Fids & Salmonella (Peanut butter recall)

[birdhouse]

I've been seeing the news about the Sunland, Inc. peanut butter recall. I've been lucky enough to pretty much ignore it because it hasn't been the right stuff or the right store or whatever. But the most recent update made me wonder if the fids might be affected.

 

"In an ongoing recall of peanut and almond butter products over possible salmonella contamination, New Mexico-based Sunland Inc. announced Monday it expanded its recall yet again to include cashew butters, tahini and blanched and roasted peanut products sold at many U.S. supermarkets.

 

New products recalled include varieties of cookies sold at Whole Foods that contain peanut butter, peanut butter cracker snacks sold at Stop & Shop supermarkets, and various ice cream and chocolate snack products. Sunland's recall now includes 101 products, and several retailers have issued additional recalls including items made with Sunland ingredients.

 

Sunland Inc. sells its nuts and nut butters to large groceries and other food distributors around the country. The company recalled products under multiple brand names after salmonella illnesses were linked Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter, one of the brands manufactured by Sunland.

 

The recall was then expanded last week to include other peanut and almond butter products manufactured by Sunland, 76 products at the time."

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57523769/us-peanut-butter-recall-expands-to-more-stores-including-whole-foods-target/

 

 

"Do fids even have a problem w/Salmonella...?", I thought. Did some homework & turns out, sure enough! Just in case I wasn't the only one who never knew that, I thought I'd share what I learned today.

“Salmonella is a gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium that can infect many species of animals. Salmonellosis, caused by any one of a number of Salmonella species, can cause havoc when it appears in a population. All types of Salmonella species produce an endotoxin, which is the agent responsible for causing illness. It can be a hidden danger because it can reside in soil and water for extended periods. This makes it easily picked up, and then transferred along, infecting host after host. Some hosts become carriers, spreading the bug into the environment.

 

In a parrot aviary, intermittent shedding by perpetual carriers can cause a cycle that is hard to break. The bacterium is shed in feather dust and feces; birds in the surrounding area are infected orally by ingesting contaminated food or water, or the bacterium is passed through into the egg. If infected birds are not treated they often die. People in contact with infected birds can also become ill.

 

Symptoms in birds include:

 •Lethargy

 •Loss of appetite

 •Drinking a lot of water

 •Diarrhea, sometimes bloody

 •Depression

 •Possibly arthritis

 

Symptoms (beginning 12-72 hours after infection) in humans include:

 •Vomiting

 •Diarrhoea

 •Fever

 •Dehydration

 •Chills

 •Abdominal pain

 •Possibly arthritis (Reiter’s syndrome)

 

It is very important that infected people or animals be isolated: again, affected people may infect their birds and vice versa. Diagnoses in birds and humans are based on culture and sensitivity tests on bodily samples. Birds are usually placed on aggressive antibiotics (the appropriate ones chosen based on sensitivity tests) for 3-5 weeks and lactobacillus products to replace lost intestinal (beneficial) flora; people usually recover in 5-7 days without treatment other than oral rehydration unless the loss of fluid is so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Strict hygiene is necessary; regular cleaning of bird enclosures and floors and control of pests is a must – to prevent this disease from getting a foothold in your home.”

 

http://www.parrots.org/pdfs/all_about_parrots/reference_library/health_and_nutrition/salmonellosis-a-hidden-danger.pdf

Edited October 17, 2012 by birdhouse

[Timbersmom]

Thanks for the update. I'm not seeing anything on the list I use, thank God, but need to know so I can check!

[birdhouse]

This was actually the link I originally meant to post. It's a little more recent. It was reading about the raw peanuts here that actually got me thinking about the fids

 

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/10/15/peanut-butter-recall-extended-to-raw-roasted-peanuts/

 

The official FDA link is in that article. But for anyone who wants it

 

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/CORENetwork/ucm320413.htm

Edited October 17, 2012 by birdhouse