Watch out for salmonella contamination. The number offood poisoning linked to the consumption of cold meats contaminated by this pathogenic bacterium has increased over the past ten years, reveals The Parisian. A new strain of salmonella called the “monophasic variant of typhimurium” typhimurium, is causing an explosion of cases of gastroenteritis. “While we detected that around fifty in 2007, we are now at 2,500 per year,” observes François-Xavier Weill, director of the national reference center for salmonella at the Institut Pasteur, originally of this discovery, cited by the daily. This increase in contamination via the consumption of cold meats has been noted in recent years by the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES).
Sources of contamination that are difficult to identify
This upsurge in food infections, which can also be observed in Europe, is difficult to explain. It is known that contamination by this pathogenic germ took place mainly through the consumption of pork-based cold meats (dry sausages, pâté, ham and contaminated sausages) but the detection of sources of contamination poses a problem. Salmonella can be present in the digestive tract of pigs, cattle and birds (domestic poultry) without them showing any symptoms, recalls ANSES. It is therefore difficult for breeders to rule out any risk of contamination.
How to limit the risk of contamination
The transmission of salmonella to humans is generally through contaminated food (95% of cases, mainly through raw food), but also through contact with infected individuals, animals (including pets) or healthy carriers (people infected but not showing any symptoms). “The foods most frequently involved are eggs and raw egg products or having undergone insufficient heat treatment, dairy products (raw milk or slightly thermized or recontaminated during the production of powdered milk), as well as undercooked meats (cattle, pigs and poultry) “, specifies the handles.
If zero risk does not exist, certain hygiene rules taken by the consumer, in addition to the vigilance of manufacturers, can prevent the risk of infection with this salmonella.
The handle reminds you of the right reflexes to have to limit the risks of microbial contamination such as:
- wash your hands well after contact with a live animal
- wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw foods (eggs, meat, vegetables, for example), carefully clean the work surface used for the preparation of these raw foods.
- cook food to heart, in particular pork and poultry meats, as well as minced meats.
- keep the eggs at a stable temperature, avoid hot / cold which facilitates condensation and penetration of pathogens (including salmonella) from the shell to the inside of the egg.
- do not wash the eggs before storing them because this cleaning weakens the surface of the shell, which can promote the penetration of microorganisms (same phenomenon as condensation).
- prepare non-cooking egg-based recipes (mayonnaise, creams, chocolate mousse, pastries, etc.) as close as possible to the time of consumption. In case of storage, it is necessary to keep them cold and then consume them within 24 hours.
- Finally, it is not recommended for the elderly, sick, immunocompromised, young children and pregnant women, to consume raw or undercooked eggs, raw or undercooked meats and raw milk.
In Europe, bacteria of the genus Salmonella are the most common cause of foodborne illnesses and the second leading cause of foodborne illnesses.
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