Fresh produce-associated foodborne disease outbreaks in Australia, 2001 to 2017.

Fresh produce is an important source of foodborne outbreaks in Australia. Using descriptive analysis, we examined confirmed and suspected foodborne outbreaks associated with fresh produce in Australia recorded in the OzFoodNet outbreak register from 2001 to 2017. The outbreak register contains reports of foodborne disease outbreaks collected by OzFoodNet epidemiologists and public health officials.

Mixing postharvest fungicides and sanitizers results in unpredictable survival of microbes that affect cantaloupes.

Postharvest treatments with sanitizers and fungicides are applied to increase the quality, safety and shelf life of fresh produce including cantaloupes (also known as rockmelons). The primary role of sanitizers during cantaloupe washing is to prevent cross contamination of potentially pathogenic bacteria in washwater. Postharvest fungicide sprays or dips are employed to inhibit spoilage-causing fungi.

Environmental Drivers for Persistence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella in Manure-Amended Soils: A Meta-Analysis.

Abstract: Application of organic amendments to agricultural land improves soil quality and provides nutrients essential for plant growth; however, they are also a reservoir for zoonotic pathogens whose presence poses a significant risk to public health. The persistence of bacteria in manure-amended soil, and differences in manure handling practices, are important issues from a food safety perspective. The primary objective of this study was to quantitatively summarize the variations in the rate of decline of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp.

Diversity and guaiacol production of Alicyclobacillus spp. from fruit juice and fruit-based beverages.

Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is an acido-thermophilic, spore-forming bacterial species that can spoil acidic fruit juice and fruit-based beverages. The metabolism of taint compounds by this bacterial species has led to its status as a targeted microorganism in the fruit juice industry. This study aims to assess the genetic diversity of Alicyclobacillus spp.

Analysis of the Population Structure among Isolates from 1931 to 2015 in Australia.

Listeriosis remains among the most important bacterial illnesses, with a high associated mortality rate. Efforts to control listeriosis require detailed knowledge of the epidemiology of the disease itself, and its etiological bacterium, . In this study we provide an in-depth analysis of the epidemiology of 224 isolates from Australian clinical and non-clinical sources.

Aspergillus hancockii sp. nov., a biosynthetically talented fungus endemic to southeastern Australian soils.

Aspergillus hancockii sp. nov., classified in Aspergillus subgenus Circumdati section Flavi, was originally isolated from soil in peanut fields near Kumbia, in the South Burnett region of southeast Queensland, Australia, and has since been found occasionally from other substrates and locations in southeast Australia.

Comparative Genomics of the ST204 Subgroup.

The ST204 subgroup of is among the most frequently isolated in Australia from a range of environmental niches. In this study we provide a comparative genomics analysis of food and food environment isolates from geographically diverse sources. Analysis of the ST204 genomes showed a highly conserved core genome with the majority of variation seen in mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, transposons and phage insertions.

Draft Genome Sequences of 15 Isolates of Listeria monocytogenes Serotype 1/2a, Subgroup ST204.

Listeria monocytogenes sequence type 204 (ST204) strains have been isolated from a range of food, environmental, and clinical sources in Australia. This study describes the draft genome sequences of 15 isolates collected from meat and dairy associated sources.

Draft Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 (DSM 1128), an Important Rhamnolipid Surfactant Producer and Sterility Testing Strain.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 (DSM1128) is often used as a quality-control strain for sterility and microbial contamination testing and is an important biosurfactant producer. Here, we present the 6.4-Mb draft genome sequence and highlight some genomic differences to its closest relative, P.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Response and Resistance to Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Is Linked to the Redox-Active Molecule Phenazine.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen displaying high antibiotic resistance. Its resistance is in part due to its outstanding ability to form biofilms on a range of biotic and abiotic surfaces leading to difficult-to-treat, often long-term infections. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a new, promising antibacterial treatment to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Changing strategies for organ transplantation in atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome: a tertiary case series.

We present three cases of organ transplantation for atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome secondary to complement factor H mutation: one isolated renal transplant; one previously reported isolated liver transplant; and one combined liver and kidney transplant. All three patients were treated prior to the licensing of eculizumab for this condition, and all have had favourable outcomes with maintenance of graft function for years following transplantation. We discuss the evolution of transplantation therapy for aHUS over the last two decades.

Hypertension as a complication of circular external fixators.

Hypertension is not a recognized complication of circular external fixation. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of hypertension following this procedure. A retrospective review of 57 patients was carried out between January 2006 and May 2010.

Draft Genome Sequence of Clostridium sp. Maddingley, Isolated from Coal-Seam Gas Formation Water.

Clostridium sp. Maddingley was isolated as an axenic culture from a brown coal-seam formation water sample collected from Victoria, Australia. It lacks the solventogenesis genes found in closely related clostridial strains.

Draft genome sequence of Clostridium sporogenes PA 3679, the common nontoxigenic surrogate for proteolytic Clostridium botulinum.

Clostridium sporogenes PA 3679 is widely used as a nontoxigenic surrogate for proteolytic strains of Clostridium botulinum in the derivation and validation of thermal processes in food. Here we report the draft assembly and annotation of the C. sporogenes PA 3679 genome.

Intravenous methylprednisolone in idiopathic childhood nephrotic syndrome.

The aim of our study was to determine the clinical course of children with idiopathic childhood nephrotic syndrome (ICNS) who received intravenous methylprednisolone (ivMP) following failure to achieve remission with standard oral prednisolone therapy. This study was designed as a retrospective case record review from 1993 to 2007. Sixteen children received ivMP over the 15-year study period, of whom ten responded, achieving clinical remission.

Hypertension as a complication of Taylor spatial frame.

Circular external fixators in children are widely used for limb lengthening, deformity correction and the treatment of fractures. We report a case of successful management of hypertension in a 13-year-old treated with a Taylor spatial frame after a road traffic accident and a tibial fracture. A heightened awareness of the association of hypertension and external fixators is required to improve patient outcomes.

Outcome of Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis treated with long-term immunosuppression.

This retrospective study investigated the outcome of 27 children (19 male) with Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSN) of International Study of Kidney Disease in Children (ISKDC) grade 3b or higher treated with long-term immunosuppressive therapy in a single centre over a 10-year period. The mean age at presentation was 9.7 years.

Percutaneous real-time ultrasound-guided renal biopsy by automated biopsy gun in children: safety and complications.

Background: Percutaneous renal biopsy under real time ultrasound guidance is a routine procedure in pediatric nephrology and allows a histological diagnosis to be made in children with evidence of renal disease.

Methods: Retrospective case note review.

Results: Over four years 191 renal biopsies were attempted in 116 patients; 186 biopsies were performed successfully: 102 native and 84 renal allografts.

Low incidence of adverse events following 90-minute and 3-minute infusions of intravenous iron sucrose in children on erythropoietin.

Aim: To define the adverse events following two different rates and methods of intravenous iron sucrose infusions in children with anaemia due to chronic renal impairment.

Methods: Two prospective observational studies were undertaken to characterize the adverse events following iron sucrose administration in children with renal impairment and on erythropoietin. Between January 1999 and April 2003, 5 mg/kg of intravenous (IV) iron sucrose was given over 90 min and repeated 24 h later.

Serum leptin and IGF-I during growth hormone treatment in chronic renal failure.

Serum leptin decreases during growth hormone (hGH) treatment and pre-treatment values have been suggested as a predictor of the response to hGH in GH deficiency (GHD) but not in non-GHD syndromes. To investigate whether this holds true in children with chronic renal failure (CRF), we evaluated changes in serum leptin, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and height before(b) and during the 1st year (3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months) of hGH treatment (1 IU/kg per week) in 11 children (median age(b) 10.1 years, mean height(b) -2.