An Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium Infections Linked to Ready-To-Eat Tofu in Multiple Health Districts - Ontario, Canada, May-July 2021.

From May to mid-August 2021, the Ontario, Canada provincial public health agency, Public Health Ontario, in collaboration with local public health authorities and federal food safety partners, investigated a spatiotemporal cluster of 38 patients with Salmonella Typhimurium infections across multiple public health districts in Ontario. Five (13%) patients were hospitalized; no deaths were reported. The outbreak was linked to consumption of ready-to-eat seasoned tofu from one manufacturer that was distributed to multiple Ontario restaurants. Isolates from the seasoned tofu were within one or fewer allele differences to the outbreak strain by whole genome sequencing. Evidence from food safety investigations conducted by local public health authorities and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) revealed that unsanitary conditions could have led to cross-contamination of the tofu, and insufficient heating of the tofu at the production level likely resulted in failure to eliminate the pathogen. The CFIA issued a food recall for the tofu at hotel, restaurant, and institution levels. Tofu was identified as a novel outbreak-associated food vehicle for S. Typhimurium in this outbreak. Interventions that target the production level and all parts of the supply chain and include additional safeguarding steps that minimize microbial growth are important.

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

Background: An outbreak of Salmonella 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. This is the largest reported outbreak of Salmonella Infantis linked to restaurant food exposures in Ontario, with complexities related to the investigation of unlicensed foods. This article aims to describe the epidemiological, food safety and laboratory investigations that led to the identification and removal of the source of the outbreak from implicated restaurants, including the challenges encountered while investigating an outbreak related to an unlicensed source of food. Methods: Epidemiological and laboratory analyses were conducted to identify the source of the outbreak. Food safety investigations were conducted to ascertain the origin and distribution of the implicated food. Results: Whole-genome sequencing identified the outbreak strain from the isolates of 36 case-patients across six public health units in Ontario. Seven case-patients (19%) were hospitalized. No deaths were reported. The outbreak was linked to shredded pork products (i.e., rinds or skins) that were distributed by an unlicensed meat processor and consumed at various restaurants that served Southeast Asian fusion cuisine concentrated in the Greater Toronto Area. The product was removed from implicated restaurants. Conclusion: Historically, foods from unlicensed sources have been implicated in multiple large outbreaks and continue to be of significant public health risk. The outbreak investigation emphasized the threat of food from unlicensed sources to the public's health and the importance of additional public health interventions to prevent outbreaks linked to unlicensed sources.

An Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium Infections Linked to Ready-To-Eat Tofu in Multiple Health Districts - Ontario, Canada, May-July 2021.

From May to mid-August 2021, the Ontario, Canada provincial public health agency, Public Health Ontario, in collaboration with local public health authorities and federal food safety partners, investigated a spatiotemporal cluster of 38 patients with Salmonella Typhimurium infections across multiple public health districts in Ontario. Five (13%) patients were hospitalized; no deaths were reported. The outbreak was linked to consumption of ready-to-eat seasoned tofu from one manufacturer that was distributed to multiple Ontario restaurants. Isolates from the seasoned tofu were within one or fewer allele differences to the outbreak strain by whole genome sequencing. Evidence from food safety investigations conducted by local public health authorities and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), revealed that unsanitary conditions could have led to cross-contamination of the tofu, and insufficient heating of the tofu at the production level likely resulted in failure to eliminate the pathogen. The CFIA issued a food recall for the tofu at hotel, restaurant, and institution levels. Tofu was identified as a novel outbreak-associated food vehicle for S. Typhimurium in this outbreak. Interventions that target the production level and all parts of the supply chain and include additional safeguarding steps that minimize microbial growth are important.

The Toronto Hospital Alertness Test scale: relationship to daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and symptoms of depression and anxiety.

OBJECTIVE: The Toronto Hospital Alertness Test (THAT) scale was designed to measure alertness, defined as the capacity of the mind to respond appropriately to external and internal stimuli. The present study's aim is to determine normative values of alertness on the THAT and to explore the relationship among excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, depressive symptoms, and alertness. METHODS: Normative data were collected from 60 healthy males and females. To explore the relationship among alertness, daytime sleepiness, fatigue, depression, and anxiety, data were collected from charts of sleep clinic patients. All study subjects completed measures for fatigue, sleepiness, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. RESULTS: The average score on the THAT was 34.9±7.2 (range 22-50) for the control group. The cutoff score for the THAT, indicative of clinically significant reduced alertness, was determined to be ≤20.5 (mean -2 SD). THAT alertness scores were found to be modestly, significantly, and negatively correlated with fatigue levels (r=-0.39, P<0.001), depressive symptoms (r=-0.53, P<0.001), and anxiety symptoms (r=-0.41, P<0.001). No correlations were found between alertness levels and daytime sleepiness. Regression analyses revealed a significant model (F=19.9, P<0.001, adjusted R (2)=0.35) with depressive symptoms (P<0.001) and fatigue (P=0.006) emerging as the only significant predictors of scores on the THAT. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study support that sleepiness is not the same as poor alertness. Depressive symptoms and fatigue, but not sleepiness, were found to have a strong and significant impact on levels of alertness. This is the first study to link poor alertness to depressive symptoms.