Posted on 05/22/2004 8:40:12 PM PDT by nuconvert
FDA: Outbreaks May Be From Salad Packages
May 22,2004
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal regulators are alerting consumers that raw basil and spring mix salad may be linked to food-poisoning outbreaks that reportedly sickened more than 90 people in Illinois and Texas.
The Food and Drug Administration issued the alert late Friday. The agency has been working with the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to determine the source of the outbreaks of cyclosporiasis, an infection in the small intestine.
Cyclosporiasis can cause flu-like symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, muscle aches and fever. Signs of infection usually develop a week after a person eats contaminated food.
The FDA urged consumers who experience those symptoms after eating basil or spring mix salad products to tell their doctors and notify local health officials.
The agency says 57 people in Wheaton, Ill., reported getting sick in February after eating food containing basil and mesculin, or spring salad mix, at a restaurant. So far, lab tests have confirmed 20 of those cases were cyclosporiasis.
That month, 38 people in Irving, Texas, also reported that they got sick after eating basil and mesculin at a local restaurant. Tests have confirmed 16 of those were cyclosporiasis, FDA says.
The FDA is trying to determine where the potentially contaminated food came from.
"mesculin"........ Isn't that a drug?
Cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora cayetanensis) What is cyclosporiasis?
Cyclosporiasis is an illness caused by an infection with a microscopic one-celled parasite named Cyclospora cayetanensis. The first known human cases of cyclosporiasis were reported in 1979.
Where is Cyclospora found?
Cyclospora is commonly found in many developing countries. It occurs less frequently in the U.S.
Who gets cyclosporiasis?
Persons of all ages are at risk for infection with Cyclospora, especially those in developing countries. Eating fruits or vegetables from those countries can also cause infection if the food is not properly washed before eating.
How is Cyclospora spread?
Cyclospora is spread by eating foods or drinking water contaminated with feces. Cyclospora is not spread directly from person-to-person because when the parasite is passed from the body it needs time to develop in soil or some other warm, moist external environment before it can infect another person.
What are the symptoms of cyclosporiasis?
Cyclosporiasis usually causes a prolonged watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, bloating, increased gas, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, tiredness, muscle aches, and low-grade fever. Some infected persons may have few or no symptoms.
How soon after exposure do symptoms appear?
Symptoms usually appear about one week after eating or drinking food or drink contaminated with feces.
How is cyclosporiasis diagnosed?
Cyclosporiasis is diagnosed in the laboratory by examining stool samples using special stains. A single negative test does not definitively rule out the possibility of infection; two or three more specimens may be required for diagnosis of cyclosporiasis.
Can cyclosporiasis be treated?
Patients with cyclosporiasis can be effectively treated with antibiotics. In addition, infected persons with diarrhea should rest and drink plenty of fluids.
How can cyclosporiasis be prevented?
Avoiding food or water that may be contaminated with feces may help prevent cyclosporiasis. When traveling to developing countries, persons should not to eat foods such as fruits or vegetables that are not baked, boiled or peeled and avoid drinking untreated surface water.
Last Revised: December 16, 2003 Sooooo.....wonder what country the veggies came from?
Free trade
"mesculin"........ Isn't that a drug?"
that's mescaline....close but no cigar
Get real.
Wow, it makes me glad for my little "square foot" garden. Every night, my whole family has a BIG fresh salad from our garden, with fresh spinach, leaf lettuce, and even green onions.
I know EXACTLY what goes into and onto my veggies, and there's nothing even remotely like sewage...
I buy the salad bags and STILL wash the salad. I don't trust some nameless veg picker to properly wash my vegetables.
Things I learned from my mom: wash rice, wash beans, wash all meat with vinegar or lemon juice and wash all vegetables and scrub thoroughly.
Not a worry at our house. Everything that is not boiled first gets washed.
What's the name of the restaurant?
You and me both - and my "little garden" grew to over 1000 square feet this year!!!!
Good question....probably a Dallas newspaper has a write-up.
Certainly not Mexico! I mean, the LAST mass outbreak of illnesses related to contaminated food came from Mexico, so it COULDN'T happen AGAIN, could it>
I live in Michigan, North of Detroit. I was quite sick with all those same symptoms last Thursday. Just enough strength to go run to the bathroom and then back to bed.
It took 36 hours to get recovered enough to go to be up and about as normal.
I didn't go to the doctor, as I assumed it was just the "stomach flu" (which I understand is really just a case of G.I. infection), but it was the worst "stomach flu bug" I've ever had.
Both weak acids.
Yes my mother the kitchen microbiologist says it kills the germs hehehe
Always listen to your mother. Mother knows best.
That's what SHE says *LOL*
I know to rinse rice and beans, they can have bug poo and parts in there. I wash fruits and vegetables with soap, scrub them unless they are tender (like tomatoes, lettuce, herbs) and I always rinse meat in lots of running water (except hamburger). But never heard of rinsing meat with lemon juice or vinegar.
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