An outbreak of Infantis linked to shredded pork products from an unlicensed source in multiple health districts, Ontario, Canada, 2021.

Background: An outbreak of Infantis was associated with the consumption of shredded pork products at multiple restaurants in Ontario between July 2021 and October 2021. The outbreak involved 36 case-patients from six public health units. The implicated shredded pork products were obtained from an unlicensed source.

Community outbreak linked to a cooling tower, 2022.

Background: Thirty-five laboratory-confirmed legionellosis cases were reported to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (Ontario, Canada) between September 27, 2022, and October 15, 2022, resulting in one death and 29 hospitalizations. This article describes the outbreak and highlights activities for managing the outbreak, including various environmental and infrastructural controls associated with the public health response and some of the unique challenges and potential solutions to mitigate future outbreaks.

Methods: All cases of legionellosis were reported to and investigated by the local provincial health unit.

Salmonella Vitkin Outbreak Associated with Bearded Dragons, Canada and United States, 2020-2022.

We identified 2 cases of Salmonella enterica serovar Vitkin infection linked by whole-genome sequencing in infants in Ontario, Canada, during 2022. Both households of the infants reported having bearded dragons as pets. The outbreak strain was also isolated from an environmental sample collected from a patient's bearded dragon enclosure.

Two Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks in a cancer centre: onsite food premises and their potential health risk to patients.

Background: This report describes two L. monocytogenes outbreak investigations that occurred in March and September of 2018 and that linked illness to a food premises located in an Ontario cancer centre. The cancer centre serves patients from across the province.

Listeria monocytogenes Associated with Pasteurized Chocolate Milk, Ontario, Canada.

In an investigation of a listeriosis outbreak in Ontario, Canada, during November 2015-June 2016, pasteurized chocolate milk was identified as the source. Because listeriosis outbreaks associated with pasteurized milk are rare in North America, these findings highlight that dairy products can be contaminated after pasteurization.

Nuggets of Wisdom: Salmonella Enteritidis Outbreaks and the Case for New Rules on Uncooked Frozen Processed Chicken.

In 2014 and 2015, three Canadian Salmonella serotype Enteritidis outbreak investigations implicated uncooked, frozen, processed chicken products produced at the same establishment, namely establishment A. In November 2014, a sustained increase in the number of reported domestically acquired Salmonella Enteritidis cases in Ontario led to the first outbreak investigation, which implicated uncooked, frozen, processed chicken products produced at establishment A. In June 2015, the identification of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns that had not been previously reported in Canada led to a national Salmonella Enteritidis investigation.

Assessment of Listeria sp. Interference Using a Molecular Assay To Detect Listeria monocytogenes in Food.

Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in food is currently based on enrichment methods. When L. monocytogenes is present with other Listeria species in food, the species compete during the enrichment process.