Friday, December 10, 2010

Recall Roundup: December 10, 2010

Here is today's list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals, allergy alerts and miscellaneous compliance issues. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.

Check here for a complete list of recalled sandwiches, subs and wraps made with processed cheese slices supplied by Saputo Inc.


United States
  • OTC Pharmaceutical Product Safety Recall: McNeil Consumer Healthcare (Fort Washington, PA) recalls all lots and packaging formats of ROLAIDS® Extra Strength Softchews, ROLAIDS® Extra Strength plus Gas Softchews, and ROLAIDS® Multi-Symptom plus Anti-Gas Softchews, distributed in the United States, after receiving consumer complaints of foreign materials - including metal and wood particles - in the products. The implicated products were manufactured for McNeil by a third party. While McNeil's investigation is ongoing, the company has suspended production of the recalled products, and will not restart production until corrective actions have been implemented.
  • Food Safety Recall: Fruitology, Inc. recalls Pomegranate Fruit A Vie with Resveratrol (24 oz. Glass Bottles, LOT# 11280298), because the bottles may have invisible hairline cracks that may cause a bottle to break spontaneously or upon handling. The product was sold in BJ's Wholesale Club stores from November 1, 2010 through November 19, 2010.


Canada
  • Food Safety Recall: Barrie Bros. Local Food Company 1892 (Cambridge, ON) expands its earlier recall to include the following additional vegetable soup products: Fresh Asparagus Soup, Fresh Cauliflower Soup, Butternut Squash Soup, Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Soup, Potato & Leek Soup, Jeff Suddaby's Gourmet Curried Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Soup, and Jeff Suddaby's Gourmet Vegetable Barley Soup. The recall was initiated because the products, which are packed in 744mL Mason jars with metal lids and have neither lot codes nor Best before dates, may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. The recalled soups were distributed in Ontario.


Europe


Australia and New Zealand
  • Consumer Product Safety Recall (Australia): P & N Beverages Pty Ltd recalls Toddler Pops fruit drinks, because the flip-top lid represents a choking hazard. The products were distributed nationally through Woolworths, Coles, Metcash and Franklins stores.
  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): J.L. King & Co recalls Tuna Pasta Salad (available for sale in delicatessens between December 3rd and December 7th), because the salads may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The products were available in IGA Howling (NSW/VIC border), Terang Co-op Terang (VIC), and Fishers supermarkets in Robinvale and Merbein (both in VIC).
  • Food Safety Recall (Australia): J Boag & Son Pty Ltd recalls several James Boag's beers (375 ml green or brown glass bottles; all best before dates from 23/06/11 to 12/08/11), because a packaging fault may result in a piece of glass breaking away from the rim of the bottle upon opening. The recalled beers were distributed nationally in Australia and were bound for export to the UK, the USA and Singapore; however, the products bound for export have been held in transit.


Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket's recall web site.


*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.



Posted by Phyllis E at Friday, December 10, 2010 0 comments
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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Outbreaks and Alerts: December 9, 2010

A daily digest of international outbreaks, alerts and food safety news

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Midland, TX. December 2nd: The Midland Health Department reported Thursday it has observed more than 10 times the typical number of Shigella diarrhea cases since October – 53 versus the expected incidence of 3-4 per month.
  • Gibbon, MN. December 7th: State Agriculture Department investigators have seized several hundred gallons of raw milk and other food produced by Mark Hartmann's dairy farm in defiance of a state order to halt production at the farm. Raw milk produced at Hartmann's farm was the source of eight cases of E. coli O157:H7 in May and several other instances of gastroenteritis in July and August.
  • Boise, ID. December 8th: Health officials have found evidence of E. coli at a privately run prison south of Boise after five inmates at the Idaho Correctional Center became ill around December 1st.
  • Bellaire, MI. December 8th: The Northwest Michigan Health Department has issued a norovirus advisory for the region. Health workers suspect that norovirus was behind two outbreaks of gastroenteritis in Grand Traverse County in October - one linked to a company luncheon and the other at a day care center.
  • Maine. December 9th: The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC has issued a norovirus health advisory after receiving reports of five outbreaks from four counties in the last 10 days. Four of the outbreaks occurred in long term care facilities, and the fifth was in a school setting.
  • Washington, DC. December 9th: EPA has published a petition filed by 82 public health and environmental groups to ban the antibacterial agent triclosan for nonmedical use. A 60-day comment period has been announced.
  • Brown County, Kansas. December 9th: The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued a boil water advisory for the City of Willis and portions of the City of Horton after a loss of water pressure was reported in the public water system.


Canada
  • Peterborough, ON. December 8th: The Peterborough Regional Health Centre continues to restrict visitors to its B3 medical unit, due to an outbreak of Clostridium difficile, MRSA and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus. No new cases have been identified.


Europe
  • Llandudno, Wales. December 8th: Badgers Café is facing five hygiene and cleanliness charges after an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis PT14b last year.
  • Wiltshire, UK. December 8th: Churchfields School remains closed as investigations continue into an illness outbreak, thought to be due to norovirus. Twenty-four staff members are absent with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.
  • Liverpool, UK. December 8th: Banks Road Primary School in Garston is experiencing an outbreak of viral gastroenteritis. About 55 of the 209 pupils are affected.
  • UK. December 9th: The Health Protection Agency has recorded 43 outbreaks of norovirus in hospitals since the beginning of November. Thirty-nine of the outbreaks have led to ward closures.
  • Saint-Michel, France. December 9th: A 14-year old student at Puygrelier College has been hospitalized and 143 are ill with food poisoning. A meal served to the students on Tuesday is suspected to be the source of the outbreak. Lab analyses are in progress.
  • Östersund, Sweden. December 9th: The municipality believes that it has found the source of the Campylobacter contamination in its municipal water system. The parasite is thought to have entered the system in a multi-family dwelling in the Odensala neighborhood of Östersund.


Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Putrajaya, Malaysia. December 8th: The Health Ministry has ordered a probe of the waters of the Kenyir Lake to determine the extent to which it is contaminated with E. coli, following media reports of high levels of the bacteria having been found in the waters of the lake by a study undertaken by Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.
  • Morogoro, Tanzania. December 8th: Four people have died and 58 were hospitalized in a new outbreak of cholera. The first cases in the area were reported two weeks ago.
  • Singapore. December 9th: Cordial drinks and chicken frank rolls were suspected to have caused the mass food poisoning incident at the Singapore Sports School canteen last month which affected 106 students. A sample of chicken frank rolls was found to contain low levels of Bacillus cereus, and one of the food handlers also tested positive for Salmonella.
  • Cebu, Philippines. December 9th: The number of reported cases of typhoid fever continue to rise in two villages of Alegria. At least 30 residents have been hospitalized; 160 are experiencing symptoms of typhoid. Contaminated water is suspected to be the source of the outbreak.


Posted by Phyllis E at Thursday, December 09, 2010 0 comments
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Recall Roundup: December 9, 2010

Here is today's list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals, allergy alerts and miscellaneous compliance issues. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.



United States
  • Allergy Alert: L&R Fine Fashions, Inc. (Garden Grove, CA) recalls approximately 2,182 pounds of raw pork paste and ready-to-eat fried pork loaf products because they contain undeclared wheat. The recalled items include Kim Loan Giò Sông Pork Paste Fish Sauce Added (11-oz pkg) and Kim Loan Chá Chiên Fried Pork Loaf Fish Sauce Added (14-oz loaf). The recalled items, which bear establishment number EST. 40074 and were produced between Jan 22, 2010 and Dec 6, 2010, were distributed to retail establishments in Southern California.
  • Food Safety Recall: Mojave Foods Corporation recalls sixty (60) packages of El Guapo Nuez Entera / Shelled Walnuts (1-oz pkg; date code 5527), manufactured with walnuts supplied by Atlas Walnuts (Visalia, CA) after Mojave is advised that the walnuts may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled El Guapo walnuts were supplied to retailers in Southern California.
  • Food Safety Recall: Pablo's Produce, Inc. (Oxnard, CA) recalls one lot of Cilantro bundles (UPC 03383801049) available for sale from November 24, 2010 through December 2, 2010), because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella.


Canada
  • Food Safety Recall: Barrie Bros. Local Food Company 1892 (Cambridge, ON) recalls Barrie Bros. Fresh Broccoli Soup (744mL Mason glass jar with metal lid; no UPC or lot code), because the product may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. The recalled products were distributed only in Ontario.
  • Food Safety Recall (Update): The Canadian Food Inspection Agency updates the list of affected sandwich products that were made with processed cheese sliced recalled by Saputo Inc. on December 2nd. These products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.


Europe


Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Alert (Hong Kong): The Department of Health alerts members of the public not to buy or consume unknown or doubtful slimming products from the Internet as they may contain undeclared drug ingredients that are dangerous to health. The appeal followed the arrest on December 8th of two men, aged 26 and 38 respectively, in two separate joint operations by the Police and the DH for suspected sale of six slimming products which were found to contain undeclared and banned drug ingredients. The six products were "Miaozi Qiantijiaonang", "Leptin Slimup Fuel Coffee", "Leptin Coffee Weight Loss", "Relacore South African Hoodia Capsule", "Rehuoshoushen II Xinzixilie Pilipeifang" and "Rehuoshoushen III Xinzixilie Boluopeifang". All six of the products contained sibutramine, and three of them also contained phenolphthalein.



Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket's recall web site.


*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.



Posted by Phyllis E at Thursday, December 09, 2010 0 comments
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Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Outbreaks and Alerts: December 8, 2010

A daily digest of international outbreaks, alerts and food safety news

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.


United States
  • Brainerd, MN. December 7th: Crosslake Community School was closed last friday after three staff members and more than 20% of the student body were absent due to an outbreak of norovirus gastroenteritis.
  • Oregon. December 7th: An advisory is in effect for Harris State Park Beach, due to a sewage spill into Harris Creek. While the advisory is in effect, visitors should avoid direct contact with the water. Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to potential infection from waterborne bacteria.


Canada
  • Ottawa, ON. December 7th: Health Canada is reminding Canadians of some basic rules for safe handling of leftovers during the holiday season.


Europe
  • Dublin, Ireland. December 6th: The Food Safety Authority of Ireland reports that it issued one Improvement Order and four Closure Orders to food businesses during November.
  • Sunderland, UK. December 6th: A Campylobacter infection thought to have been contracted from contaminated food left a couple dangerously ill in hospital as a result of their stay at Kenya's Baobab Beach Resort. Mick and Liz Rodwell were on a 15-day safari in celebration of Liz's 56th birthday.
  • Kharkiv, Ukraine. December 7th: Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into an outbreak of food poisoning at the Kharkiv Air Force University that sickened 96 cadets in November. An inspection revealed numerous problems at the university cafeteria, including improper sanitation, outdated equipment and failure by university authorities to monitor food quality.


Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Hong Kong. December 6th: The Centre for Health Protection is investigating two clusters of suspected food poisoning involving 10 people. Both clusters are associated with consumption of food in the same restaurant in Tung Chung on November 28th and December 4th.
  • Hanoi, Vietnam. December 6th: The Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has rejected a proposal from the owners of the city's unhygienic Thinh Liet Abattoir to keep the facility open until next August.
  • Hong Kong. December 7th: The Centre for Health Protection has confirmed a local case of cholera involving a 61-year old woman in Shau Kei Wan. This is the 9th case of cholera reported in Hong Kong this year.
  • Uganda. December 7th: The illness that has killed at least 38 people in northern Uganda remains a mystery. Preliminary tests have ruled out Ebola, typhoid and several other diseases.
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh. December 7th: Officials at Rajshahi University in western Bangladesh have ordered a major rat extermination drive after rodent meat found its way into chicken curry served to students. The chef has been suspended.
  • Lusaka, Zambia. December 7th: The Ministry of Health has confirmed three cholera cases from Chawama and Kanyama Townships. No deaths have been reported.
  • Papua New Guinea. December 7th: Between 200 and 300 people have died from cholera in the Western Province. Thirty-two of the deaths were recorded at Daru General Hospital. More than 2,000 cases of cholera have been reported, with many of the victims from isolated villages.
  • Cebu, Philippines. December 7th: A state of disaster has been declared in Alegriaafter nearly 200 people were diagnosed with typhoid fever. The town's water system is under investigation.

Australia and New Zealand
  • Lake Hume, Australia. December 8th: An algae bloom has been confirmed in Lake Hume. The public is being urged to avoid any water that appears bright green, or where green scums or a distinctive odor are present.


Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Panama. December 7th: Six hundred cases of diarrhea have been linked to poor food handling practices and the consumption of spoiled food.
  • Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. December 7th: The number of confirmed cholera cases has reached 22, according to the Public Health Ministry. The government believes that the situation is under control.
  • Haiti. December 8th: As of December 3rd, the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population had confirmed 91,770 cases of cholera; 43,243 (47.1%) victims were hospitalized, and there have been 2,071 deaths (death rate of 2.3%). A nationwide cholera surveillance system has been established. A French medical report commissioned by the Haitian authorities to determine the origin of the epidemic has pointed a finger at the Nepalese peacekeepers who were deployed as part of the international earthquake relief efforts. The United Nations does not consider the French report to be definitive proof of the Nepalese connection.


Posted by Phyllis E at Wednesday, December 08, 2010 2 comments
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Recall Roundup: December 8, 2010

Here is today's list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals, allergy alerts and miscellaneous compliance issues. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.



United States


Canada
  • Food Safety Recall (Update): HQ Fine Foods recalls Quality Fast Food 4-Pack Quarter Pound Bacon Cheeseburger (Costco Item #166; Best before dates from Dec 3 2010 up to and including Jan 16 2011), because they product contains processed cheese slices recalled by Saputo Inc. due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.


Europe
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Alert (Denmark): The Food Administration reiterates its June 2010 warning to the public not to purchase or consume supplements from the website svenskkosttilskud.dk, because the web site offers products containing synefrin and caffeine in combination.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2010.1660): Salmonella Dublin in beef from Germany; distributed to Denmark.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2010.1661): Unauthorised sulfathiazole in honey from Romania; distributed to Italy.
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2010.1662): Escherichia coli in clams (Vongole veraci ) from Italy; distributed to Italy and Switzerland.



Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket's recall web site.


*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.



Posted by Phyllis E at Wednesday, December 08, 2010 0 comments
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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Recall Roundup: December 7, 2010

Here is today's list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals, allergy alerts and miscellaneous compliance issues. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please click here or submit your request using the sidebar link. Please include "subscribe eFoodAlert" in the subject line.



United States
  • Allergy Alert: Lobby Shoppes, Inc. recalls Gourmet Cheese Popcorn (12 oz. & 24 oz. bags), Chicago Triple Mix Popcorn (12 oz. bags) and Delicious Caramel Corn (2 1/2 lb. bags, 4 lb. bags and 9 oz. tubs), because the products contain undeclared milk and soy. The recalled products were distributed in grocery stores throughout Ohio and sold in the Lobby Shoppes, Inc. showroom in Springfield, OH.
  • Food Safety Recall: S&S Food Inc. (Brooklyn, NY) recalls Dried Fish Vobla Gutted (Product of Germany; Production date 21.06.2010; Lot #280610140), because the fish was not properly eviscerated prior to processing. The recalled fish was sold nationwide.
  • Food Safety Recall: Rushing Waters Fisheries (Palmyra, WI) recalls about 225 pounds of smoked trout (Lot #00694; sell by date of Dec 13) and smoked salmon (Lot #50012; sell by date of Dec 11) spreads, because the products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled spreads were sold in 8-ounce containers and 4.5-pound plastic tubs in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, including in Whole Foods Market grocery stores.
  • Food Recall/Withdrawal: Food City advises its customers that the manufacturer has recalled a number of Duchess baked goods, including several varieties of pies and several varieties of donuts. No details have been provided.
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: Intelli Health Products expands its earlier recall of Duro Extend Capsules For Men to include all lot codes, after being informed by FDA that the product is adulterated with sulfoaidenafil (an analogue of sildenafil). Sildenafil is an FDA-approved prescription medication used to treat erectile dysfunction.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Dong-A Otsuka Co., Ltd. (Seoul, Korea) that an August 2010 inspection of the company's acidified food facility revealed serious deviations from the US acidified food regulations.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Village Walk (Cherry Hill, NJ) that an August inspection of the company's seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns LSG Sky Chefs, Inc. (Irving, TX) that a June 2010 inspection of the company's facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulation for foods.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Fish Brothers, Inc. (Blue Lake, CA) that an August 2010 inspection of the company's seafood processing establishment revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation and the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulation for foods.
  • FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns Lighthouse Marina Partnership (Barnegat Light, NJ) that a May/June 2010 inspection of the company's seafood processing facility revealed serious violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation.


Canada
  • Allergy Alert: Vadeboncoeur Inc. (Montreal, QC) recalls Freddo brand 70% cocoa Extra Fine Dark Chocolate Squares (140g packages; Lot #210256), because the product contains undeclared milk. The recalled chocolate squares were distributed in the province of Québec. One illness has been associated with consumption of the product.
  • Allergy Alert: Les Importations Herbasanté Inc. and Bio-Dis Inc. recall the health products Probiophilus and Cultures de Yogourt 5 Milliards, respectively, because the products may contain trace amounts of undeclared milk.
  • Food Safety Recall (Update): The Canadian Food Inspection Agency updates its list of various sandwich products that were made with recalled Saputo Processed Cheese Slices. Saputo recalled processed cheese slices on December 2nd because the product was potentially contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. No illnesses have been associated with the consumption of these products.


Europe


Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands
  • Food Safety Notification (EU #2010.1655): Illegal import (exporter in Gambia removed from the list of the approved establishments) of fresh tuna loins from the Gambia; distributed to France, Ireland, Italy, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.


Australia and New Zealand
  • Dietary Supplement Safety Recall: Bruce Imports recalls four weight loss products, which were imported from China and sold online throughout Australia, because the products contain sibutramine. The recalled products are: Leptin Green Coffee 800 (90g box; Expiry 13/09/2012), Leptin Slimming Coffee Rose Curve (200g box; Expiry 18/09/2012); My Leptin Weight Loss Jelly (560g box; Expiry 18/04/2010); and Lose Weight Coffee (120g; Expiry 14/05/2012).



Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket's recall web site.


*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.



Posted by Phyllis E at Tuesday, December 07, 2010 0 comments
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Guest Blog: Phage Therapy - The Other Antibiotic Treatment

by G.W. (Bill) Riedel, PhD, MCIC

If I suggested that a cure for the cholera outbreak in Haiti could be found in the same rivers thought to be responsible for the outbreak in the first place, most people would consider me crazy. But they’d be wrong.


In 1896 the British bacteriologist, Ernest Hankin discovered marked antibacterial activity – against Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera – in the waters of the Ganges and Jumna rivers in India. He suggested that an unidentified substance (which passed through fine porcelain filters and was destroyed by heat) was responsible for this phenomenon and for limiting the spread of cholera epidemics.


It wasn’t until 1917, though, that French-Canadian microbiologist Felix D’Herelle – working at the Pasteur Institute – realized that the antibacterial activity discovered by Hankin was due to viruses that preyed on bacteria. D’Herelle named these viruses “bacteriophages” (phages for short).


Bacteriophages are viruses that are parasitic to bacteria and cannot multiply independently. Each phage can only infect a specific bacterial host, as it has to be able to link with special structures on the surface of the bacterial cell. Once attached, the phage injects its DNA into the host cell. The phage DNA hijacks the reproductive mechanism of the bacterial cell, causing the infected bacterium to produce 50 to 200 daughter phages in as little as 30 minutes. Finally, the infected cell bursts – releasing the new crop of phages and starting another cycle of infection and phage reproduction.


Prior to the discovery of the electron microscope in 1940, no one could see bacteriophages, even with high-powered conventional microscopes. Early studies of phage behavior and reproduction depended on adding phages to liquid cultures in which bacteria had grown, and observing the clearing of the turbid broth and destruction of the bacteria. In other experiments, scientists observed and counted clear zones in layers of bacterial growth on solid culture media.


Soon after he discovered and named bacteriophages, D’Herelle began to experiment with the possibility of using phages to cure, and even prevent, bacterial infections. The fruits of his efforts survive to this day in Tbilisi, Georgia at the Phage Therapy Center, which welcomes patients from all over the world.


In Poland, at The Hirszfeld Institute and of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, phage therapy is carried out under medical experimentation, ethical and compassionate use regulatory provisions similar to those that exist in most countries. A broad range of infections have been treated since the initial anti-staphylococcal treatment in 1925. The Institute requires that all patients treated must have previously been treated – unsuccessfully – with conventional methods such as antibiotics. Since the 1980s, their work with phages has been published in English language scientific journals. Very high success rates – 85% on average – have been obtained for infections caused by bacteria such as Escherichia, Klebsiella, Proteus, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, and Staphylococcus aureus. Their success rates for treating Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, including MRSA strains, have been reported to be even higher than 85%.


Phage biology was not well understood in D’Herelle’s time, and results from early attempts at phage therapy treatments were inconsistent. Once antibiotics appeared, interest in phage therapy in the West waned – until antibiotic-resistance and superbugs rekindled research efforts. As of this writing, Phase I trials of phage therapy treatments are being planned or have been completed in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Australia and India.


In the USA, “phage therapy” (a.k.a. biocontrol) has received the most attention – and the greatest acceptance – in non-clinical applications. The FDA recognizes a bacteriophage preparation made by Intralytix as a safe antimicrobial for control of Listeria monocytogenes on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. Another phage preparation, Agriphage, a phage product that is commercially available from Omnilytics, is used primarily to treat bacterial damage of tomatoes and peppers, and has been recognized as being compatible with organic food production. The status of clinical phage therapy in the US was laid out clearly in a March 31, 2009 Popular Science article, The Next Phage.


Is it absurd that phage biocontrol products are accepted in the West for prevention or treatment of contamination in food, but not available to patients suffering from antibiotic-resistant infections? I, for one, think so. If you are interested in learning more and forming your own opinion, the following resources will be helpful.





About the author: Before his retirement from Health Canada, G.W. (Bill) Riedel, PhD., MCIC, was Chief, Program Development and Evaluation Division, in Health Canada’s Field Operations Directorate. Bill organized and moderated a symposium entitled "Phage therapy as it applies to food public health bacteriology" at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists in Chicago, and he has given a number of presentations on phage therapy.

Posted by Phyllis E at Tuesday, December 07, 2010 10 comments
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