New findings for bakeries and butchers: renunciation of gloves is healthier for bar staff - BGN clarifies customers with POS information

For many consumers, it is a sign of health, cleanliness and safety: The sales staff at refrigerated counters wearing disposable gloves. But for the sales personnel, the gloves are quickly becoming the public health risk as continuous wear can damage the skin and can threaten serious skin diseases.

Therefore, the trade association food and hospitality (BGN) advises against the wearing of gloves. "Instead, we recommend a series of operational and personal hygiene measures. This includes ensuring that employees use forks, films and other suitable aids at the deli counter, are regularly trained on the hygienically safe handling of the goods and pay strict attention to the cleanliness of their hands. In addition, compliance with legal hygiene requirements by the entrepreneurs and authorities is monitored, "said Dr. Anna Maria Schweiger, Specialist in Occupational Medicine in BGN. For it is certain: "With appropriate measures, where entrepreneurs have the greatest interest itself, means the renunciation of gloves no loss of hygiene and product quality. For the people behind the counter working without gloves means a significant increase in health. "

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BfR publishes reports on the occurrence of zoonotic agents in animals and in food 2011

Listeriosis occur in humans is rare. Since they can also trigger serious illnesses such as meningitis or miscarriages, filters with high Listeria quantities contaminated foods - often smoked, gravlax, soft and semi-hard cheese made from raw milk - a special problem foods, however, are increasingly burdened with salmonella.. This success was consistent control programs have led in animal populations. This is also reflected in the decrease in the number of Salmonella infections in humans resist, as the financial data from the Robert Koch Institute show. For Campylobacter itself implies a decline in detection rates in animal populations. Campylobacteriosis was 2011 but still the most common food-related infectious disease. Pr oblematisch is still the occurrence of multi-resistant bacteria to antibiotics in animal populations and the food. They contribute to consumers being colonized with multi-resistant germs. "As pleasing as the decline of the Salmonella strain is, but he has no grounds for complacency. Raw meat is for consumers a source of microbiological hazards and requires the careful handling of these foods, "says BfR President Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel. Strict compliance with the rules of kitchen hygiene and good cooking food are an effective protection against foodborne infections. "Food business operators must ensure by appropriate measures that only foods placed on the market in which the limits for Listeria under normal use, including storage of non ü be exceeded", clarifies Hensel.

Under an EU-wide baseline survey BfR has investigated the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in smoked fish, soft cheeses and semi-hard cheese and in heat-treated meat products. These foods are known that they can contain listeria in higher amounts. Overall, the study results indicate that the prescribed microbiological limits for Listeria monocytogenes are not always consistently adhered to-eat foods. If limits are exceeded, there is a risk that consumers themselves can become infected with Listeria monocytogenes. Therefore, food producers must pay attention to the consistent compliance.

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New Study: Scientists investigate the antibacterial effect of pistachios

New evidence indicates that the pistachio has active ingredients that may have a positive effect on the durability and quality of food, quite naturally. The results of the study, which is sponsored by the American Pistachio Growers will be presented by Dr. Giuseppina Mandalari in July 2013 on the fifth congress of the European Microbiologists (FEMS 2013).

So far, numerous studies on the healthy properties of natural foods were as published, for example pistachios. Dr. Mandalari through further research that deal with the possible antibacterial effect of polyphenols of pistachio, especially in view of the increasing antibiotic resistance, both in hospitals and in community-acquired infections. Aim is to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of raw and roasted and salted pistachios against a variety of bacteria, yeast and fungi and investigate. At this year's meeting of FEMS (Federation of European Microbiological Societies) Dr. Mandalari presents the first results of the study. So far, an antibacterial effect of the polyphenols obtained from the pistachios on Gram-positive bacteria was detected. Including Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause listeriosis. Thus, the extract could have a positive impact through its bactericidal effect on the durability and quality of food, in a completely natural way.

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BfR and aid infodienst Publish Document on hygiene rules in the Community Catering in eight languages

Food can make you sick if they are contaminated with bacteria, viruses or parasites: Every year are reported in Germany around 100.000 diseases caused by microorganisms in food, the true figure is probably even higher. To prevent diseases caused by microorganisms in food, hygiene rules must be adhered to during storage and preparation of food necessarily. This is particularly true for the kitchen practice in the Community gastronomy. Together with the aid infodienst summarized hygiene rules for employees in industrial kitchens and published as a leaflet in eight different languages ​​BfR.

Food should taste - and not make you sick. Thereupon consumers want to leave when they order, for example, in canteens or cafeterias a meal or be cared for in institutions such as hospitals or schools. This requires the careful and hygienic handling of the kitchen staff to the food. To prevent contamination of food with pathogenic microorganisms that employees must both know and implement the requirements for personal hygiene as well as to the food and kitchen hygiene.

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New Diagnostic Technology: Genome of the EHEC pathogen reconstructed for the first time directly from patient material

Medical microbiologist at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) have reconstructed along with British scientists and employees of the biotechnology company Illumina, the complete genome sequence of the pathogen of the EHEC epidemic of 2011 directly from stool samples of infected patients. This called metagenomics diagnostic technique could represent a paradigm shift in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, the scientists conclude by Prof. Dr. Martin Aepfelbacher. This allows identifying and extensive characterization of infectious agents without the usually required cultivation in the laboratory.

The study results published on Wednesday, 10. April in a special issue of the prestigious medical journal JAMA¹.

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Researchers unravel important detail of the phenomenon

It has long been known that copper surfaces can stop dangerous germs. Why bacteria die but if they come into contact with copper, is not fully understood. Biochemist at the University of Bern have now unraveled together with material researchers at the University of the Saarland an important detail of the phenomenon. In laboratory experiments, they were able to prove that the bacteria only die when they are in direct contact with the copper surface. Individual copper ions in a liquid are often enough for it not.

This finding will help materials scientists in developing coatings that can inhibit bacteria, eg for doorknobs and light switches in hospitals. The research results have jointly published in the journal "Applied and Environmental Microbiology" of the American Society for Microbiology, the scientists now.

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Hygiene in Food

 

Raw meat is a very sensitive food. Therefore, the hygiene in the Butchers A and O. For many customers, the use of disposable gloves, a sign that is neatly worked. But the gloves do not automatically lead to better hygiene and can even bring health problems for the seller to be.

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Silver, which has long been used medically because of its antibacterial effect, also damages human tissue cells in the required dose. In addition, a blood protein weakens the effect on bacteria. This was recently confirmed by a team led by Prof. Dr. Stephan Barcikowski from the Center for Nanointegration (CENIDE) at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) in three consecutive publications.

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Scientists at INNOVENT eV have succeeded in developing a process with which inexpensive antibacterial surfaces can be produced on practically all plastics, regardless of their geometry.

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When it comes to dangerous antibiotic-resistant pathogens in hospitals, sooner or later the name Staphylococcus aureus comes up. One point of attack for the development of new active substances specifically against this bacterium is the enzyme FabI. Researchers at the Rudolf Virchow Center in Würzburg have characterized its structure in detail - and found indications as to why Staphylococcus aureus is more susceptible to an inhibition of this enzyme than other types of bacteria.

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Scientists and clinicians from MFM and UKM take stock

supplied H104 outbreak in Germany in which doctors at the University Hospital Münster (UKM) seriously ill patients and scientists of the Medical Faculty Münster (MFM) of the Institute of Hygiene at UKM instrumental in pathogen identification and characterization: One year after the big EHEC O4 were involved, pull clinicians and scientists balance.

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