Subject: Listeriosis

From: [email-masked] (richard)
Date: 26 Jun 1996 20:17:09 GMT

Anyone want to start a discussion about listeriosis, or listeriae?

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From: [email-masked] (Rachel Beth Zemser)
Date: 28 Jun 1996 17:04:35 GMT

[email-masked] (richard) writes:
 
Does anyone know when the last outbreak occurred? (Major one that is?)

RAchel

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From: [email-masked] (richard)
Date: 28 Jun 1996 21:28:16 GMT

RESPONSE TO RACHEL: I don't know--generally the incidents are quite sporadic and involve
relatively few individuals.  I think ca.1600 per year in the U.S.,
but I've read that as many as 800 are fatal.  So this is serious stuff
if it bites. 

 Apparently there is evidence that it is widely present
on poultry here and abroad, but there is scant evidence-perhaps none-
that anyone actually gets sick from listerie contaminated poutlry.
Anyone have additional info or thoughts to share?

How about someone with experience with these beasts joining this very
fledgling discussion?

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From: [email-masked] (Rachel Beth Zemser)
Date: 29 Jun 1996 00:43:22 GMT

>but I've read that as many as 800 are fatal.  So this is serious stuff

Actually, I am in the middle of writing my thesis right now. "Heat 
Inactivation of Virulence Factors in L.monocytogenes". From the 
literature review I have found numerous cases of sporadic "outbreaks". 
The latest one that I found was reported as taking place over a 4 year 
period, 1983-1987 in Switzerland, and the cause was Vacherin cheese. From 
1979 to 1985 the foods implicated were Salads, milk (post pasteurization 
contamination), cabbage, raw fish, oysters, and mexican style cheese 
(from unpasteurized milk). 
This data is from Kvenberg, 1988 Microbiol. Sci. 5:355-358

I guess what I have been looking for is documentation of a recent large 
outbreak, such as the ones documented since 1979. I know that there are 
always a few outbreaks, small ones, but I am trying to find info on the 
BIG ones (with 25-30 deaths). 

>Anyone have additional info or thoughts to share?

- I found an article in Microbiol. Review Vol 55.  Farber and Peterkin, 
1991 pp.476-511. 

- There is a section that discusses meat and listeriosis. It says that 
there have been sporadic cases of listeriosis involving meat products, 
and recalls in the US, UK, and CAnada. The individual cases were not 
discussed. But I will keep looking as I write my thesis for info about 
actual cases of listeriosis from meat. 

Rachel

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From: [email-masked] (Andre Lyver)
Date: 29 Jun 1996 18:23:09 GMT

>- I found an article in Microbiol. Review Vol 55.  Farber and Peterkin, 

A colleague of mine is working on his master's, studying Salmonella in 
poultry. He came across high levels of Listeria in his samples. Unfortunately, 
I don't have any details. I'll have to get back to you...

Also, that Farber and Peterkin reference is quite good. I'm also working with 
Listeria for my thesis.

Andre