Foodborne proportions for most pathogens in this study were the same or lower than those estimated circa 2000 in Australia, with the greatest decline for non-STEC pathogenic E. coli. Inclusion of certainty intervals from experts helps to quantify the precision of foodborne proportions. A decline in estimates of the foodborne proportion for common pathogens will influence final estimates of the burden of illness acquired from food.

This is the first reported HEV outbreak in Australia. HEV should be considered in patients presenting with a compatible illness, even without a history of overseas travel. Pork products should be thoroughly cooked before consumption.

Outbreaks of Escherichia coli infections linked to fermented meats have prompted much research into the kinetics of E. coli inactivation during fermented meat manufacture. A meta-analysis of data from 44 independent studies was undertaken that allowed the relative influences of pH, water activity (a w ), and temperature on E. coli survival during fermented meat processing to be investigated. Data were reevaluated to determine rates of inactivation, providing 484 rate data points with various pH (2.8 to 6.14), a w (0.75 to 0.986), and temperature (؊20 to 66°C) values, product formulations, and E. coli strains and serotypes. When the data were presented as an Arrhenius model, temperature (0 to 47°C) accounted for 61% of the variance in the ln(inactivation rate) data. In contrast, the pH or a w measured accounted for less than 8% of variability in the data, and the effects of other pH-and a w -based variables (i.e., total decrease and rates of reduction of those factors) were largely dependent on the temperature of the process. These findings indicate that although temperatures typically used in fermented meat manufacture are not lethal to E. coli per se, when other factors prevent E. coli growth (e.g., low pH and a w ), the rate of inactivation of E. coli is dominated by temperature. In contrast, inactivation rates at temperatures above ϳ50°C were characterized by smaller z values than those at 0 to 47°C, suggesting that the mechanisms of inactivation are different in these temperature ranges. The Arrhenius model developed can be used to improve product safety by quantifying the effects of changes in temperature and/or time on E. coli inactivation during fermented meat manufacture.Fermented meats encompass a diverse range of product styles in which raw, ground meat is preserved by the processes of fermentation and drying (or maturation). These products are typically manufactured without a bactericidal heat treatment, and instead, inhibition of growth and inactivation of contaminating pathogens rely upon the collective effects of acid pH, reduced water activity (a w ), and the presence of lactic acid and, potentially, curing salts (nitrate and/or nitrite) and spices. However, pathogenic Escherichia coli can contaminate and survive in fermented meat products at levels sufficient to cause serious illness in consumers, as evidenced by numerous outbreaks of E. coli infections epidemiologically linked to uncooked fermented meat products (8,9,54,64). Knowledge of the kinetics of nonthermal inactivation of E. coli, and the factors affecting it, is important to be able to optimize the safety of fermented meat processes.Several research groups have conducted studies on the survival of pathogenic E. coli during the processing of specific fermented meat products (4,6,14,16,23,25). In some cases, the effects of alternative ingredients or processing parameters have also been determined (12,21,24,30). Such investigations have allowed the lethality of a specific fermented meat process to be determined and the microbiological safe...

A multi-state outbreak of Salmonella enterica serovar Saintpaul infection occurred in Australia during October 2006. A case-control study conducted in three affected jurisdictions, New South Wales, Victoria and Australian Capital Territory, included 36 cases with the outbreak-specific strain of S. Saintpaul identified by multiple locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) in a faecal specimen and 106 controls. Consumption of cantaloupe (rockmelon) was strongly associated with illness (adjusted OR 23.9 95%, 95% CI 5.1-112.4). S. Saintpaul, with the outbreak MLVA profile, was detected on the skin of two cantaloupes obtained from an implicated retailer. Trace-back investigations did not identify the specific source of the outbreak strain of S. Saintpaul, but multiple Salmonella spp. were detected in environmental samples from farms and packing plants investigated during the trace-back operation. Cantaloupe production and processing practices pose a potential public health threat requiring regulatory and community educational interventions.

Salmonella Typhimurium is a common cause of foodborne illness in Australia. We report on seven outbreaks of Salmonella Typhimurium multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) 03-26-13-08-523 (European convention 2-24-12-7-0212) in three Australian states and territories investigated between November 2015 and March 2016. We identified a common egg grading facility in five of the outbreaks. While no Salmonella Typhimurium was detected at the grading facility and eggs could not be traced back to a particular farm, whole genome sequencing (WGS) of isolates from cases from all seven outbreaks indicated a common source. WGS was able to provide higher discriminatory power than MLVA and will likely link more Salmonella Typhimurium cases between states and territories in the future. National harmonization of Salmonella surveillance is important for effective implementation of WGS for Salmonella outbreak investigations.