Listeria News and Research

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Listeria is a bacterial genus containing seven species. Named after the English pioneer of sterile surgery, Joseph Lister, Listeria species are Gram-positive bacilli and are typified by ''L. monocytogenes'', the causative agent of listeriosis.

One-third of dairy products exceed microbe contamination levels, says study

One-third of samples of milk and dairy products analysed in various restaurants exceed the microbe contamination limits set by the European Union, according to a study carried out by researchers from the University of Valencia (UV). The experts advise against keeping milk in jugs and suggest that these foodstuffs need to be better handled.

30 Jan 2010

New scientific data reveals wood pallets present dangerous risks to our foods and medicines

Coming on the heels of the sweeping Tylenol recall, new scientific data from independent tests reveal more about the hidden dangers of wood pallets and the threat they pose to the foods we eat and the medications we rely on every day.

28 Jan 2010

Canada's food safety system lags behind other countries

Canada's food safety system is reactive, lags behind other countries, and investment is needed to ensure it can adequately protect Canadians, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj090517.pdf.

27 Jan 2010

USPTO issues new patent for Advaxis' intellectual property portfolio

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued today patent 7,635,479, "Compositions and Methods for Enhancing the Immunogenicity of Antigens,” by Dr. Yvonne Paterson, et al, which is assigned to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and licensed to Advaxis, Incorporated (OTCBB: ADXS).

22 Jan 2010

Statins may protect SCD children from pneumococcal infection

New research suggests a family of widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs might help protect individuals from serious illness following bacterial infection, including the pneumococcal infections that pose a deadly threat to those with sickle cell disease.

20 Jan 2010

Maryland seafood processor to stop fish distribution for non-compliance of food safety laws

The FDA today announced that a Maryland seafood processor delivering fresh, frozen, and ready-to-eat seafood in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., is to stop processing and distributing adulterated fish and seafood because it is not compliant with federal food safety laws.

9 Jan 2010

EPO approves Advaxis patent application for Listeria Antigens

Advaxis, Inc., the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) immunotherapy company, has received notification from the European Patent Office (EPO) that Advaxis patent application 98957980.0 titled “Bacterial Vaccines Comprising Auxotrophic, Attenuated Strains of Listeria Expressing Heterologous Antigens,” has been granted and will be issued as patent #1032417

4 Jan 2010

Health risks of wooden pallet shipping platforms, call for Congress and FDA regulation

The expanded recall of TYLENOL Arthritis pain reliever is fresh evidence of the need for Congress and the FDA to regulate wood pallets used to transport food and pharmaceuticals in the United States because of the dangers they pose to human health.

4 Jan 2010

Advaxis reports 3-year survival data from its ADXS11-001 Phase I trial for cervical cancer

The Phase I trial of ADXS11-001, the lead vaccine candidate of Advaxis, Inc., the company that pioneered the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) vaccine, has shown thirty-six (36) month survival in two (2) of the thirteen (13) evaluable patients treated with Advaxis’ therapeutic cancer vaccine, indicating the possibility of persistent immune protection, from only a two (2) dose initial regimen.

29 Dec 2009

Wood pallet: A source of food poisoning bacteria

In a random sampling of wood pallets used to ship food in Portland, ME, and Philadelphia, PA, numerous pallets tested positive for Listeria and abnormally high counts of bacteria that could potentially create health hazards for consumers.

17 Dec 2009

Advaxis to collaborate with GOG in Phase II clinical trial of ADXS11-001

Advaxis, Inc., the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) vaccine company, will collaborate with the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG), a collaborative research group of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), in a multicenter, Phase II clinical trial of the Company’s lead drug candidate, ADXS11-001 in the treatment of advanced cervix cancer in women who have failed prior cytotoxic therapy.

15 Dec 2009

Study provides new insight into the mechanism of bacterial invasion protein

Spoiled meat is one of the sources for Listeria infections leading to listeriosis. Pregnant women, newborns and immune compromised people are susceptible for a severe progression of this disease. Firstly, the pathogen breaches the intestinal barrier and thus enters the body. The key for further spreading is the invasion protein internalin B that is located on the bacterial surface.

30 Nov 2009

FDA files for permanent injunction against seafood processor Haifa Smoked Fish

The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has filed a complaint for permanent injunction against seafood processor Haifa Smoked Fish Inc. of Jamaica, N.Y., and two of its top officers for violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

16 Nov 2009

"Make Our Food Safe" coalition urges Senate to enact stronger food safety laws

Over the next several weeks, the U. S. Senate has an historic opportunity to take a major step toward improving food safety for all Americans. That is why a coalition of public health professionals, consumer organizations and groups representing victims of foodborne illness is sending the message that it is time to "Make Our Food Safe for the Holidays!"

13 Nov 2009

Exposure to deadly bacteria can result in stillbirths

A new study shows the risk for severe effects of exposure to Listeria monocytogenes among susceptible populations may occur at doses lower than suggested by previous studies.

13 Nov 2009

Updated WHO data finds deaths caused by tainted food are underestimated

New WHO data finds that unsafe food kills an estimated 1.2 million people over the age of five in Southeast Asia and Africa each year, including three times more adults than previously thought, Reuters reports. "It is a picture that we have never had before," WHO Food Safety Director Jorgen Schlundt said. "We now have documentation of a significant burden outside the less than five group, that is major new information."

12 Nov 2009

Aduro BioTech raises funds through its Series A-1 financing

Aduro BioTech, a privately held biotechnology company focused on the development of therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines based on proprietary recombinant strains of the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, today announced completion of its Series A-1 financing.

10 Nov 2009

SSSP software to detect spoiled food

Let's start with an example: You have just picked up a pack of cold-smoked salmon from the supermarket chill cabinet to serve for your family lunch on Sunday. On its way from the factory to the lunch table, the salmon product has been exposed to varying temperatures. Now, how can you be sure the product is still good to eat when you take it out of the refrigerator to make sandwiches?

28 Oct 2009

FDA files complaint against sandwich manufacturer; company allegedly failed to correct violations

The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has filed a complaint for permanent injunction against Rel's Foods Inc. (Rel's), of Oakland, Calif., seeking to stop the company from manufacturing, producing, and selling adulterated food products.

27 Oct 2009

Richmont Sciences to market PURE’s antimicrobial SDC disinfectants

PURE Bioscience announced that it has expanded its business strategy through an alliance with the Dallas-based sales and marketing team Richmont Sciences, LLC, which will begin actively selling PURE’s revolutionary new antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal hard surface disinfectant and its active ingredient.

14 Oct 2009