E.Coli 0157 Britain hides human epidemic for seven months

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At a time when Germany and France were publicising E.Coli epidemics, Britain has finally admitted that it covered up an epidemic of a different zoonotic strain, with at least 250 victims, many hospitalised and with one death.

You can read either the public statement from the Health Protection Agency  here

the Guardian's measured tones here

or the Daily Mail's outrage here

Some previous blogs from the writer mentioning E.Coli can be found here, here,  and here,

Other information can be gathered from his frequent posts on the controversial British newsgroup uk.business.agriculture, fully searchable through Google Groups

The secrecy will be due to the fear that it would be traced to livestock, so it has not been traced and was kept secret.

The row is just gathering pace now, with politicians, press and public condemning the secrecy.

It is, indeed, quite disgraceful.

The story helps support the writer's eleven year campaign to expose crime and corruption within Britain's veterinary industries and associated government departments.

Much worse is to come.

Hepatitis E in British sausages

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Things get worse. Sausages and sausage meat are a staple foods in Britain.

This is a story we have been covering for over a year. Even the Daily Telegraph reported here almost a year ago under the headline:

Virus warning over undercooked pork after three die

Our previous warnings came

here,
Hepatitis E in veterinarians and pork


here,
Hepatitis E - three dead, 55 infected - linked to pig farming


here 
Hepatitis E - three dead - story goes national

and here.
Hepatitis E infections soar

As usual, nobody did anything about advising the public about an obvious risk to humans from animal related disease. Many handle uncooked sausages and sausage meat

Anyway, the latest research activity can be read in full here

Investigation of the prevalence of hepatitis E virus contamination through the pork food supply chain in England

12-Sep-2011 

S. Grierson, F. Martelli, A. Berto, M. Banks. Investigation of the prevalence of hepatitis e virus contamination through the pork food supply chain in England. 6th International Symposium on Emerging and Re-emerging Pig Diseases: 53

Swine hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is widespread in pig herds worldwide. Infected pigs excrete large quantities of virus in the faeces, and HEV RNA has been detected in retail pig liver in several countries. In addition to the liver, HEV RNA has been detected in extra-hepatic sites in the pig including stomach, small intestine, colon, spleen, kidney, lung and muscle. Although asymptomatic in pigs there is growing evidence for zoonotic transmission of HEV as a cause of autochthonous hepatitis E in developed countries.

...The VLA role was to investigate HEV contamination in the pork food chain in England.

Samples were tested for the presence of HEV (target virus) and Porcine Adenovirus (PAdV; indicator of faecal contamination). Three points in the food supply chain were sampled, collecting faeces and liver samples at the production stage (abattoir), muscle samples at site of processing (meat processing plant) and sausage samples from point of sale. In addition, surface swabs were collected from these premises, in areas where viral contamination was considered more likely.

HEV was detected at all three points of the pork food supply chain, and with the exception of point of sale, the prevalence of HEV relative to PAdV would be consistent with a potential faecal contamination source. Six of 63 (9.5%) sausages tested had detectable HEV RNA: all six positive samples identified were from one of three batches of sausages that had been collected. In terms of foodborne transmission of HEV these represent the most significant findings. Available data suggests that the consumption of raw / undercooked sausage is a potential route of HEV transmission. Crucially, it is not known if HEV that was detected in this study was viable and this will now be investigated using in vitro cell culture. Information on the viability of the virus will be critical in the assessment of the risk to public health of HEV contamination in the pork food supply chain.

MRSA in Pigs and Humans - no comfort

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A weblog from an important pig farming magazine, Pig Progress, published in the Netherlands, but with a strong British veterinary presence, highlights the rift between Continental European and American pig industries on the link between antibiotic use in pigs and human health.

The Europeans are convinced that the data shows dangers to humans, the American pig veterinarians remain in denial.

The Continental Europeans and Americans have admitted MRSA in their pigs and pork: the Dutch and Danes leading the way.

Britain remains covering it up, still sticking to the official line that British pigs and pork do not have or carry MRSA, despite having done no credible tests.

Britain remains a black hole of veterinary ignorance and deceit, missing and faked data and, ominously, organised crime. Cover-ups and intimidation are still the order of the day.

British hospitals, unlike American and Continental European facilities, remain ignorant of the risks and unprotected from animal derived MRSA and antibiotic disease. 

The British media won't publish, too dependant on Defra, Britain's hopeless agricultural ministry and their powerful vets, to dare to expose the scandals.

The United Kingdom is now so badly out of step with the rest of the western world, that the cover-ups can't last. The scandal will end in a blaze of world-wide publicity and investigations.

Read the full weblog here

WEBLOGS

A little word of comfort

//19 Sep 2011

Author: Vincent ter Beek

Last Friday, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) sent out a brief statement on antibiotics, from its president Doug Wolf. His tone of voice was comforting – the NPPC knew.

Wolf commented on a recent report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on antibtiotic resistance, which stated that no direct relationship had been found linking antibiotic use in food animals to antibiotic resistance in humans..."there isn’t even adequate data to conduct a study." 

... In Europe, different conclusions have been drawn from this.

In Europe, the possibility of a link has led to very strong reactions. EU-wide there has been a a ban of antimicrobials as growth promoter since 2006, and Denmark and the Netherlands are even trying to clamp down the usage of antimicrobials for medication as well.

President Wolf’s tone of voice, however, was one of comfort and reassurance... 

It’s exactly that reassuring tone of voice that makes me feel a bit funny... 

...But it is a fact that the use of antibiotics in food animals can lead to antibiotic resistance in food animals. That, I feel, may need more than just words of comfort.

MRSA st398 (cc398) in hosts and country

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It is good to see a reference to the importance of geography in respect of MRSA st398.

It makes it all the more irritating to see a black hole of veterinary ignorance, certainly not MRSA absence, over Britain.

Close contact too. Interesting stuff for those prepared to work to protect the hospitals from the impact of zoonotic disease in intensive farming.and associated veterinary corruption.

Full abstract here

The distribution of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in MRSA CC398 is
associated with both host and country

" Received July 1, 2011.
" Revision received August 30, 2011.
" Accepted September 7, 2011.

Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clonal complex (CC)398 has emerged from pigs to cause human infections in Europe and North America. We used a new 62-strain S. aureus microarray (SAM-62) to compare genomes of isolates from three geographical areas (Belgium, Denmark and Netherlands) to understand how CC398 colonises different mammalian hosts. The core genomes of 44 pig isolates and 32 isolates from humans did not vary. However, mobile genetic element (MGE) distribution was variable including SCCmec. ?3 bacteriophage and human specificity genes (chp, sak, scn) were found in invasive human but not pig isolates. SaPI5 and putative ruminant specificity gene variants vwb, scn) were common but not pig specific. Virulence and resistance gene carriage was host-associated, but country specific. We conclude MGE exchange is frequent in CC398, and greatest amongst populations in close contact. This feature may help determine epidemiological associations amongst isolates of the same lineage.

MRSA st130 ( cc130 ) found in humans in Germany

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Another strain of MRSA, already found in British livestock and humans, is reported in humans in Germany.

A few extracts from the report which drew the eye, follow.

Really it confirms what we already know: antibiotic resistant strains are moving from livestock into humans, with the facts and the risks massively under-reported in Britain.

British veterinarians do not want the risks or their role reported, and hijack the mass media with platitudes.

The problems do not generally get reported in Britain. After many years of cover-up by Defra, the British agriculture ministry, the real situation is bound to emerge.

It will be the veterinary organisations who are sitting on the pressure valve. British veterinary science is still in serious trouble and the situation is rapidly deteriorating.

Full report here

Rare Occurrence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC130 with a Novel mecA Homologue in Humans in Germany

Christiane Cuny, Franziska Layer, Birgit Strommenger,Wolfgang Witte^*

Wernigerode Branch, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode, Germany

Abstract Top

MRSA CC130 containing the mecA homologue mecA_LGA251 were reported from the UK and from Denmark so far from cattle and humans. Here we report on 11 MRSA CC130 among a sample of 12691 isolates of human origin collected from January 2006 until June 2011. MRSA CC130 grew insufficiently on chromogernic agar plates for detection of MRSA; the agglutination test for presence of PBP2a was negative. We designed primers for specific detection of mecA_LGA251 as well as for concomitant detection of both, mec_LGA251 and mecA. As already described, the isolates exhibited spa-types t843, t1736, and t1773. The ccrA homologue indicated the presence SCCmec_XI. When subjected to further characterization by means of a commercially available microarray the isolates were negative for sak chp, and scn, and as expected positive for hla, untruncated hlb, and hld. They furthermore contained edinB, aur, slpA, slpB, slpE. From genes coding for surface and cell wall associated products the ica-operon, cap8, clfA, clfF,ebpS, fnbA, fnbB, sdrC were detected but not cna. The isolates were negative for enterotoxin genes and tst, as well as for eta, and etb; agr-type was III.

… Earlier studies based on phenotypic characterization suggested that S. aureus from cattle and from humans are unrelated [7]. This was confirmed by molecular typing for clonal lineages ST97 and ST705 of bovine origin, which seem to be pandemic [8], [9]. Mastitis associated lineages ST151 and ST133 seem to be frequent in the United Kingdom (UK) and in Denmark [10], [11]. However the majority of isolates from these lineages remained methicillin susceptible…

… Another example for a clonal lineage with no restricted host specificity is S. aureus ST130 which represents a smaller fraction among S. aureus from mastitis in cattle in UK and more recently also MRSA ST130 from humans have been described [17], [18]. Interestingly these MRSA contain the mecA homologue mec_LGA251 which is not detected by PCR established for detection of mecA. When human isolates exhibiting MRSA phenotype but negative PCR for mecA were tested, mecA_LGA251 was also detected among MRSA from humans in England and in Denmark. Here we report about the emergence of MRSA ST130 in infections in humans in Germany at low frequencies…

…Although MRSA ST130 have not been reported from cattle in Germany so far an animal origin seems likely, this is also supported by its isolation from a nasal swab of a veterinarian in Bavaria. As reported from Denmark and from the UK MRSA ST130 is obviously able to colonize and to cause infections in both, cattle and humans 

Circovirus in U.S. Swine

This report goes a long way towards explaining why the former President of the OIE criticised Britain in 2001 for failing to make a circovirus (PMWS) epidemic notifiable. (details recorded on the British newsgroup uk.business.agriculture, fully searchable by Google Groups)

Circovirus is nasty. They thought it then and they were right.

He must have known that Britain's devious government veterinarians were too busy covering up to think beyond blaming the innocent for the Classical Swine Fever and, Foot and Mouth epidemics the following year. We knew, and the writer gave evidence to both the Westminster Parliament and OLAF, the serious Fraud Squad of the European Union, accordingly.

Circovirus seems to have arrived in Britain in 1999, probably from Canada. The point of first infection seems to be variously stated as Northern Ireland, Cornwall or East Anglia. It probably does not matter, it spread quickly.

Anyway, the Americans  are now on the case.

Modern testing on old samples will trace the path of transmission.

Full Report here

A   R E T R O S P E C T I V E  S E R O L O G I C A L  SU R V E Y  O F  P C V 2  

EX P O S U R E  I N  U . S .   F E R A L  SW I N E

29 August 2011

Nearly all domestic swine herds are infected with Porcine Circovirus 2  (PCV2) worldwide.  Although infection with the virus does not always  cause disease, a suite of porcine circovirus associated syndromes and diseases (e.g., postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome) may  occur in domestic swine when coinfections with PCV2 exist or various environmental (husbandry) or  genetic (sow) risk factors are present.  


Vertical and horizontal transmission of PCV2 have been documented, and fecal/oral transmission  has been identified as the most important route of infection within domestic swine facilities.  Limited geographic   sampling of feral swine in  the U.S. has shown that PCV2 exposure in feral swine may mirror exposure levels seen in domestic swine herds,  although many questions remain unanswered.  In some areas, the relatively high apparent prevalence of PCV2 antibodies in feral swine is suggestive of efficient  transmission of the virus within populations, or among feral and domestic populations.


In an effort to further elucidate the geographic distribution of PCV2 in  feral swine and its association with domestic swine production,  the NWDP initiated a retrospective survey of feral  swine populations  from 72 counties in 18 states representing a  range of domestic swine  production levels.  Over 2495 samples  from the NWDP's feral swine  serum archive are being tested  by the Rollins Animal Disease Diagnostic  Laboratory in North  Carolina for antibodies to  PCV2 .  


Preliminary results suggest that statewide PCV2 prevalence in feral swine  may exceed  50% and that the majority of the  states contain PCV2 infected  feral swine.  Once testing is complete, the NWDP also will  evaluate if PCV2  exposure is  correlated with exposure to other endemic swine diseases.  If so,  exposure to PCV2 in feral swine  may assist in evaluating  risk of  disease  transmission to transitional or domestic swine herds.  


For additional information on  this survey when it becomes  available, please contact Brandon Schmit.  

Denmark - Rise in MRSA st398 - Porcine MRSA in People

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More bad news about Porcine MRSA moving from pigs to people 

comes from Denmark. 

Britain's corrupt government veterinarians still refuse to test or admit 

that British pigs have MRSA, so nothing will be done to protect 

British hospitals. 

More or less every other country has admitted MRSA in their 

pigs for years and are are doing what they can to deal with the 

problem.

Denmark has the done the most and has clean hospitals and much 

healthier pigs: they control the antibiotics used on their farms as you

can see from earlier reports on this blog, but things are still not right.

Britain's notorious agriculture ministry, DEFRA, does nothing but sit

on their hands and attempt to discredit  anyone daring to complain

about this appalling situation.

MRSA cc398 is usually referred to as MRSA st398 in the English 

speaking countries.

Extract from longer media release here translated by Google 

Translate.

...Rise in MRSA of porcine type

In 2010, the incidence of MRSA studied in approximately 100 pig 
farms, 200 chickens, 200 cattleat abattoirs. There was not found
MRSA in either chickens or cattle, while there was found MRSA

in 16% of pig herds - all of the so-called CC398 type pig type that
can be transmitted from pigs to people.

The number of people infected with MRSA of porcine type CC398 
increased from 40 in 2009 to 109 in 2010. MRSA CC398
accounted for 10% of all new MRSA cases in 2010.

Until 2010, most people with MRSA CC398 had contact with pigs,
but in 2010 was 15 cases of  CC398 found in individuals who do 
not had had contact with pigs. There is still no evidence that MRSA
CC398 spreads to real urban areas or that it be transferred from
meat to humans.

"It is important to prevent the occurrence of MRSA in pigs increases,
because we produce a large number of pigs in Denmark, and pigs
are the main reservoir for MRSA CC398, "says senior Yvonne Agersø
from National Food Institute.

"It is worrying that 14% of new cases do not have direct contact with
pigs. It may indicate that bacterium is about to change, so it rubs
 easily from human to human, "points out Robert Forest