Surveillance and molecular typing of Cronobacter spp. in commercial powdered infant formula and follow-up formula from 2011 to 2013 in Shandong Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Infection with Cronobacter spp. leads to neonatal meningitis, necrotizing enterocolitis and bacteremia. Cronobacter spp. are reported to comprise an important pathogen contaminating powdered infant formula (PIF) and follow-up formula (FUF), although little is known about the contamination level of Cronobacter spp. in PIFs and FUFs in China. RESULTS: In total, 1032 samples were collected between 2011 and 2013. Forty-two samples were positive, including 1.6% in PIFs and 6.5% in FUFs. The strains were susceptible to most antibiotics except for cefoxitin. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis after XbaI digestion produced a total of 36 banding patterns. The 38 strains were found in 27 sequence types (STs), of which nine types (ST454 to ST462) had not been reported in other countries. The clinically relevant strains obtained from the 38 isolates in the present study comprised three ST3, two ST4, two ST8 and one ST1. CONCLUSION: The contamination rate in the PIF and FUF has stayed at a relatively high level. The contamination rate of PIF was significantly lower than FUF. The isolates had high susceptibility to the antibiotics tested, except cefoxitin. There were polymorphisms between the Cronobacter spp. as indicated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing. Therefore, contamination with Cronobacter spp. remains a current issue for commercial infant formulas in China. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Prevalence and regional disparities in abdominal obesity among children and adolescents in Shandong, China, surveyed in 2010.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: A rising prevalence of childhood obesity (assessed by body mass index) has been observed in China. However, there are very few published data on abdominal obesity among children and adolescents. The present study examined the prevalence and regional disparities in abdominal obesity among children and adolescents in Shandong, China. METHODS: Data for this study were obtained from a large cross-sectional survey. A total of 42,296 students (21,218 boys and 21,078 girls) aged 7-18 years from 16 districts participated in this study. Height and waist circumference (WC) of all subjects were measured; waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) was calculated from their height and WC. Abdominal obesity was defined as WHtR ≥0.5. All subjects were stratified by gender, age and the area of residence, and abdominal obesity frequencies were compared among different groups. RESULTS: Substantial regional, socioeconomic and urban/rural disparities exist in child and adolescent abdominal obesity. The overall prevalences of abdominal obesity among different groups of children and adolescents aged 7-18 years were 19.92% (urban boys), 11.94% (rural boys), 8.43% (urban girls) and 5.85% (rural girls). The prevalence of abdominal obesity varied from 24.98% in high-socioeconomic status (SES) urban boys to 4.58% in low-SES rural girls. Subjects living in coastal and high-urbanization districts had a higher prevalence of abdominal obesity than those living in inland and low-urbanization districts. CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal obesity among children and adolescents in China is associated with affluence and urban residence. Interventions and strategies to combat obesity should be based on this specific context, targeting high-SES urban areas.

Prevalence of Foodborne Pathogens in Cooked Meat and Seafood from 2010 to 2013 in Shandong Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Current food safety issues are deleteriously reshaping the lifestyle of the population in the developing world. The globalization of food supply impacts patterns of foodborne disease outbreaks worldwide, and consumers are having increased concern about microbiological food safety. METHODS: A total of 2305 samples including sauced meat, sausage, smoked meat, shrimp, sashimi and shellfish were collected from different farmer's markets and supermarkets. The prevalence of selected foodborne pathogens was evaluated in cooked meat and seafood from 2010 to 2013 in Shandong Province, China. RESULTS: The average contamination rate was 6.39% (93.1456) for the selected pathogens in cooked meat and 16.84% (143.849) for V. parahaemolyticus in seafood. For the selected pathogens, 0.55%, 1.03%, 1.17%, 3.64% and 16.84% samples were contaminated with E.coli O157: H7, Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes, S. aureus and VP, respectively. There was a significant (P<0.05) difference in the contamination rate between the farmer's markets and supermarkets. CONCLUSION: The contamination was decreasing in cooked meat and maintaining a relatively high level in seafood from 2010 to 2013. E. coli O157: H7, S. aureus, L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. existed at a relatively low rate in retail foods. For VP, the contamination rate has been maintained at a relatively high level in Shandong Province in China. Moreover, cooked meat and seafood obtained from farmer's markets are more susceptible to be contaminated compared to those from supermarkets.