דו״ח מאומת

Red meat is a significant source of human nutrition, and the red meat industry contributes to the economy of nations. Nonetheless, there is a widespread global concern about public health issues posed by severe food safety incidents within the red meat industry. Most of these incidents are associated with foodborne disease outbreaks that impact individual consumers, food businesses and society. This study adopts a systematic search and review approach to identify three decades of published investigation reports of global foodborne disease outbreaks linked with the consumption of red meat and products made from them. The review aims to evaluate the critical features of these outbreak incidents to get insight into their contributing factors and root causes. In particular, this review discusses the transmission setting (origin of pathogenic agents), the food vehicles mostly incriminated, the causative pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and parasites) causing the most illnesses, and the most commonly reported contributing factors to the outbreaks. This information can help researchers and food business operators (FBOs) inform future risk assessment studies and support risk management activities in developing risk-mitigating strategies for the industry. Findings from this study suggest that implementing food safety management strategies which include adequate control measures at all stages of the food chain, from farm to fork, is imperative in preventing outbreak incidents. Of equal importance is the need for enhanced and sustained public education about the risk of foodborne illnesses associated with meat and its products whilst discouraging the consumption of raw meat products, especially by high-risk groups.…

PMID: 37167789

Surveillance of notified Campylobacter enteritis in Germany revealed a recurrent annual increase of cases with disease onset several days after the Christmas and New Year holidays ("winter peak"). We suspected that handling and consumption of chicken meat during fondue and raclette grill meals on the holidays were associated with winter peak Campylobacter infections. The hypothesis was investigated in a case-control study with a case-case design where notified Campylobacter enteritis cases served as case-patients as well as control-patients, depending on their date of disease onset (case-patients: 25/12/2018 to 08/01/2019; control-patients: any other date between 30/11/2018 and 28/02/2019). The study was conducted as an online survey from 21/01/2019 to 18/03/2019. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were determined in single-variable logistic regression analyses adjusted for age group and sex. We analysed 182 data sets from case-patients and 260 from control-patients and found associations of Campylobacter infections after the holidays with meat fondue (aOR 2.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-3.8) and raclette grill meals with meat (aOR 1.5; 95% CI 1.0-2.4) consumed on the holidays. The associations were stronger when chicken meat was served at these meals (fondue with chicken meat: aOR 2.7; 95% CI 1.4-5.5; raclette grill meal with chicken meat: aOR 2.3; 95% CI 1.3-4.1). The results confirmed our initial hypothesis. To prevent Campylobacter winter peak cases in the future, consumers should be made more aware of the risks of a Campylobacter infection when handling raw meat, in particular chicken, during fondue or raclette grill meals on the holidays.…

PMID: 34824349

Toxoplasmosis is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite…

PMID: 28587147

<h4>Background</h4>While meat is a valuable source of nutrition, it can also serve as a vehicle for infectious and non-infectious diseases-especially when consumed raw. This risk becomes more serious when the meat harbors antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, often referred to as superbugs. This study assessed the health risks faced by consumers of raw beef in relation to infections from common enteric superbugs commonly transmitted through meat.<h4>Methods</h4>The investigation focused on detecting the prevalence of three key meat-borne bacteria-Salmonella, Shigella, and Escherichia coli-and evaluating their resistance to commonly used antibiotics. Bacterial identification was performed using culture techniques and biochemical tests, while antibiotic susceptibility was assessed via the disc diffusion method. The study also examined food safety practices at restaurants that serve raw beef, including hygiene measures and whether the meat underwent any thermal treatment. Health risk estimation was based on both likelihood factors (bacterial contamination and hygiene practices) and consequence factors (resistance to antibiotic treatments).<h4>Results</h4>Meat samples showed an overall bacterial contamination rate of 45.2%, with E. coli being the most prevalent (62.8%), followed by Shigella (32.7%) and Salmonella (4.4%). Alarmingly, 26.8% of the E. coli isolates were identified as the highly pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 strain. None of the restaurants applied any form of heat treatment (cooking or chilling) to the raw beef before serving, and 76% had poor hygiene practices based on bacterial contamination findings. All isolates were fully resistant to amoxicillin, and Salmonella strains also showed complete resistance to erythromycin. However, all bacteria remained 100% sensitive to chloramphenicol. Most isolates demonstrated multidrug resistance to commonly used antibiotics including ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, erythromycin, and streptomycin. The estimated health risk to raw beef consumers was high, primarily due to significant exposure levels and limited effectiveness of post-exposure treatment options.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The combined effects of high bacterial contamination, poor hygiene, lack of heat treatment, and widespread antibiotic resistance pose a potential hygiene-associated risk to raw beef consumers. Reducing this risk requires prompt action, including raising public awareness, enforcing strict meat hygiene standards, and implementing strategies to curb antimicrobial resistance.…

PMID: 41945625