Estimation of costs for control of Salmonella in high-risk feed materials and compound feed

Introduction: Feed is a potential and major source for introducing Salmonella into the animal-derived food chain. This is given special attention in the European Union (EU) efforts to minimize human food-borne Salmonella infections from animal-derived food. The objective of this study was to estimate the total extra cost for preventing Salmonella contamination of feed above those measures required to produce commercial feed according to EU regulation (EC) No 183/2005. The study was carried out in Sweden, a country where Salmonella infections in food-producing animals from feed have largely been eliminated. Methods: On the initiative and leadership of the competent authority, the different steps of feed production associated with control of Salmonella contamination were identified. Representatives for the major feed producers operating in the Swedish market then independently estimated the annual mean costs during the years 2009 and 2010. The feed producers had no known incentives to underestimate the costs. Results and discussion: The total cost for achieving a Salmonella-safe compound feed, when such a control is established, was estimated at 1.8–2.3 € per tonne of feed. Of that cost, 25% relates to the prevention of Salmonella contaminated high-risk vegetable feed materials (mainly soybean meal and rapeseed meal) from entering feed mills, and 75% for measures within the feed mills. Based on the feed formulations applied, those costs in relation to the farmers’ 2012 price for compound feed were almost equal for broilers and dairy cows (0.7%). Due to less use of protein concentrate to fatten pigs, the costs were lower (0.6%). These limited costs suggest that previous recommendations to enforce a Salmonella-negative policy for animal feed are realistic and economically feasible to prevent a dissemination of the pathogen to animal herds, their environment, and potentially to human food products

ICMSF Methods Studies. XV. Comparison of Four Media and Methods for Enumerating Staphylococcus aureus in Powdered Milk.

Four media were examined for their usefulness in enumerating Staphylococcus aureus inoculated (a) into milk that was then dried or (b) directly into dried milk powder. In all, seven strains of S. aureus were inoculated individually into each preparation and were enumerated after two periods of storage (18 to 19 d and 60 to 61 d). Fourteen laboratories from twelve countries participated in the comparison which found that direct plating on agar medium in 14-cm petri dishes may be as useful as enrichment followed by streaking. Plating on Baird-Parker medium or on Hauschild pork plasma fibrinogen medium and a MPN method using Giolitti and Cantoni's broth with Tween 80 were equally sensitive for enumerating S. aureus in dried milk powder. The use of Hauschild medium may eliminate the need for supplementary tests to confirm colonies as S. aureus , but in some cases was found to fail in some laboratories. Giolitti and Cantoni's broth without Tween 80 generally was less useful than the three other media for enumerating S. aureus . S. aureus inoculated into milk that was then dried survived longer than when inoculated into dried milk

Jacobsen syndrome

Jacobsen syndrome is a MCA/MR contiguous gene syndrome caused by partial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 11. To date, over 200 cases have been reported. The prevalence has been estimated at 1/100,000 births, with a female/male ratio 2:1. The most common clinical features include pre- and postnatal physical growth retardation, psychomotor retardation, and characteristic facial dysmorphism (skull deformities, hypertelorism, ptosis, coloboma, downslanting palpebral fissures, epicanthal folds, broad nasal bridge, short nose, v-shaped mouth, small ears, low set posteriorly rotated ears). Abnormal platelet function, thrombocytopenia or pancytopenia are usually present at birth. Patients commonly have malformations of the heart, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, genitalia, central nervous system and skeleton. Ocular, hearing, immunological and hormonal problems may be also present. The deletion size ranges from ~7 to 20 Mb, with the proximal breakpoint within or telomeric to subband 11q23.3 and the deletion extending usually to the telomere. The deletion is de novo in 85% of reported cases, and in 15% of cases it results from an unbalanced segregation of a familial balanced translocation or from other chromosome rearrangements. In a minority of cases the breakpoint is at the FRA11B fragile site. Diagnosis is based on clinical findings (intellectual deficit, facial dysmorphic features and thrombocytopenia) and confirmed by cytogenetics analysis. Differential diagnoses include Turner and Noonan syndromes, and acquired thrombocytopenia due to sepsis. Prenatal diagnosis of 11q deletion is possible by amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling and cytogenetic analysis. Management is multi-disciplinary and requires evaluation by general pediatrician, pediatric cardiologist, neurologist, ophthalmologist. Auditory tests, blood tests, endocrine and immunological assessment and follow-up should be offered to all patients. Cardiac malformations can be very severe and require heart surgery in the neonatal period. Newborns with Jacobsen syndrome may have difficulties in feeding and tube feeding may be necessary. Special attention should be devoted due to hematological problems. About 20% of children die during the first two years of life, most commonly related to complications from congenital heart disease, and less commonly from bleeding. For patients who survive the neonatal period and infancy, the life expectancy remains unknown

Pentalogy of Cantrell: two patients and a review to determine prognostic factors for optimal approach

Two patients with incomplete pentalogy of Cantrell are described. The first was a girl with a large omphalocele with evisceration of the heart, liver and intestines with an intact sternum. Echocardiography showed profound intracardiac defects. The girl died 33 h after birth. The second patient was a female fetus with ectopia cordis (EC) without intracardiac anomalies; a large omphalocele with evisceration of the heart, stomach, spleen and liver; a hypoplastic sternum and rib cage; and a scoliosis. The pregnancy was terminated. A review of patients described in the literature is presented with the intention of finding prognostic factors for an optimal approach to patients with the pentalogy of Cantrell. In conclusion the prognosis seems to be poorer in patients with the complete form of pentalogy of Cantrell, EC, and patients with associated anomalies. Intracardial defects do not seem to be a prognostic factor

The Relative Role of Perceived Partner Risks in Promoting Condom Use in a Three-City Sample of High-Risk, Low-Income Women

We examined the effect of women’s perceptions of sexual partner risks on condom use. Women from three US cities (n = 1,967) were recruited to provide data on HIV risks. In univariate models, increased odds of condom use were associated with perceiving that partners had concurrent partners and being unaware of partners': (a) HIV status, (b) bisexuality, (c) concurrency; and/or (d) injection drug use. In multivariate models, neither being unaware of the four partner risk factors nor perceiving a partner as being high risk was associated with condom use. Contextual factors associated with decreased odds of condom use were having sex with a main partner, homelessness in the past year, alcohol use during sex, and crack use in the past 30 days. Awareness of a partner’s risks may not be sufficient for increasing condom use. Contextual factors, sex with a main partner in particular, decrease condom use despite awareness of partner risk factors