Guest guest Posted July 13, 2001 Report Share Posted July 13, 2001 >http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/07/010711061535.htm >Source: University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign (http://www.uiuc.edu/) > Posted 7/11/2001 >As People's Taste For Exotic Foods Increases, So Too Does Health Risk > >CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Food-borne pathogens long considered rare on North American p>lates are an emerging problem, and >restaurant and home chefs should be more diligent about washing their fresh pro>duce, University of Illinois food >scientists say. Such is the message gleaned from follow-up work on a Shigella-i>nfected bean salad that sickened >customers at a Chicago restaurant in 1999. > " Recent nationwide outbreaks in 1998, particularly in California, and in 1999 i>n Chicago suggest that Shigella may be an >emerging pathogen in the United States, " said Meredith E. Agle, a doctoral stud>ent in food microbiology. " With the >globalisation of food and more people having more exotic tastes, we believe pat>hogens will be showing up more regularly >from developing countries where poor sanitation and water quality make the ship>ment of bacteria-free produce very >difficult. " > >Agle has been studying the bean salad recipe and Shigella's ability to survive >in it. She shared preliminary data June >26 at the Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting in New Orleans. Among >her findings: A commercial produce wash >was no more effective than water for removing the Chicago outbreak strain, Shig>ella boydii, from parsley and cilantro. > >In addition, she said, Shigella in the infected bean salad, re-created in the l>ab, did not grow but remained at >infectious levels for up to six days of normal temperature storage in a refrige>rator. At room temperature, Shigella grew >rapidly, she said. > >Agle said parsley and cilantro were suspected in the Chicago case because the i>nfected plants in the 1998 outbreaks, >which involved Shigella sonnei, had been traced to a Mexican farm. Many of the >ingredients in the Chicago case were from >Mexico and were not washed before being put in the bean salad. Shigella, which >comes in four strains and is similar to >E. coli, causes shigellosis, an infectious disease that leads to diarrhea, feve>r and stomach cramps, beginning about 24 >hours after exposure and continuing for a week. Shigella sonnei is the most com>mon strain associated with disease each >year in the United States. Shigella boydii is associated with Mexico and South >America. > >Why shigella is so difficult to remove from parsley and cilantro is being studi>ed. The pathogen may create a biofilm, >similar to dental plaque, which clings firmly to the produce, Agle said. Irradi>ating parsley successfully removed >pathogens but left it with a slightly cooked texture that many people may not f>ind as palatable as raw parsley, she >said. > > " The message from this research is pretty clear, " said Hans P. Blaschek, head o>f the UI department of food science and >human nutrition, who supervises the lab where Agle works. " People need to prope>rly store their fruits and vegetables in >a refrigerator and, more importantly, wash them thoroughly. The actual physical> manipulation of the produce during the >washing process appears to be the most important factor in removal of the patho>gen. " > >======================== >Good Health & Long Life, > Greg Watson, > http://www.ozemail.com.au/~gowatson > gowatson > > >Federal Law requires that we warn you of the following: >1. Natural methods can sometimes backfire. >2. If you are pregnant, consult your physician before using any natural remedy.> >3. The Constitution guarantees you the right to be your own physician and to >prescribe for your own health. >We are not medical doctors although MDs are welcome to post here as long as >they behave themselves. >Any opinions put forth by the list members are exactly that, and any person >following the advice of anyone posting here does so at their own risk. >It is up to you to educate yourself. By accepting advice or products from list> members, you are agreeing to >be fully responsible for your own health, and hold the List Owner and members f>ree of any liability. > >Dr. Ian Shillington >Doctor of Naturopathy >Dr.IanShillington > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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