European Commission Grants Marketing Authorization For Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.'s DIFICLIR™ For Use In The EU

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Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Also Included In: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology;  Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Article Date: 14 Dec 2011 - 9:00 PST

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The European Commission has granted a marketing authorization for DIFICLIR™ (fidaxomicin) tablets to treat adults with Clostridium difficile infections (CDI), also known as C. difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD), in the European Union. The announcement was made by Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd., a European subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. and Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Ken Jones, President and CEO of Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd commented:

"Treatment for CDI has changed little in the past 20 years, even though the disease has a major impact on patients' health and quality of life and is potentially fatal. The EU approval of DIFICLIR, a novel macrocyclic antibiotic that specifically targets C. difficile bacteria, is therefore an important advance for patients suffering from CDI."

CDI, one of the most common causes of diarrhea linked to antibiotics, can lead to bowel surgery and even death in severe cases. In hospitals, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, CDI represents a substantial problem, with recurrence rates of up to 25% in patients within 30 days of initial treatment with current therapies.

DIFICLIR's EU approval was granted based on two Phase III clinical studies, which compared the efficacy and safety of 400mg/day oral DIFICLIR with the only approved treatment of CDI, 500mg/day oral vancomycin, for a 10-day duration of treatment in adults with CDI in Europe and North America.

DIFICLIRs primary endpoint was determined as non-inferiority to vancomycin, which was met by achieving clinical cure in similar proportions of participants in a comparison of both drugs. In both trials, researchers determined clinical cure as patients who no longer needed further CDI therapy two days after completion of study medication.

The researchers also observed potential advantages of DIFICLIR over vancomycin; DIFICLIR reduced the rate of CDI recurrence substantially in comparison with vancomycin. Patients who received DIFICLIR had a substantially higher chance of their diarrhea to resolve without recurrence within 30 days of completing the therapy compared with those patients who received vancomycin. The researchers also reported that the disruption of the normal intestinal flora was minimal in patients treated with DIFICLIR and that the drug caused only few systemic adverse events compared with vancomycin.

Professor Mark Wilcox, Professor of Medical Microbiology at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals & University of Leeds commented:

"The high rate of disease recurrence is the greatest limitation of current treatments for CDI. The significant reduction in disease recurrence by DIFICLIR compared with vancomycin is a key step to reducing the morbidity associated with CDI, and this new treatment option is a welcome addition that has the potential to improve the patient experience".

DIFICLIR, known as DIFICID™ in the U.S. was discovered and developed by Optimer and gained the US FDA approval (US Food and Drug Administration in May 2011 to treat CDAD in adults aged 18 years and above. Optimer's exclusive licensee for DIFICLIRs development and commercialization in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States is a company called Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.

CDI is caused by an infection of the internal lining of the colon through C. difficile bacteria and is a serious disease. The bacteria produce toxins, which cause inflammation of the colon as well as diarrhea. In severe cases, CDI can lead to death. Patients commonly develop CDI after using broad-spectrum antibiotics. These disrupt the normal gastrointestinal flora and enable C. difficile bacteria to flourish. Patients aged 65 years or older are at a particularly high risk of developing or recurring CDI.

CDI incidents are a substantial financial burden to healthcare systems, particularly in cases where extended hospitalization is required.

Written by Petra Rattue

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15 Dec. 2011. APA

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Treating Skin Infections - AgaDerm, An Alternative To Bacitracin And Neomycin

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Main Category: Dermatology
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 14 Dec 2011 - 8:00 PST

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Overuse of antibiotics has contributed towards drug-resistant bacteria emerging and spreading. Antibiotics have frequently been accused for so-called "superbugs" spreading. In the United States, virulent strains of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a leading cause of community-acquired soft tissue and skin infections, are of paramount public health concern, due to the accelerated expansion of the highly drug-resistant strains, such as MRSA-USA300.

At present, large health organization's as well as government bodies recognize the urgent need for novel generations of antimicrobial agents. For these novel drugs to be effective they must be fast-acting, effective against drug-resistant bacteria, and minimize the probability of bacteria resistance.

According to an investigation published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers from Japan revealed data indicating a role for over-the-counter (OTC) topical antibiotic ointments, which are prevalently used in the United States in helping MRSA-USA300 spread. Often, bacitracin and neomycin (active drugs) are contained in triple-antibiotic ointments, such as Neosporin. The investigation, which examined over 250 clinical isolates of MRSA from Korea and Japan, discovered that although the drug combination was effective against several MRSA strains, it was primarily ineffective against the virulent MRSA-USA300 strains.

Based on the association between the use of OTC medications and the prevalence of MRSA-USA300 in Korea and Japan (of which both are generally low in comparison to the U.S.), the researchers concluded that the selective pressure applied by indiscriminate use of OTC antibiotics may be partially accountable for the fast expansion of MRSA-USA300.

AgaDerm (NVC-422 Gel), designed by NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., represents a novel class of topical anti-infectives known as Aganocides®. The gel is designed to mirror the human body's natural defense system against fighting infection. Via a differentiated mechanism of action, Aganocides have been demonstrated to be widely effective against both Gram-negative and Gram -positive pathogens. In human clinical trials Aganocides were proven well tolerated and safe.

At present, AgaDerm is in Phase II clinical development for treating individuals with impetigo. Impetigo is an extremely contagious skin infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus, including MRSA, Streptococcus pyogenes, or both. The condition affects children throughout the world.

According to results from a clinical investigation published recently in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, AgaDerm showed a 100% response rate for treating individuals with impetigo caused by MRSA, whether MRSA was in a mixed infection or was the only organism. Furthermore, the investigation examined NVC-422 against 55 recent clinical isolates of MRSA obtained from a database of European and U.S. patients, where the prevalence of MRSA-USA300 is greater. The researchers discovered that again, NVC-422 demonstrated to be rapidly bactericidal against all bacterial isolates, regardless of resistance phenotype. Even though the size of the investigation did not exactly distinguish MRSA sub-types, it is possible that the USA300 clone was presented in participants.

According to the researchers, the primary evidence is extremely encouraging and indicates that AgaDerm might be effective against clinically relevant strains of MRSA that are not well managed by present treatments.

AgaDerm makes it very hard for bacteria to become naturally resistant as it uses a unique mechanism of action that is not specific to one, or a small group of molecular targets. A poster presented earlier in 2011 by NovaBay at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), NVC-422 was demonstrated to maintain its antimicrobial activity against several vital human pathogens, including MRSA, in a serial passage investigation. Researchers of the investigation analyzed NVC-422 activity under laboratory conditions that assist the bacterial resistance to evolve. The team discovered that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of NVC-422 did not change after 50 passages, suggesting that over time bacteria do not seem to develop resistance.

According to the investigators, this basis may reside in the mechanism of action of Aganocides connected with medications like neomycin and bacitracin. Neomycin is part of a class of antibiotics called aminoglycosides, which have rather poor activity against Gram-positive bacteria such as MRSA. Among strains of MRSA resistance to neomycin is common. The study in Japan was consistent with these prior discoveries.

Bacitracin is an extremely strong drug that interferes with the construction of the bacterial cell wall by inhibiting a single pathway. Although, bacteria that develop the ability to push bacitracin outside of the cell or restore the pathway by using different cellular machinery rapidly become resistance to the drug.

AgaDerm could become a much-needed logical alternative to conventional topical antibiotics like bacitracin and neomycin, which are prevalently used in the United States to treat individuals suffering with soft tissues infections. As the investigation demonstrated, overuse of these drugs might unintentionally encourage expansion of highly drug-resistant MRSA as they cannot kill the most dangerous strains. In addition to being efficient in destroying virulent strains of MRSA, AgaDerm showed to considerably reduce risk of promoting resistance to drugs, in comparison to other antibiotics.

Written by Grace Rattue
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Communication Via Tiny Protein Triggers Defensive Response In Plants

Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Also Included In: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture;  Public Health
Article Date: 13 Dec 2011 - 3:00 PST

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Scientists have discovered a new signal that helps invading bacteria communicate but also helps targeted rice plants coordinate defensive attacks on the disease-causing invaders, a finding that could lead to new methods of combatting infection not just in plants, but in humans.

Findings from the study, conducted by a team of researchers led by a University of California, Davis, scientist, were reported in the journal /i>PLoS ONE and in the journal Discovery Medicine.

"Just as invading armies often use coded messages to coordinate attacks on their targets, so single-celled bacteria use biological signals to communicate when they attack plants and animals," said Pamela Ronald, a UC Davis professor of plant pathology and the lead researcher on the study. "Scientists have known this for 20 years, however results from our study reveal a type of bacterial signal that has never been described before."

UC Davis has a long history of tackling agricultural and environmental challenges related to rice production in the United States and around the world. Today, campus researchers are using molecular biology to better understand how to improve the hardiness and yield of this grain, which is a staple food for more than half of the world's population and an important model for plant research.

Up until now, scientists thought that two major groups of bacteria used two distinctly different types of communication codes, Ronald said. However Ax21, the small protein examined in this study, doesn't fit into either of those previously identified communication codes.

Ax21 is made inside the bacterial cell and processed to generate a shorter signal that is secreted outside the bacterium. This signal tips off other bacteria to assemble themselves into elaborate protective bunkers, called biofilms, which make the bacteria resistant to drying out and antibiotic treatment.

"Additionally, Ax21 triggers a change in the expression of nearly 500 bacterial genes, transforming the bacteria from fairly benign organisms into fierce invaders," Ronald said.

"In essence, through communication and communal living, the bacteria increase their chances of survival and proliferation," she said, noting that in rice, the bacteria multiply rapidly in the arteries that transport water, causing the plant to wither and die.

While most rice plants have little defense against the Ax21-mediated bacterial attack, some rice plants carry an immune receptor called XA21 that detects the Ax21 protein produced by the invading bacteria. XA21 belongs to a large class of immune receptors in plants and animals.

The importance of these receptors in immunity is reflected in the awarding of the 2011 Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine to researchers Bruce Beutler of The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla and Jules Hoffman of the National Center of Scientific Research in Strasbourg, France, for their discoveries of similar receptors in animals.

The new study points out that the Ax21 signaling protein triggers the XA21 immune receptor to biologically alert the plant to launch a powerful defense response against the invading bacteria. The researchers also demonstrated that Ax21 is present in a human disease-causing bacterium that is known to infect hospital patients.

"This study demonstrates that bacteria communicate using private messages. However, plants can intercept these messages and gain a tactical advantage in the evolutionary battle," Ronald said. " It's a fascinating story."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our infectious diseases / bacteria / viruses section for the latest news on this subject. Ronald has posted an article about the study on her blog, "Tomorrow's Table," at http://scienceblogs.com/tomorrowstable/.
Researchers collaborating on the study are from UC Davis and Kyung Hee University, Korea.
Funding for the study was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health.
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Significant Findings In Foot-And-Mouth Disease

Main Category: Veterinary
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 13 Dec 2011 - 0:00 PST

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Researchers at the University of Leeds have been studying an enzyme - called 3D - which plays a vital role in the replication of the virus behind the disease. They have found that this enzyme forms fibrous structures (or fibrils) during the replication process. What's more, they have found a molecule which can prevent these fibrils forming.

The project was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and its findings have been published by the Journal of Virology.

"It's too much of a jump to say that we've found a potential drug target for treatment of foot-and-mouth disease because there's still such a lot we don't know," says Dr Nicola Stonehouse of the University of Leeds' Faculty of Biological Sciences. "However, we do think these findings are significant and provide us with a new avenue for exploration."

Foot-and-mouth is a one of the most readily transmissible diseases known to man, but the mechanisms by which it infects animals are not well understood. The virus responsible for the disease is able to reproduce very quickly, enabling it to cause widespread devastation in a short space of time. The 2001 outbreak in the UK resulted in the deaths of around seven million sheep and cattle at an extremely high cost to the British agricultural sector. Another, more contained outbreak, occurred in 2007.

In laboratory experiments, the research team were able to see that the 3D enzyme forms fibrils when it is copying genetic information it requires to replicate. The implications of these fibrils are not yet fully understood, but it is thought they may play an important role in the reproduction process. If this is the case, having already found a molecule to block the fibril formation could be significant.

"The next stage of our research will be to investigate these fibrils further, to look at their structure and purpose," says PhD student Kris Holmes, who has been working on the project.

Because FMD is classed as a dangerous pathogen, only one laboratory in the UK - the Institute for Animal Health at Pirbright, in Surrey - is licensed to work with the actual virus. In this research, the Leeds team used a simple, non-harmful model of the virus.

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An Easy-To-Use Solution To Make Hospitals Safer

Main Category: MRSA / Drug Resistance
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 13 Dec 2011 - 0:00 PST

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According to the World Health Organization, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are one of the top three threats to human health. Patients in hospitals are especially at risk, with almost 100,000 deaths due to infection every year in the U.S. alone.

Now Dr. Udi Qimron of the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine has developed an efficient and cost-effective liquid solution that can help fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria and keep more patients safe from life-threatening infections. The solution is based on specially designed bacteriophages - viruses that infect bacteria - that can alter the genetic make-up of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. "We have genetically engineered the bacteriophages so that once they infect the bacteria, they transfer a dominant gene that confers renewed sensitivity to certain antibiotics," explains Dr. Qimron.

The solution, recently detailed in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, could be added to common antibacterial cleansers used on hospital surfaces, turning resistant bacteria into sensitive bacteria. It's easy to prepare, easy to apply, and non-toxic, Dr. Qimron notes. He estimates that one liter of the growth medium - the liquid in which the bacteriophages are grown - will cost just a few dollars.

The research was done in collaboration with Ph.D. student Nir Friedman, lab technician Shahar Mor, and Dr. Rotem Edgar of the Ichilov Medical Center.

Changing bacteria's genetics

Certain antibiotics are designed to target and bind to a part of the bacteria cell called a ribosome - the protein factory of the cell. But after continual and frequent exposure to antibiotics, the bacteria "learn" to change components in the ribosome itself so that the antibiotics are unable to bind.

Dr. Qimron and his colleagues set out to determine whether they could make resistant bacteria sensitive to antibiotics again by re-introducing a component of the ribosome, a gene called rpsL, which restores bacteria's sensitivity to antibiotics. "Our novel approach relies on an effective delivery process and selection procedure, put on the same platform for the first time," says Dr. Qimron. With this system, the sensitive bacteria takes over the ecological niche once occupied by the resistant bacteria. And if a patient does happen to become infected by lingering bacteria anyway, traditional antibiotics can again be used as an effective treatment.

Two steps to disarming bacteria

Added to cleansers, Tellurite represents the second step in a two-part process. A Tellurite compound, which is toxic to bacteria, would also be spread on all surfaces to wipe out the bacteria that had not been rendered sensitive, and thus the entire population of the surface bacteria would be sensitized. The combination is designed to first disarm, and then kill dangerous bacteria.

Next, the solution will be tested in pre-clinical animal trials to ensure its safety before being made available for wider use at hospitals. Once its safety is guaranteed, the solution will come in a bottle, says Dr. Qimron, and easily added to a bucket or spray.

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Missed Opportunity To Transform Global HIV/AIDS Fight Reported By Tropical Disease Experts

Main Category: Tropical Diseases
Also Included In: HIV / AIDS;  Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses;  Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 12 Dec 2011 - 1:00 PST

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Global HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts are missing a major opportunity to significantly improve health conditions in poor countries by simply adding low-cost care for the many other chronic and disabling diseases routinely afflicting and often killing these same patients, according to a panel of disease experts who spoke at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).

"People want better health; they do not understand why we silo diseases," said Judd Walson, a global health and infectious disease expert at the University of Washington. "If you die from malaria, you don't care that your HIV was treated. Communities want us to leverage the resources we have to treat and prevent disease as effectively as possible."

Walson and his colleagues on the panel noted that many victims of HIV/AIDS also typically suffer from one or more of about 17 neglected, but burdensome, tropical diseases often called "diseases of poverty" because they prey on the "bottom billion" - the world's poorest people. They include ailments such as trachoma, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and onchocerciasis, all of which are either insect-borne disease, bacterial infections, or caused by parasitic worms.

Despite the illness and deaths attributable to these diseases, proposed US funding for fighting them was only about $155 million in 2011, or about 3 percent of the $5.6 billion invested in HIV/AIDS efforts. Moreover, the programs often exist in isolation from one another with, for example, many programs restricting support only to antiretroviral drugs to treat AIDS.

Yet tropical disease experts note that in places like sub-Saharan Africa, where neglected diseases affect 1.4 billion people, co-infections with HIV are common. And they see mounting evidence that dealing with multiple diseases at the same time and in the same place is more cost-effective and clinically beneficial.

Walson pointed to a program in Western Kenya that focused on a community suspected of having high levels of HIV but whose remote location made it hard to reach to conduct testing. The program promised access to free bed nets and water filters to those residents who came in for a test. In just six days, some 10,000 residents turned out for the free nets and filters. The result: 1181 people were found to be HIV positive and referred to care while thousands of people gained new tools for preventing malaria and water-borne diseases.

In another example of the potential benefits of targeting multiple problems in a single intervention, a study initially focusing on treatment for onchocerciasis, a parasitic disease also known as river blindness, was broadened to offer insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), malaria drugs and vitamin A. The study, which covered an area with 2.35 million people, increased bed net coverage by nine-fold.

Sten Vermund, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, noted the need to address any co-infections that might increase HIV viral load. He pointed to studies linking higher viral load with a higher likelihood of transmitting HIV, and a low load with reduced disease progression and HIV transmission risk. He said a review of a wide number of studies revealed that treating a variety of co-infections, including TB, malaria, schistosomiasis, filariasis, herpes, gonorrhea and syphilis decreased viral load to varying degrees.

"If de-worming efforts for neglected diseases reduces the viral load even just a little, then you could expect some benefit for preventing or slowing HIV transmission," said Vermund. "But it's also helpful to keep in mind that a majority of people don't know they have HIV. An effective mass de-worming campaign could have huge effects without even knowing the community's HIV status."

Peter Hotez, ASTMH President and founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and Alan Fenwick, Professor of Tropical Parasitology and Director of Schistosomiasis Control Initiative at the Department of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology at Imperial College of London, offered a presentation focused on improved treatment for schistosomiasis. Schistosomiasis is a preventable, chronic, inflammatory condition caused by a parasite infection that is found in approximately 220 million people, most of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. The parasite swims in water and burrows into human skin on contact. It is linked to an estimated 280,000 deaths each year. In women, the disease often affects the cervix and vagina where it can cause infertility, painful intercourse, and post-coital bleeding. One type of schistosomiasis known as female urogenital schistosomiasis affects girls and young women and is associated with HIV infection.

"These women are at highest risk of HIV infection and should be the focus of public health interventions," said Fenwick.

The high prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis appears to be associated with higher rates of HIV and the genital lesions seen with this type of schistosomiasis may contribute to the acquisition of HIV in women. The researchers believe schistosomiasis interventions can be seen as a type of HIV/AIDS control, with mass treatment in girls aimed at preventing the onset of genital lesions.

In his President's address to the ASTMH meeting, Hotez challenged his colleagues to move beyond a focus on individual conditions to embrace a concerted campaign against the totality of tropical diseases. Referencing Bill Gates' call for adopting an "audacious goal" of eradicating malaria, Hotez called for expanding the "audacious goal" to ridding the world of all its neglected tropical diseases.

He portrayed neglected diseases as everyday manifestations of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in that they cause pestilence, death, underlie famine and worsen the conditions of war. Hotez noted the importance of fighting disease to the success of international anti-poverty initiatives. "These diseases don't just occur in a setting of poverty; these diseases are a stealth cause of poverty in low and middle income countries," he said.

He quoted John Gardner, the Secretary of Health under President Lyndon Johnson, who said: "There are no better grounds on which we can meet other nations and demonstrate our own concern for peace and the betterment of mankind than in a common battle against disease.

In a separate presentation at ASTMH, Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health, also underscored the importance of attaching the fight against neglected diseases to a broader agenda.

"We need to understand the impact we can have when we link our understanding of improvements in people's lives to policy endeavors that can changes the lives of millions," he said. "Often this does not happen. The question is how can we build consensus in the scientific community and among our allies; how can we build coalitions to pull those policy levers more effectively? All of the diseases that affect the poor are neglected."

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Listeria Contaminated Ready-To-Eat Chicken Recalled, USA

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Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 12 Dec 2011 - 8:00 PST

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4,141 pounds of ready-to-eat chickens are being recalled by House of Raeford Farms, from North Carolina, because of possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. A sample was submitted by an end user to a reputable laboratory and found to be tainted, the company and the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) inform.

Below are details regarding this recall: Name - House of Raeford - Royal Oven Roasted Skinless Chicken Breast Packaging - packed in cases weighing from 18 to 22 pounds. Each case contains two packages weighing from 9 to 11 pounds eachLocations - they were distributed to foodservice distribution centers in Florida, Georgia and South CarolinaItem code 94268Code date - 1270 (27 Sep 11)The recalled chicken products were produced at the company's processing plant in Raeford, North Carolina. They all have the USDA Inspection number P-239A

Both House of Raeford Farms and the USDA say no reports have been received regarding illnesses linked to the consumption of the recalled chicken.

If you require more information regarding this recall, the company has made the following contact details available:
Telephone: 910-289-6895. Dave Witter, Manager of Corporate Communications.

Food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes can give rise to an illness, known as listeriosis. Pregnant females are much more susceptible to infection than other humans. If a pregnant woman becomes infected, she has a higher risk of delivering her baby early, the newborn baby has a risk of infection, and there is also a risk of death for the newborn.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says that listeriosis is a public health problem in America.The majority of listeriosis cases are non-invasive. Patients with non-invasive listeriosis may experience fever, muscle pains, and diarrhea.

Invasive listeriosis - a serious medical condition - is more likely to occur in patients with weakened immune systems. Patients have to be hospitalized, where the infection is treated with antibiotics. Approximately 35% of patients with invasive listeriosis do not survive, because of complications.

Listeria monocytogenes. Electron micrograph scan

Written by Christian Nordqvist
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Hospital Room Cleaning Could Be Revolutionized By New Disinfection Technique

Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Also Included In: MRSA / Drug Resistance;  Public Health
Article Date: 12 Dec 2011 - 1:00 PST

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A Queen's University infectious disease expert has collaborated in the development of a disinfection system that may change the way hospital rooms all over the world are cleaned as well as stop bed bug outbreaks in hotels and apartments.

"This is the future, because many hospital deaths are preventable with better cleaning methods," says Dick Zoutman, who is also Quinte Health Care's new Chief of Staff. "It has been reported that more than 100,000 people in North America die every year due to hospital acquired infections at a cost of $30 billion. That's 100,000 people every year who are dying from largely preventable infections."

Dr. Zoutman has also used this disinfection technology to kill bed bugs. A major U.S. hotel chain has already expressed interest in the technology because of its potential to save the company millions of dollars in lost revenue and infected furniture.

Dr. Zoutman worked in collaboration with Dr. Michael Shannon of Medizone International at laboratories located in Innovation Park, Queen's University. Medizone is commercializing the technology and the first deliveries are scheduled for the first quarter of 2012.

The new technology involves pumping a Medizone-specific ozone and hydrogen peroxide vapour gas mixture into a room to completely sterilize everything - including floors, walls, drapes, mattresses, chairs and other surfaces. It is far more effective in killing bacteria than wiping down a room.

Dr. Zoutman says the technique is similar to what we now know Mother Nature uses to kill bacteria in humans. When an antibody attacks a germ, it generates ozone and a minute amount of hydrogen peroxide producing a new highly reactive compound that is profoundly lethal against bacteria, viruses and mold.

"It works well for Mother Nature and is working very well for us," says Dr. Zoutman

There are other disinfecting technologies that involve pumping gas into a room, but Medizone's method is the only one that sterilizes as well as surgical instrument cleaning. It also leaves a pleasant smell and doesn't affect any medical equipment in the room. The entire disinfection process is also faster than other methods - it takes less than one hour.

Dr. Zoutman says the technology could also be used in food preparation areas and processing plants after outbreaks such as listeria and to disinfect cruise ships after an infection outbreak.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our infectious diseases / bacteria / viruses section for the latest news on this subject. Study results on the process are published in the December issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
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Study Of E.coli Outbreak Finds Prepackaged Raw Cookie Dough Not Ready-To-Eat

Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Also Included In: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology;  Public Health
Article Date: 12 Dec 2011 - 1:00 PST

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The investigation of a 2009 multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), an important cause of bacterial gastrointestinal illness, led to a new culprit: ready-to-bake commercial prepackaged cookie dough. Published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online, a new report describing the outbreak offers recommendations for prevention, including a stronger message for consumers: Don't eat prepackaged cookie dough before it's baked.

The report's authors, led by Karen Neil, MD, MSPH, and colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and at state health departments, reached two key conclusions: 1) manufacturers of cookie dough should consider reformulating their product to make it as safe as a ready-to-eat product and 2) more effective consumer education about the risks of consuming unbaked goods is needed. During the 2009 outbreak, 77 patients with illnesses were identified in 30 states, and 35 people were hospitalized.

Previous E. coli-related food-borne illnesses have been associated with ground beef, leafy green vegetables, sprouts, melons, salami, and unpasteurized apple cider. The 2009 investigation, which involved extensive traceback, laboratory, and environmental analysis, led to a recall of 3.6 million packages of the cookie dough. However, no single source, vehicle, or production process associated with the dough could be identified for certain to have contributed to the contamination.

Dr. Neil and colleagues suspected that one of the ingredients used to produce the dough was contaminated. Their investigation didn't conclusively implicate flour, but it remains the prime suspect. They pointed out that a single purchase of contaminated flour might have been used to manufacture multiple lots and varieties of dough over a period of time as suggested by the use-by dates on the contaminated product.

Flour does not ordinarily undergo a "kill step" to kill pathogens that may be present, unlike the other ingredients in the cookie dough like the pasteurized eggs, molasses, sugar, baking soda, and margarine. Chocolate was also not implicated in this outbreak since eating chocolate chip cookie dough was less strongly associated with these illnesses when compared with consuming other flavors of cookie dough, according to Dr. Neil.

The study authors conclude that "foods containing raw flour should be considered as possible vehicles of infection of future outbreaks of STEC." Manufacturers should consider using heat-treated or pasteurized flour, in ready-to-cook or ready-to-bake foods that may be consumed without cooking or baking, despite label statements about the danger of such risky eating practices, the authors conclude. In addition, manufacturers should consider formulating ready-to-bake prepackaged cookie dough to be as safe as a ready-to-eat food item.

Eating uncooked cookie dough appears to be a popular practice, especially among adolescent girls, the study authors note, with several patients reporting that they bought the product with no intention of actually baking cookies. Since educating consumers about the health risks may not completely halt the habit of snacking on cookie dough, making the snacks safer may be the best outcome possible.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our infectious diseases / bacteria / viruses section for the latest news on this subject. A Novel Vehicle for Transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to Humans: Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections Associated With Consumption of Ready-to-Bake Commercial Prepackaged Cookie Dough - United States, 2009
http://www.oxfordjournals.org//our_journals/cid/prpaper.pdf
Infectious Diseases Society of America Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

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Infectious Diseases Society of America. "Study Of E.coli Outbreak Finds Prepackaged Raw Cookie Dough Not Ready-To-Eat." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 12 Dec. 2011. Web.
12 Dec. 2011. APA

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