Expert: Mary Hughes-Cole - 2/15/2004

Question
Mary, Please we need your expert information on refreezing of thawed lamb,beef,chicken & pork meats. The meats were originally frozen, then left to thaw. Now as we have not used all of it, we wish refreeze to use again at a later date.
Some well meaning friends do not agree to refreezing, but cannot give qualifed knowledge as to the reasons.
Please, your swift assistance is needed, in the meantime we will refridgerate.
Thanks.

Answer
HELLO LIN,
So sorry it took so long, I had been on vacation and did not know I was back on again, then my keyboard locked up, everything is ok now
There is a town, Bismarck North Dakota, within that town, is a University where much study is given to bacteriology and disease.  The reason for this is because of the wheat they grow there, in both North and South Dakota.  They call it the wheat belt.  No matter where anyone else thinks this wheat belt is, they believe it is there.  They take great pride and go to great efforts to protect that wheat.  The sub-zero winters they have can go to eighty degrees below zero.  
The reason they have these universities and hospital that have large research facilities and foundations, such as you find in towns like Bismarck, North Dakota; New Orleans, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York, is because of the disease.  That is why when ever you cross the border into countries where agriculture is the better part of their commerce, or a port city where thousands of people and tons of products from all over the world come in every day, there has to be immediate control for disease.  Research has to be readily available in case an outbreak of some kind of new strain of disease should rear its ugly head.  In states like North Dakota, it is vital to the health of their wheat crops that absolutely no plants come across their borders.  People who unknowingly bring fruit or vegetables or plants of any kind into these regions threaten the lives and well being of thousands of people and the economy of our country.  The reason is this disease.  People have the misconception that freezing something in sub-zero temperatures stops bacteria and disease from spreading.  What happens to this disease and bacteria is this; in sub-zero weather like they have in North Dakota a bacterium can mutate, always remember this.  They normally have a handle on all disease known common to that country.  But a common bacteria or disease in sub-zero weather can mutate into something so deadly that there is no antibody to kill it and no known research available to control this disease.  There are thousands upon thousands of people hospitals, universities, and research foundations that research disease and the control of disease around the world; and yet while all this dangerous work goes on every minute of every day, millions of people go on living their everyday lives in the safety of their own homes completely unaware of the dangerous environment within which they live.  Within inches of all the rest of the food they will consume they could be breeding just such a deadly disease thinking that just because it is in the freezer it is safe.  Thanks to web sites like All Experts and people like you who ask questions, these problems can be overcome.

Once food has been exposed to air bacteria can continue to grow.  It is true that freezing something can slow down the growth of bacteria and prolong the life so to speak of food, but often the quality and vitamin content of that food is jeopardized when doing so.  Food stored in your freezer should be food that is already packaged and solid frozen when you buy it and kept in a chiller on the way home and put into to the freezer immediately upon arriving home.  Many people buy meat, dairy, and frozen food but by the time they leave the store bacteria has already began to grow in this food.  Put all cold or frozen foods into a cooler with ice within fifteen minutes of buying.  Buy in small amounts at times when the store is not busy.  

Don't forget the air that is in your house is also in your refrigerator, the air in your house circulates through your refrigerator, to preserve food longer clean your refrigerator often and keep all chemicals outside and not in the garage.  Do not keep anything in the kitchen that could even be considered a chemical.  The mixture we mentioned can do much to kill bacteria and disease and other chemicals are jus not needed.  Tooth paste, is not even needed, just baking powder.  The cleaner your house is the longer the food in the refrigerator will last, Mary.
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, for 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 this article only covers five.

Bacteria cause most cases, followed by Viruses and Parasites, often accompanying bacteria.   Natural and manufactured chemicals in food often referred to as carcinogens are toxic to the body and cause diseases
Recently public health, agriculture, and environmental officials have expressed growing concern over keeping the nation's food and water supply safe from terrorist acts.  A number of U.S. Agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, The Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and The Environmental Protection Agency, are now studying this bio-terrorism threat.
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 infection, by most food borne germs.

Specific ways to avoid getting sick from food borne organisms, described here in this section, on food-borne diseases:
•   Use soap and hot water for washing hands.   Another product that kills bacteria for clean up is Clorox.  Another good one that cuts grease instantly is DeSolVit manufactured in Gilbert Arizona and is safe for skin and hair unlike chlorine.  Another product safe for cleaning is borax although it does not cut grease it does kill parasites and bacteria.  
•   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 use a thermometer if possible and especially when cooking big roasts and turkeys.
•   Cook poultry and eggs thoroughly.
•   Eat cooked food promptly and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours after cooking keeping food in covered containers that when not served.   
•   Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly, especially those that will be eaten raw they can be safely washed in a sink of water and one teaspoon of Borax let soak for fifteen minutes.  It takes that long to kill most organisms.
•   Stay away from foods in buffets like fish, bean sprouts, mushrooms or unwashed lettuce, which all can carry parasites and bacteria.
•   Drink only pasteurized milk and juices.
•   Wash hands carefully after using the bathroom, changing infant diapers, or cleaning up animal feces. Use a facemask, when dealing with cat litter and use a dust less kind like Arm and Hammer Super Scoop if possible.
  
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 with about 10 to 30 outbreaks of food-borne Botulism reported every year. Although this illness does not occur frequently, it can be fatal if not treated quickly and properly.  Transmission of C. botulism: 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. Unusual sources, Chili peppers, tomatoes and improperly handled baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil are unusual sources that often cause outbreaks of this disease.

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 confused and 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.

A health care provider can use laboratory tests to diagnosis food borne Botulism
identifying C. Botulism toxin in the blood or stool of an infected person. Diagnosis needs to be early on in the disease.  

The 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 developing severe Botulism experience breathing failure, paralysis.  The treatment for advanced cases is ventilators or breathing machines.
Botulism can lead 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.
•   Do not feed large snakes, rats or mice that are not health inspected, purchased from the pet store especially for snakes, like clean white mice?
•   Look for black specks, or rings on or about the lid, or on top of jarred or canned foods this is an indication of spoilage.
•   Clean the lids and rims of canned or jarred foods after serving and replace into the refrigerator immediately, do not leave sitting out with the lid off the jar.

C. botulism 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.
Later in April 2002, the FDA approved this toxin to be used by dermatologist on people so they could improve their appearance by temporarily deadening the nerves in the skin 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 year's old and young adults (15-29 years old).
Health care providers report more than 10,000 cases to CDC yearly in the United States, although few people die from Campylobacter infection.
Infected in humans caused by:
•   Handling raw poultry
•   Eating undercooked poultry,
•   Drinking non-chlorinated water or stagnant water
•   Drinking raw milk, which has other deadly side effects like undulant fever
•   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 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.
A health care provider can diagnosis Campylobacteriosis using laboratory tests to identify Campylobacter in the stool of an infected person. 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 handling food especially raw poultry or other meat.
•   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.  Another product that kills bacteria for clean up is Clorox.  Another good one that cuts grease instantly is DeSolVit manufactured in Gilbert Arizona and is safe for skin and hair unlike chlorine.  Another product safe for cleaning is borax although it does not cut grease it does kill parasites and bacteria.  
•   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 or chlorinated water.
•   Wash hands after handling pet feces or visiting zoos and petting zoos.
•   Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly, especially those that will be eaten raw they can be safely washed in a sink of water and one teaspoon of Borax let soak for fifteen minutes.  It takes that long to kill most organisms.
•   Stay away from foods in buffets like fish, bean sprouts, mushrooms or unwashed lettuce, which all can carry parasites and bacteria.
•   Drink only pasteurized milk and juices.
•   Wash hands carefully after using the bathroom, changing infant diapers, or cleaning up animal feces. Use a facemask, when dealing with cat litter and use a dust less kind like Arm and Hammer Super Scoop if possible.
  


E. coli infection, and certain types of Escherichia coli bacteria, commonly called E. coli, can cause food borne illness.  Harmless strains of E. coli 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 called enterohemorrhagic E. coli, or EHEC. EHEC 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.
Transmission of E. coli bacteria 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.
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. Treatment of this life threatening condition is in an intensive care unit of the hospital using 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 produce 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
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), 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 occurs 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 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 and 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.
Transmission of Salmonellosis:  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 contaminated with this bacterium, 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.
A health care provider can diagnosis Salmonellosis using 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, 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 caused by S. sonnei.
Shigella, bacteria transmitted, by people infected from food-borne Shigella: 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 in an effort to understand how to detect, treat, and prevent food-borne diseases. Basic research is helping scientists to 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 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
MEDLINE plus
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

Please take everything seriously that I have written here.  Food borne disease kills thousands of people every year and sometimes the source is never known.  Recently my friends daughter of fourteen died and it was several months before the reason was known, it was botulism she contracted from a snake a boaconstrictor, the mice she was feeding the snake were not clean disease free mice and the fact that she did not have a mother to keep the place clean and look after her made matters worse.  Not everyone I know lives as I do nor understands the seriousness of disease.  I keep everything as clean as possible and never take chances with food it is not worth my life or anyones to do anything that could cost you yours, listen to your friends as they mean well, I wish everyone would listen to me.  Take care write to me if you need any kind of help my email address is maryhughescole@yahoo.com