Date: 11/27/2006
Dr. Edo McGowan
Subject: There is a lot more to worry about---it isn't just E.coli in Salinas
Listeria accounted for the majority of deaths in food-borne disease outbreaks during the 1998 and 2002
recording period according to CDC. These bacteria are encysted within amoebae, and the amoebae are
highly resistant to chlorine and wastewater processing procedures. In addition to not being well controlled
by present wastewater processes they are not well enumerated through lab tests within current standards.
Accordingly, there may be an opportunity for these pathogens to be sent from the reclaimed water plant
into the irrigation pipeline, hence to the crops. It is doubtful whether or not this is even looked at by those
operating the reclaimed water plant. These people are not trained to adequately understand these issues,
yet are licensed by the state to operate these plants. There is no requirement by the state that plant
operators be trained along these lines. They merely rely on existing standards and in their ignorance
assume all is well. Thus in addition to Title-22 failing to accurately reflect the newly emerging infectious
diseases and failing to see VBNC organisms, listeria may represent another major flaw in the strategy of
using reclaimed sewage water for irrigation of fresh-eaten crops such as spinach. We need to begin
educating the likes of those selling certified organic crops in the Salinas where treated sewage water is
used.
Isolation and germ count of Listeria monocytogenes in raw and biologically treated waste water]
[Art.icle in German]
Geuenich HH,
Muller HE.
The concentration of Listeria monocytogenes was determined in 66 samples of waste water and of the effluent after the
biological step in the waste water pretreatment plant of Braunschweig. 697 strains of Listeria were isolated, 84 per cent
of them were L. monocytogenes. The concentration of Listeria varied between 10(3)-2.4 X 10(5) cells/l. Neglecting some
exceptions, there were about ten times more Listeria in the sludge than in the clearly filtered waste water. In general,
Listeria seem to be not reduced by the biological oxidation during the waste water treatment. On the contrary, we
observed a multiplication in 45 percent of all cases. The propagation of Listeria within amoebae or other protozoa is
discussed. Finally, the hygienic role of sludge is discussed because Listeria are concentrated in it and they are able to
survive many months up to some years. Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg [B]. 1984 Jun;179(3):266-73
Listeria accounted for the majority of deaths in food-borne disease outbreaks during the 1998 and 2002 recording
period according to CDC. These bacteria are encysted within amoebae, and the amoebae are highly resistant to
chlorine and wastewater processing procedures. In addition to not being well controlled by present wastewater
processes they are not well enumerated through lab tests within current standards. Accordingly, there may be an
opportunity for these pathogens to be sent from the reclaimed water plant into the irrigation pipeline, hence to the crops.
It is doubtful whether or not this is even looked at by those operating the reclaimed water plant. These people are not
trained to adequately understand these issues, yet are licensed by the state to operate these plants. There is no
requirement by the state that plant operators be
Surveillance for foodborne-disease outbreaks--United States, 1998-2002.
Lynch M,
Painter J,
Woodruff R,
Braden C;
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Division of Foodborne, Bacterial, and Mycotic Diseases National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric
Diseases (proposed), CDC, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, MS A-38, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. mlynch1@cdc.gov
PROBLEM/CONDITION: Since 1973, CDC has maintained a collaborative surveillance program for collection and
periodic reporting of data on the occurrence and causes of foodborne-disease outbreaks (FBDOs) in the United States.
REPORTING PERIOD COVERED: 1998-2002. DESCRIPTION OF SYSTEM: The Foodborne Disease Outbreak
Surveillance System reviews data on FBDOs, defined as the occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illness
resulting from the ingestion of a common food. State and local public health departments have primary responsibility for
identifying and investigating FBDOs. State, local, and territorial health departments use a standard form to report these
outbreaks to CDC. In 1998, CDC implemented enhanced surveillance for FBDOs by increasing communication with
state, local, and territorial health departments and revising the outbreak report form. Since 2001, reports of FBDOs are
submitted through a web application on the Internet called the electronic Foodborne Outbreak Reporting System
(eFORS).
RESULTS: During 1998-2002, a total of 6,647 outbreaks of foodborne disease were reported (1,314 in 1998, 1,343 in
1999, 1,417 in 2000, 1,243 in 2001, and 1,330 in 2002). These outbreaks caused a reported 128,370 persons to
become ill. Among 2,167 (33%) outbreaks for which the etiology was determined, bacterial pathogens caused the
largest percentage of outbreaks (55%) and the largest percentage of cases (55%). Among bacterial pathogens,
Salmonella serotype Enteritidis accounted for the largest number of outbreaks and outbreak-related cases; Listeria
monocytogenes accounted for the majority of deaths of any pathogen. Viral pathogens, predominantly norovirus,
caused 33% of outbreaks and 41% of cases; the proportion of outbreaks attributed to viral agents increased from 16%
in 1998 to 42% in 2002. Chemical agents caused 10% of outbreaks and 2% of cases, and parasites caused 1% of
outbreaks and 1% of cases.
INTERPRETATION: Following implementation of measures to enhance outbreak surveillance, the annual number of
FBDOs reported to CDC increased during this period compared with previous years. Viral pathogens accounted for an
increased proportion of outbreaks each year during this reporting period and a higher proportion of outbreaks of known
etiology during this reporting period than preceding reporting periods, probably reflecting the increased availability of
improved viral diagnostic tests. S. Enteritidis continued to be a major cause of illness and L. monocytogenes was a
major cause of death. In addition, multistate outbreaks caused by contaminated produce and outbreaks caused by
Escherichia coli O157:H7 remained prominent. PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIONS: Methods to detect FBDOs are improving,
and several changes to improve the ease and timeliness of reporting FBDO data have been implemented (e.g., a
revised form to simplify FBDO reporting by state health departments and improved electronic reporting methods). State
and local health departments continue to investigate and report FBDOs as part of efforts to better understand and
define the epidemiology of foodborne disease in the United States. At the regional and national levels, surveillance data
provide an indication of the etiologic agents, vehicles of transmission, and contributing factors associated with FBDOs
and help direct public health actions to reduce illness and death caused by FBDOs. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2006 Nov
10;55(10):1-42
In most communities of developed countries, liquid wastes are transformed by wastewater treatment plants in treated
waters which are discharged in rivers and in sludge which is disposed of in landfills, incinerated, or, increasingly,
recycled as soil amendment (3, 12, 24). Municipal wastewater contains substantial numbers of various microorganisms,
including pathogens (22). The numbers and types of pathogens in wastewater treatment plant effluents depend on the
initial level of contamination of the influent and on the efficiency of subsequent treatment processes (22). Most
microorganisms are eliminated from water through primary (physical) and secondary (biological) treatments, while they
are concentrated in primary sludge by settling, and decreased in number by secondary wastewater and sludge
treatments (3, 12, 24).
Over the past few years, France has experienced large outbreaks of food-borne listeriosis (7), which have received
much attention from the media and put pressure on regulatory agencies to prevent future cases. Discharge of
wastewater treatment plant effluents into the environment is likely to enrich the soil-plant primary habitat of Listeria spp.
Previous surveys on the occurrence of Listeria spp. in wastewater treatment plant effluents (1, 2, 4-6, 8, 11, 13, 14, 16,
20, 25), most dating before 1990 (1, 2, 8, 13, 14, 20, 25), have generally focused on either treated waters (4, 5, 8, 13,
14) or sludge (6, 11, 20), in one (1, 4-6, 8, 13, 14, 16, 20) to three (2, 11) wastewater treatment plants. The aim of the
present study was to investigate, using novel methods, the current occurrence of Listeria spp. in both types of effluents
produced by a series of representative French wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the effect of composting on
removal of Listeria spp. from sludge was compared to liming.
Sampling campaigns were conducted monthly over a 1-year period (February 2001 to February 2002), in six wastewater
treatment plants (A to F) of the Bordeaux area (southwestern France), selected for their various environments and the
different treatments they used (Table 1), and a composting facility, which used the aerated pile method, with a rotting
phase of 3 weeks and a curing phase in windrows of 4 weeks. Samples, taken at three different points, were collected in
sterile boxes of 1 liter and processed within the following 6 hours.