Expert: Mary Hughes-Cole - 6/25/2003

Question
Dear Mary,

I usually shop once a week, so I buy meat and poultry that is already frozen.  I was wondering if it is safe to cook the food, and refrigerate anything that is left over (for 24h maximum), and then reheat it again?

Many Thanks

Andy

Answer
Hello Andy,
  Yes you can do this.

If you read the rest of this I will explain some things to you about how we do things and why.  Maybe you will be a little wiser in the end as to how and why you do what you do with food when freezing and reheating.  

You are wise to buy already frozen meat and to cook; you can also buy fresh meat and freeze it as well.  It is vegetables and fruit that become impossible to freeze properly on our own, they require flash freezing on the spot.  
When it comes to game hens, turkeys or fish I always buy them frozen cook them and will save what we do not eat.  

Never do we ever cook fish and then save fish for a later time.  The reason is that fish can have and grow bacteria in it faster than other meats.  Fish is one of those things that I always buy frozen, as I know that it is frozen immediately. Fish manufactures are aware of serious health hazards that can arise from improperly frozen fish and package, and maintain they're packaging until it gets to your table.  From that point on it is up to us.  

The fish we buy is always from the North Atlantic. The reason is because that fish has the least carcinogens and bacteria than other parts of the world.  Even though there are other parts of the world that have good fish this is where we have researched and found the best fish come from as far as packaged fish.  

The fresh meat that we buy comes from Costco and is usually a cut of sirloin.  We find that sirloin will cook up anyway that you want it to cook even as a stew, broiled, or fried and be tender and keeps real well.  We also buy our chicken from there and package in the same way as the meat.   

We take it out of the package it comes in, place it into individual small freezer bags (Zip Lock) fitting each piece into a bag and in the case of chicken enough for one meal, and then place all of the little bags sealed into a larger bag.  Zip them all up and place the whole thing in the freezer no matter how little or small amount it is.  

The day before I want to cook the meat I will take out a little bag of the amount we need and keep in the refrigerator for one overnight period until time to cook the next day.  That usually is only about twelve hours.  


Without leaving the meat exposed at all or out of the refrigeration at all I then cook the meat.  

If we are not going to eat all of the meat we keep the amount we are not going to eat covered and hot until such time that we make that decision and then put the remaining meat that has been cooked but not served on plates it in a glass bowl or Pyrex, cover that bowl with a china plate and if possible put those two into another Zip Lock Freezer Bag and Zip it up and put into the refrigerator.   If we cannot get that into the bag we will cover the plate and the bowl with aluminum sealing carefully all the edges wrapping the foil around all of it and place this into the refrigerator.  

We keep it there and use what we wish for the next meal, leaving everything that we are not going to eat still in the bowl and close it all up immediately not leaving any of it out for any period of time, only enough time to get out what we are going to eat.  If we get the bag dirty or the foil tears we use another one or piece of foil.  Cover it up and get it back into the refrigerator right away.  We can do this three times, or leave it for two other meals in the refrigerator.  I would not chance leaving it in there longer and eating it no matter what it was cooked in or how it was cooked.  We have never made ourselves ill.  

You also need to know that the refrigerator has to be cleaned each month without fail and cleaned with borax or baking soda.  After cleaning even the freezer and everything in it out and starting over we put borax and baking soda on the bottom of the drawers and the bottom of all the flat shelves except the freezer.  We keep the door clean inside and out at all times keep the refrigerator door closed as much as possible.  We also have a thermostat inside that lets us know if it reaches below 46° or above, as that is the proper temperature.  It is very important to know that bacteria is not spontaneous, it has to be exposed to air before it becomes active so the important part is to keep food covered at all times.  

All foods no matter where we are, or what we are doing with the food we must keep it covered even while preparing.  If the cut vegetables do not go directly into the stew pot they should be put into a bowl and a plate placed over the top.  Of course cold keeps down the bacteria and preserves vitamin-C in some fruits and vegetables that is why we use the refrigeration and freezing but in no way is it all we need to do, in no way does either one stop the growth of bacteria.  Once anything has been picked or killed bacteria will begin to grow and once it has cold only slows down the growth of bacteria even freezing.  In fact bacteria can even mutate in a freezer and become something deadly.  A freezer must be maintained at Zero or below.  

This is why it is forbidden for us to carry or bring plants across borders of states and countries where they grow large belts of grain and produce.  We could be carrying into this land some disease that will mutate in their climate and produce into something that could wipe out the entire wheat belt or all the produce if it is a disease we have no control over.  We have a very large Disease Control Center run by out Government and they are always dealing with dilemmas we know nothing of for this very reason.  

We also have another procedure for keeping vegetable if you are interested is this please writes me at my email address and I will elaborate on this subject of vegetables.  I am including a website that you will want to explore and the section on food borne diseases.  The most interesting part of this is not what we all know but the part we don't know about how people can carry these diseases and pass them around buy shaking hands.  Unfortunately we had do disassociate ourselves with my step mother because she was carrying some deadly disease she was immune to herself but would almost kill me every time I come in contact with her.  It was a big mystery for a long and a very baffling one I must say.  So be careful investigate all illness of any kind and look for all kinds of things.  Use this website for many things and take care.  maryhughescole@yahoo.com.

Here is the web site you will want to research, http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/
When you get there, it is the-
Federal Consumer Information Center Pueblo Colorado,
When you get there, click on
Food, When you get there, click on-

Can Your Kitchen pass the Food Safety Test?
1998 528GG Free
That web site is http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fdkitchn.html
The phone number for the about Center is 1-888 INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)
When you get there, click on Food

U.S Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville
MD 2085 7-0001
When you get there, click on Food

Food borne Illness, Nutrition, Dietary Supplements…
Program Areas
Food Additives and Pre-market Approval
www.FoodSafety.gov
Gateway to Government Food Safety Information
When you get there, click on
Food
When you get there, click on
Food Additives and Pre-Market Approval
When you get there, it is
EAFUS A FOOD ADDITIVE DATA BASE
US Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

April 2002


Infectious diseases spread through food or beverages are a common, distressing, and sometimes life-threatening problem for millions of people in the United States and around the world.
Overview:

Preventing Food-borne Diseases:
Botulism, Campylobacteriosis E. coli, Salmonellosis, Shigellos, is NIAID; for more research
Information on these and other organisms go to their website.

People infected with food-borne germs may have no symptoms or develop symptoms ranging from mild intestinal discomfort to severe dehydration and bloody diarrhea. Some symptoms develop much later and can cause lasting lingering disabilities.

Food-borne Diseases:
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 76 million people suffer food-borne illnesses each year in the United States, accounting for 325,000 hospitalizations and more than 5,000 deaths. Food-borne disease is extremely costly. Health experts estimate that the yearly cost of all food-borne diseases in this country is $5 to $6 billion in direct medical expenses and lost productivity. Infections with the bacteria Salmonella alone account for $1 billion yearly in direct and indirect medical costs.

There are more than 250 known food-borne diseases.

Bacteria cause most cases, followed by Viruses and Parasites. Natural and manufactured chemicals in food products also can make people ill. Some, diseases are caused by toxins, (poisons) from the disease-causing bacteria.

Recently public health, agriculture, and environmental officials have expressed growing concern over keeping the nation's food and water supply safe from terrorist acts.

This bio-terrorism threat is being studied by a number of U.S. Agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Institutes of Health.

This fact sheet will describe five bacteria, Botulism, Campylobacteriosis, E. coli, Salmonellas and Shigellosis, all known to be food borne-diseases.

Preventing Food borne Diseases:

Many times, food-borne diseases are easy to avoid. These are some basic ways to prevent being infected by most food borne germs.

Specific ways to avoid getting sick from food borne organisms, are described in this section, on food-borne diseases:
·   Wash hands carefully before preparing food.
·   Wash hands, utensils, and kitchen surfaces with hot soapy water after they touch raw meat or poultry.
·   Cook beef and beef products thoroughly, especially hamburger.
·   Cook poultry and eggs thoroughly.
·   Eat cooked food promptly and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours after cooking   
·   Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly, especially those that will be eaten raw.
·   Drink only pasteurized milk and juices
·   Wash hands carefully after using the bathroom, changing infant diapers, or cleaning up animal feces.

Botulism:  Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by Botulism toxin (poison) produced by Clostridium Botulism bacteria. This toxin affects the nerves and if untreated, can cause paralysis and respiratory failure. U.S. health care providers report an average of 110 cases of food, infant, and wound Botulism to CDC each year. About 10 to 30 outbreaks of food-borne Botulism are reported every year.

Although this illness does not occur frequently, it can be fatal if not treated quickly and properly. How is C. botulism transmitted? Often, cases of food-borne Botulism come from home-canned foods with low acid content, such as asparagus, green beans, beets, and corn.

C. botulism, is anaerobic, which means it can survive and grow with little or no oxygen. Therefore, it can survive very well in sealed containers.

Outbreaks of the infection however are often caused from more unusual sources, such as, chili peppers, tomatoes, and improperly handled baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil.

·   What are the symptoms of food borne Botulism?    
·   Double vision and drooping eyelids·
·   Slurred speech·
·   Dry mouth and difficulty swallowing
·   Weak muscles are symptoms.  
These symptoms can easily be over looked as food poisoning in older people or children.

Symptoms of food borne Botulism usually begin within 18 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food, but can occur in as few as 6 hours or as much as 10 days afterward. How is it diagnosed?

A health care provider can use laboratory tests to identify C. botulism toxin in the blood or stool of an infected person.

How is food borne Botulism treated? If diagnosed early, health care providers can treat food borne Botulism successfully with an antitoxin that blocks the action of the bacterial toxin circulating in the blood. Although antitoxin keeps the disease from becoming worse, recovery still takes many weeks. Sometimes doctors try to remove contaminated food still in the gut by making the patient vomit or by giving the patient an enema. Patients who develop severe Botulism experience breathing failure and paralysis and need to be put on ventilators (breathing machines).

Can Botulism lead to other health problems? If left untreated, this illness can cause paralysis of the arms, legs, trunk, and muscles that help with breathing. The paralysis usually improves slowly over several weeks.  

C botulism toxin is one of the most potent toxins known in nature. Exposure to the toxin, particularly in an aerosolized form, can be fatal. It has been weapon -zed by rogue states and is a focus of current counter-Bio-terrorism efforts.

Some ways to prevent food borne Botulism
·   Follow, strict hygienic steps when home canning
·   Refrigerate oils with garlic or herbs
·   Keep baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil hot until served, or refrigerate them and consider, boiling, home-canned food, before eating it, to kill any bacteria, which might lurk in the food.

Can C. botulism be used for good purposes? In 1989, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Botulism Toxin Type A, a protein produced by C. botulism, as a treatment for two eye muscle disorders, and in 2000, to treat Cervical Dystonia, a neurological movement disorder causing severe neck and shoulder contractions.

In April 2002, FDA approved this toxin to temporarily improve the appearance of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows.

Campylobacteriosis: Campylobacterios is an infectious disease caused by Campylobacter bacteria. Campylobacter jejuni, C. fetus, and C. coli are the types that usually cause campylobacteriosis in people. C. jejuni causes most cases of the illness. According to CDC, C. jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial diarrhea illnesses in the United States, affecting an estimated 2.4 million people every year. This, bacteria, alone causes between 5 and 14 percent of all diarrhea illness worldwide. C. jejuni primarily affects children under 5 years old and young adults (15-29 years old). Health care providers report more than 10,000 cases to CDC yearly. In the United States, few people die from Campylobacter infection.

·   How is Campylobacter transmitted? Humans can become infected:
·   From handling raw poultry
·   Eating undercooked poultry,
·   Drinking non-chlorinated water or
·   Drinking raw milk
·   Handling infected animal or human feces.  Most frequently, poultry and cattle waste are the sources of the bacteria, but feces from puppies, kittens, and birds, also may be contaminated.

What are the symptoms of Campylobacteriosis?  
·   Diarrhea (often bloody)
·   Abdominal cramping and pain·
·   Nausea and vomiting· fever
·   Tiredness is some of the symptoms.  

Some infected people have no symptoms.

Campylobacteriosis usually lasts for 2 to 5 days, but in some cases as long as 10 days although, rarely, some people have convulsions and suffer with fever or meningitis.

How is Campylobacteriosis diagnosed?  A health care provider can use laboratory tests to identify Campylobacter in the stool of an infected person. How is it treated? Most people infected with Campylobacter will get better with no special treatment. If a person needs treatment, a health care provider can prescribe an antibiotic such as ciprofloxacin or azithromycin for treatment. Erythromycin helps treat diarrhea caused by Campylobacter. Those with diarrhea should drink plenty of water. Can campylobacteriosis lead to other health problems?

Some people infected with Campylobacter develop arthritis.  A small number of people with campylobacteriosis develop Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), the leading cause of acute paralysis in this country. This rare condition develops from 2 to 4 weeks after Campylobacter infection and usually after diarrhea symptoms have disappeared.  People with GBS suffer from increasing paralysis of the limbs, which lasts for several weeks.  In more severe cases, they develop breathing problems requiring very long hospital stays.


Ways to prevent Campylobacteriosis:
·   Wash hands before preparing food
·   Wash hands immediately after handling raw poultry or other meat
·   Wash all food preparation surfaces and utensils that come in contact, with raw meat thoroughly with soap and hot water.
·   Cook poultry products to an internal temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit for breast meat and 180 degrees Fahrenheit for thigh meat. · Drink pasteurized milk purified, chlorinated water.· Wash hands after handling pet feces or visiting zoos and petting zoos.

E. coli infection, and certain types of Escherichia coli bacteria, commonly called E. coli, can cause food borne illness.  Harmless strains of E. coli can be found widely in nature, including the intestinal tracts of humans and warm-blooded animals.  

Disease-causing strains, however, are a frequent cause of both intestinal and urinary-genital tract infections.  
Several different strains of harmful E. coli can cause diarrhea disease. A particularly dangerous type is called enterohemorrhagic E. coli, or EHEC. EHEC which often causes bloody diarrhea and can lead to kidney failure in children or people with weakened immune systems.  

In 1982, scientists identified the first dangerous strain in the United States. The type of harmful E. coli most commonly found in this country is named O157:H7, which refers to chemical compounds found on the bacterium's surface. This type produces one or more related, powerful toxins, which can severely damage the lining of the intestines.  

Other types, including O26:H11 and O111:H8, also have been found in this country and can cause human disease. Cattle are the main sources of E. coli O157:H7, but other domestic and wild mammals also can harbor these bacteria.

How is E. coli transmitted? E. coli bacteria and its toxins have been found in:
·   Under cooked or raw hamburgers
·   Salami
·   Alfalfa sprouts
·   Lettuce·
·   un-pasteurized milk
·   Apple juice, and Apple cider·
·   
Other ways include
·   Contaminated well water where unsuspecting swimmers have been infected by accidentally swallowing un-chlorinated or under-chlorinated water
·   Swimming in swimming pools contaminated by human feces
·   Swimming in sewage-contaminated water.

Symptoms of E. coli 0157:H7 infection:
·   E. coli toxin can damage the lining of the intestine and cause other symptoms including
·   Nausea
·   Severe abdominal cramps
·   Watery or very bloody diarrhea
·   Tiredness
·   Vomiting (occasionally)
·   Occasionally, people develop low-grade fever or vomiting.
Symptoms usually begin from 2 to 5 days after eating contaminated food and may last for 8 days. How is E. coli diagnosed?

A health care provider can use laboratory tests to identify E. coli in the stool of an infected person.

How is E. coli O157:H7 infection treated? Most people recover from E. coli infection within 5 to 10 days without treatment. Antibiotics are usually not helpful, and health care experts recommend against taking anti-diarrhea medications.

Can E. coli 0157:H7 infection lead to other health problems? Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication of EHEC, can lead to kidney failure. In North America, HUS is the most common cause of acute kidney failure in children, who are particularly prone to this complication. This life-threatening condition is usually treated in an intensive care unit of a hospital, sometimes with blood transfusions and kidney dialysis.

Some ways to prevent E. coli 0157:H7 infection:
·   Eat only thoroughly cooked beef and beef products
·   Cook ground beef patties to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.  
·   Avoid, un-pasteurized juices
·   Drink only pasteurized milk
·   Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating raw or cook them.

Other types of E. coli can cause a diarrhea related disease, Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), which produces a toxin similar to Cholera toxin, and can causes diarrhea. These strains typically cause so-called travelers diarrhea because they are prevalent contaminants in food and water in developing countries. Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) are associated with persistent diarrhea (lasting 2 weeks or more) and are more common in developing countries where they can be transmitted by contaminated water or contact with infected animals. Health experts do not know how much disease some of these other types of E. coli cause in the United States.

Salmonellosis, or Salmonella infection:
is an infection caused by Salmonellosis bacteria.

Salmonella infections are increasing in the United States. Many types of this bacteria cause disease in animals and people. While the occurrence of different types of Salmonella varies from country to country,

Salmonella (infection) Typhimurium and (S. enteritidis) are the two most of the most commonly found types of infection in the United States.  In 1984, an antibiotic-resistant strain of S. typhimurium, called definitive Type 104 (DT104), was first found in the United Kingdom and recently in the United States. Now it is the second most common strain (after S. enteritidis) of Salmonella found in humans.   This strain poses a major new threat because it is resistant to several antibiotics normally used to treat people with Salmonella infections.

Salmonella may occur in small, contained outbreaks in the general population or in large outbreaks in hospitals, restaurants, or institutions for children or the elderly. While the disease is found worldwide, health experts most often report cases of infection in North America and Europe. Every year, CDC receives reports of 40,000 cases of Salmonella in the United States. The agency estimates that 1.4 million people in this country are infected, however, and that 1,000 people die each year with Salmonella.

Salmonella symptoms are most severe in the elderly, infants, and people with chronic conditions. People with AIDS are particularly vulnerable to Salmonellosis, and often suffer from recurring episodes.

How Salmonellosis is transmitted:  Salmonellosis is a bacterium that can be found in food products such as raw poultry, eggs, beef, and sometimes on unwashed fruit. Food prepared on surfaces that previously contained raw meat or meat products can, in turn, become contaminated with this bacteria, this is called cross-contamination.

In the past few years, CDC has received reports of several cases of Salmonella from eating raw alfalfa sprouts grown in contaminated soil. Salmonella infection frequently occurs after handling pets, particularly reptiles like snakes, turtles, and lizards.

Salmonellosis can become a chronic infection in some people who may not have symptoms. Though they may have no symptoms, they can spread the disease by not washing their hands before preparing food for others. In fact, health care experts recommend that people who know they have Salmonellosis not prepare food or pour water for others until a laboratory tests show they no longer carry Salmonella.

These are the symptoms of Salmonella infection:
·   Diarrhea
·   Fever
·   Abdominal cramps and
·   Headache In most people
·   Nausea
·   Loss of appetite
·   Vomiting,   

Their symptoms can begin from 12 hours to 3 days after being infected. These symptoms, along with possible nausea, loss of appetite, and vomiting, usually last for 4 to 7 days. Diarrhea can be severe and require hospitalization.

How it is diagnosed:  A health care provider can use laboratory tests to identify Salmonellosis in the stool of an infected person.

How salmonella is treated:
Most cases of Salmonella are cleared up within 5 to 7 days and do not require treatment. People with severe diarrhea may need intravenous fluids. If the infection spreads from the intestines into the bloodstream, health care providers can treat it with antibiotics such as Ampicillin.

Salmonella can cause other health problems:  
While most people recover successfully from Salmonella, a few may develop a chronic condition called Reiter's syndrome. This syndrome can last for months or years and can lead to arthritis. Its symptoms are
·   Painful joints
·   Irritated eyes
·   Painful urination and unless treated properly, Salmonella can escape from the intestine and spread by blood to other organs, sometimes leading to death.  

Typhoid fever, a more serious disease, results from infection with S. typhi.  This disease, which can be fatal if untreated, is not common in the United States.  

It is frequently found in developing countries, usually in contaminated water.  It is also a risk in areas where flooding or earthquakes cause sewer systems to overflow.  Appropriate antibiotics are usually effective for treating Typhoid Fever, although the incidence of antibiotic-resistant S. typhi bacteria is increasing, in some parts of the world.  

Ways to prevent food-borne, Salmonellosis bacteria:
·   Drink only pasteurized milk
·   Cook poultry and eggs thoroughly
·   Don't eat foods containing raw eggs such as homemade Caesar salad dressing, cookie dough, and hollandaise sauce or drink homemade eggnog made with raw eggs
·   Handle raw eggs carefully
·   Keep eggs refrigerated
·   Throw away cracked or dirty eggs.
·   Cook eggs thoroughly
·   Cook poultry products to an internal temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit for breast meat and 180 degrees Fahrenheit for thigh meat
·   Wash all food preparation surfaces and utensils that have come in contact with raw poultry or raw eggs with soap and hot water contracting the soap for fifteen minutes with the soap
·   Wash hands immediately after handling raw poultry or raw eggs
·   Wash hands immediately after handling reptiles or contact with pet feces.  

Shigellosis: Shigellosis, also called bacillary dysentery, is an infectious disease caused by Shigella bacteria.
Four main types of Shigella cause infection are:
·   Shigella dysenteriae
·   S. flexneri, S. boydii,
·   S. sonnei.
·   
CDC estimates that more than 400,000 cases occur every year in the United States.

Health care providers report about 18,000 cases to CDC each year. Most cases in this country are caused by S. sonnei.

Shigella bacteria are transmitted by people and can be infected from food-borne Shigella by:
·   Eating food or drinking beverages contaminated by food handlers infected with Shigella who didn't wash their hands properly after using the bathroom
·   Eating vegetables grown in fields containing sewage
·   Eating food contaminated by flies which were bred in infected feces
·   Drinking or swimming in contaminated water.

S. sonnei is the most common type of Shigella in developed countries, including the United States.
Outbreaks of shigellosis frequently occur in tropical or temperate climates, especially in areas with severe crowding and/or poor hygiene, which sometimes occur in day care and institutional settings.
Some people have no symptoms but can still pass the bacteria to others. An extremely low number of organisms (10-100) is needed to transmit Shigella therefore it is commonly transmitted by food service workers who are sick or infected, but have no symptoms, and who do not properly wash their hands after using the toilet. Those who know they have shigellosis should not prepare food or pour water for others until laboratory test show they no longer carry Shigellosis bacteria.
Symptoms of Shigell infection are:
·   Fever
·   Tiredness
·   Watery or bloody diarrhea
·   Nausea and vomiting
·   Abdominal pain where symptoms usually begin within 2 days after being exposed to Shigellosis bacteria. Symptoms usually are gone within 5 to 7 days.
How shigellosis is treated: People with mild infections usually get better quickly, without taking medicine. When treatment is necessary, health care providers usually prescribe an antibiotic such as Ampicillin or Ciprofloxacin. Anti-diarrhea medicines may make the illness worse.  Shigellosis can lead to other health problems?
People who had diarrhea symptoms usually recover completely, although their bowel habits may not return to normal until several months later. S. dysenteriae type 1 produces Shiga toxin and can lead to life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the same complication that develops in some cases of infection with E. coli (enterohemorrhagic E. coli or EHEC).S. flexneri infection and can progress to Reiter's syndrome which can last for months or years and can lead to chronic arthritis. Its symptoms are:
·   Painful joints
·   Irritated eyes
·   Painful urination
Ways to prevent shigellosis are:
·   Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before preparing foods and beverages
·   Wash hands thoroughly after using the bathroom or changing infant diapers
·   Disinfect diaper-changing areas after use
·   Help young children wash their hands carefully after they use the bathroom
·   Avoid swallowing swimming pool water

NIAID Research, The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is the Federal Government's lead Agency for conducting and funding research on many infectious diseases.

Scientists at the Institute and NIAID-supported scientists are using basic, clinical, and applied research to better understand how to detect, treat, and prevent food-borne diseases. Basic research is helping scientists to better understand how pathogens (germs) spread by contaminated food or water cause disease in humans.

NIAID-supported researchers are studying the bacterial genes that help pathogens establish themselves in the human body and cause disease. For example, scientists have identified genes that appear to be involved in signaling certain immune system cells to cause inflammation, and which may contribute to the development of Diarrhea.  

Other NIAID-sponsored research focuses on methods by which the organism grows and interacts in host cells.

Scientists have discovered that some intestinal bacteria recognize when they are in a human host and respond by activating a particular set of powerful genes that enable the organism to live in the host and cause disease.

Future studies will define new ways to intervene, whether by prevention or treatment, in the disease process.

NIAID supports several research studies on E. coli 0157:H7 (EHEC). Researchers have sequenced the genome of E. coli 0157:H7 (EHEC) and compared it with the genome of the harmless E. coli K12. Seventy percent of the two genomes are identical, and the genome of E. coli 0157:H7 is about 30 percent larger than K12. As researchers compare and contrast these and other strains of E. coli, their ability to answer key questions in evolution and disease processes will become easier. Researchers are working to develop and test monoclonal antibodies to treat EHEC infection, thus preventing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) from developing.

(Scientists use monoclonal antibodies as tools for binding to specific protein molecules. As such, they are invaluable in research, medicine, and industry.) Investigators are further defining the ways by which the toxins produced by EHEC and Shigella result in the kidney damage leading to HUS.

The primary goal of this research is to better understand how kidney vascular disease progresses.

Researchers are developing antitoxins that may help prevent HUS from developing in infected children. Researchers also are exploring vaccines to prevent EHEC and Shigella infections in animals or people.

NIAID-supported scientists found that children with bloody diarrhea should not be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics can lead to the release of more bacterial toxins and further kidney damage, including subsequent HUS. Cholera is a major source of water- and food-borne sickness and death in the developing countries of Asia, Africa, and South America, particularly during epidemics and in refugee settings.

Scientific studies have shown that Vibrio cholerae bacteria, which cause Cholera, constantly adapt to changes in the environment. Individual Cholera bacteria can join together to form large mats called bio-films.

NIAID-supported scientists recently have sequenced the genome of V. cholerae and have identified a gene family that allows the bacteria to form bio-films. Bio-films protect the bacteria from environmental stresses and makes, the pathogen more resistant to being disinfected by chlorine. When conditions become favorable, other genes allow the bacteria to revert to their original forms. This is one method V. cholerae uses to survive harsh conditions. Better understanding of how the pathogen can shift will help researchers develop new ways to control it during epidemics. In addition to the genomic studies mentioned above, scientists have determined the complete genome sequences for Salmonella typhi, S. typhimurium, and Campylobacter jejuni. Sequencing studies are underway for Shigella, Yersinia, and other harmful strains of E. coli.

Scientists hope this new information will speed the discovery of new targets for treatments and vaccines against food-borne pathogens. Through preliminary tests of live, attenuated Shigella flexneri vaccine candidates, scientists have discovered two new toxins that may contribute to the diarrhea associated with Shigellosis species. Studies are under way to find out how these toxins cause fluid loss. The findings will provide crucial information on how to improve attenuated vaccines to prevent Shigella.
The NIAID enteric diseases program also supports basic and clinical research on other water- and food-borne pathogens including Vibrio cholerae, Helicobacter pylori, Yersinia, Listeria, Clostridia, Bacteroides, Staphylococcus and effects of toxins on the intestinal tract.

NIAID supports an Enteric Pathogens Research Unit to carry out research on the immune response that takes place in the mucous membrane lining of the gut. Because food-borne pathogens universally affect this lining, these studies will give researchers information needed to make vaccines or develop treatment for diseases these pathogens cause. The research includes
·   Conducting clinical trials of vaccine candidates· using adjuvants
·   Delivery systems, or dosing schedules to help scientists find out how best to increase the immune response to vaccines
·   Studying mucosal immunityIn addition to the organisms mentioned above, NIAID conducts research on gastrointestinal viruses that cause diarrhea such as caliciviruses, rotavirus, astrovirus, and hepatitis A virus.

·   Scientists at the NIAID Laboratory of Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Md., devised the first method for detecting Norwalk virus (a particular calicivirus) particles and for measuring Norwalk virus-specific antibodies (disease-fighting proteins). Current studies are trying to produce new vaccines including edible vaccines against Norwalk virus and hepatitis A.  NIAID scientists developed a recently licensed inactivated vaccine for hepatitis A virus infection.

For More Information:

·   National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institutes of Health
31 Center Drive, MSC 2520
Bethesda, MD 20892-2520
http://www.niaid.nih.gov

·   National Library of Medicine
MEDLINEplus
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
1-800-338-7657
http://medlineplus.gov

·   U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases
Atlanta, GA 30333
1-888-232-3228
http://www.cdc.gov

·   U.S. Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 2932-S
Washington, DC 20250-3700
1-800-535-4555 or 202-720-3333
TTY: 1-800-256-7072
http://www.fsis.usda.gov

·   U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
202-260-2090
http://www.epa.gov

·   U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationCenter for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
5100 Paint Branch Parkway
College Park, MD 20740-3835
1-888-SAFEFOOD (1-888-723-3663)
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fsterrqa.html

·   (food safety and bio-terrorism)
Federal, state, and local government information:
http://www.foodsafety.gov

·   World Health Organization
Avenue Appia 20
1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
41-22-791-21-11
http://www.who.int

NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious and immune-mediated illnesses, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, illness from potential agents of bio-terrorism, tuberculosis, malaria, autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies.

Press releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov


Prepared by:
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD 20892 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services NIAID Home | Publications | Search NIAID


   

Here is the web site you will want to research, http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/
When you get there, it is the-
Federal Consumer Information Center Pueblo Colorado,
When you get there, click on
Food, When you get there, click on-

Can Your Kitchen pass the Food Safety Test?  
1998 528GG Free
That web site is http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fdkitchn.html
The phone number for the about Center is 1-888 INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)
When you get there, click on Food

U.S Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville
MD 2085 7-0001
When you get there, click on Food

Food borne Illness, Nutrition, Dietary Supplements…
Program Areas
Food Additives and Pre-market Approval
www.FoodSafety.gov
Gateway to Government Food Safety Information
When you get there, click on
Food
When you get there, click on
Food Additives and Pre-Market Approval
When you get there, it is
EAFUS A FOOD ADDITIVE DATA BASE
US Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition