samples obtained directly from milking cows on
that farm also tested positive for _C. jejuni_ with the same DNA
fingerprint. Manure on the cows' udders or in the milking barn
environment can contaminate milk. Pasteurization kills _C. jejuni_ and
other disease-causing bacteria in milk.
_C. jejuni_ is a bacterium that causes symptoms including diarrhea,
abdominal cramping, fever, nausea and vomiting. Rarely, an infection
may lead to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a nervous system disease, which
may require hospitalization and artificial respiration. This generally
occurs after the initial symptoms have disappeared. The infection can
be transmitted by consuming food contaminated by animal feces or
handled by someone with the infection who has not adequately washed
his/her hands after using the bathroom.
Milk samples from the farm taken after the initial outbreak did not
test positive, which is not unusual, Ingham said. Cattle shed the
bacteria intermittently, so the bacteria may not have been present
when the samples were taken. Changes in sanitation procedures could
also explain the absence of bacteria in later milk samples, he said.
Because Zinniker Family Farm sells milk to a defined customer list,
there is little risk to the general public in this case. However, the
outbreak should discourage consumers from joining "cow-share,"
membership, or other similar arrangements to buy raw milk, and should
discourage dairy producers from adopting such an arrangement for their
farms, Ingham said.
"Selling raw milk to consumers is illegal in Wisconsin. Some farmers
believe that such arrangements exempt them from the law. They are
mistaken. The law says that owners may consume raw milk from their
farms, but those owners have to be true owners with a real financial
stake in the farm. And the law clearly says that unpasteurized milk
can be sold only to a licensed dairy plant or to other licensed
businesses that sell to dairy plants," he said.
Other outbreaks in Wisconsin that have been tied to raw milk include:
- in December 2001, at least 30 laboratory-confirmed cases of _C.
jejuni_ were identified in northwestern Wisconsin, all tied to a
cow-share program;
- in June 2006, 19 laboratory-confirmed and 39 probable cases of _C.
jejuni_ infection were traced to cheese curds made from unpasteurized
milk in an unlicensed facility by an unlicensed cheese maker in
Ashland. The cases occurred in many Wisconsin counties and 6 other
states.
Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that
45 outbreaks tied to unpasteurized milk or cheese consumption occurred
from 1998 to 2005. These outbreaks occurred in 22 states, 2 were
multi-state outbreaks, and they resulted in 1000 illnesses, 104
hospitalizations, and 2 deaths.
In an article published in the Wisconsin Medical Journal in August
2000, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health reported that from 1992
to 1999, consumption of raw milk and raw milk products was one of the
top 3 risks for _E. coli_ 0157:H7 infection in Wisconsin. _E. coli_
0157:H7 infections can be fatal.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment