Yersinia enterocolitica outbreak associated with ready-to-eat salad mix, Norway, 2011.

In 2011, an outbreak of illness caused by Yersinia enterocolitica O:9 in Norway was linked to ready-to-eat salad mix, an unusual vehicle for this pathogen. The outbreak illustrates the need to characterize isolates of this organism, and reinforces the need for international traceback mechanisms for fresh produce.

Analysis of simultaneous space-time clusters of Campylobacter spp. in humans and in broiler flocks using a multiple dataset approach.

Background: Campylobacteriosis is the most frequently reported zoonosis in the EU and the epidemiology of sporadic campylobacteriosis, especially the routes of transmission, is to a great extent unclear. Poultry easily become colonised with Campylobacter spp., being symptom-less intestinal carriers.

Screening for tuberculosis infection among newly arrived asylum seekers: comparison of QuantiFERONTB Gold with tuberculin skin test.

Background: QuantiFERONTB Gold (QFT) is a promising blood test for tuberculosis infection but with few data so far from immigrant screening. The aim of this study was to compare results of QFT and tuberculin skin test (TST) among newly arrived asylum seekers in Norway and to assess the role of QFT in routine diagnostic screening for latent tuberculosis infection.

Methods: The 1000 asylum seekers (age > or = 18 years) enrolled in the study were voluntarily recruited from 2813 consecutive asylum seekers arriving at the national reception centre from September 2005 to June 2006.

A case-control study of scrapie Nor98 in Norwegian sheep flocks.

Scrapie is a fatal, neurological disease of sheep and goats and belongs to the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. In 1998, a new type of scrapie, designated scrapie Nor98, was detected in Norway. Scrapie Nor98 differs from classical scrapie in the distribution of pathological changes and of the scrapie prion protein, the Western blot profile of the prion protein, and with isolated cases usually being observed in the case flocks.

Multiple regression analysis as a tool for the identification of relations between semi-quantitative LC-MS data and cytotoxicity of extracts of the fungus Fusarium avenaceum (syn. F. arthrosporioides).

The cytotoxicity of methanolic extracts from rice cultures of 53 Fusarium avenaceum strains, which had been isolated from different host organisms in Northern Europe, Canada and Australia/New Zealand, was investigated in a rat hepatoma (H4IIE-W), porcine epithelial kidney (PK-15), foetal feline lung fibroblast, dog lymphoblast (D3447), and a human hepatocarcinoma (Hep G2) cell line using the Alamar Bluetrade mark assay. All extracts were screened for known fungal metabolites using high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array and mass spectrometric detection, and both known and unknown metabolites were semi-quantified. Known metabolites that were determined in the cultures include acuminatopyrone, 2-amino-14,16-dimethyloctadecan-3-ol (2-AOD-3-ol), antibiotic Y, aurofusarin, chlamydosporol, chlamydospordiol, enniatins, fusarin A and C, and moniliformin.

Potential uptake of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from organic manure into crisphead lettuce.

To investigate the potential transfer of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from contaminated manure to fresh produce, lettuce seedlings were transplanted into soil fertilized with bovine manure which had been inoculated with approximately 10(4) CFU g(-1) E. coli O157:H7. The lettuce was grown for approximately 50 days in beds in climate-controlled rooms in a greenhouse.