Salmonella in California; Fungal Infection After Joplin Tornado
By Donald A. Donahue, Jr., DHEd, FACHE
A salmonella outbreak blamed for scores of illnesses and at least one death may be linked to eating ground turkey. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that since March 1 a total of 77 cases in 26 states had been reported as being infected with the bacteria. The outbreak strain is resistant to many antibiotics, a fact that can increase the risk that patients will be hospitalized and that treatment will fail. Evidence points to ground turkey as the likely source of the outbreak, the CDC said.
See: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/02/california.salmonella/index.html?hpt=hp_bn6
The outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg offers some insights into how disease travels and ways to avoid falling victim. Consider the numbers: 77 cases over a five month period; spread across 26 states in every region of the nation. This would indicate the contamination has not been a significant adulteration of a single batch of meat, but rather an ongoing problem only now producing enough evidence to detect a pattern. In many ways, this situation resembles that faced in developing parts of the world where endemic strains of bacteria sicken travelers. As public health and agricultural officials have stressed, proper food handling and cooking of meat and poultry – reaching a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 Celsius) – reduce the chance of acquiring food-borne illness. The U.S. food safety system is the best in the world, but no human endeavor is perfect. You are your own first line of protection.
In Joplin, Missouri, five deaths from the Joplin tornado linked to fungal infection. Injuries sustained from splintered wood or other materials triggered a rare fungal infection that may have contributed to the deaths of five people following the Joplin, tornado, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. In all, 13 people contracted the illness, and the CDC also said it had seen multiple fungal infections of that type after other natural disasters such as hurricanes but never after a tornado. The fungi in question are typically found in soil, decaying wood or other organic matter.
See: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/30/us-tornado-deaths-idUSTRE76T1DT20110730
The aftermath of the Joplin tornado -- like many disasters – continues to reveal tragic characteristics. The incidents of mucormycosis are notable, as discussed, because this infection has not been previously diagnosed related to a tornado. This does not mean, however, that this have never before occurred. A normally rare infection, mucormycosis should be considered following any event where wounds and environmental fungi could be a potential cause of necrotizing soft-tissue infections. This is particularly true for individuals with conditions that impact the immune system, including AIDS, diabetes, malignancies (e.g., lymphomas), renal failure, organ transplant, long term corticosteroid and immunosuppressive therapy, cirrhosis energy malnutrition, and Deferoxamine therapy.