- Enterobacter Sakazakii
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Enterobacter Sakazakii is known to be heat resistant, and so even the ultra heat treating of the powdered infant formula during processing, is unable to guarantee its complete removal.
From wikipedia:
Enterobacter sakazakii is a Gram-negative rod-shaped pathogenic bacterium of the genus Enterobacter. It is a rare cause of invasive infection with historically high case fatality rates (40–80%) in infants. It can cause bacteraemia , meningitis and necrotising enterocolitis .
E. sakazakii infection has been associated with the use of infant formula even after extended period of storage for more than 2 years.
IBFAN Press release 2002 “How safe are Infant Formulas?” following death of baby in Belgium from infant formula contaminated with E.Sakazakii
http://www.ibfan.org/english/news/press/press10may02.html
Babies have also died from infant formulae contaminated with E Sakazakii and as a result, in the US PIF (powdered infant formula) is mno longer available on the wards in hospital - only liquid (sterile) feeds.
Baby in Chicago dies aged 5 months after E-sakazakii bacteria led to an infection which caused a deadly form of meningitis, in May 2008.
News story appears on Chicago News' website here - 13th November 2008
Guidance for communications and action across the Health Protection Agency (HPA), National Health Service (NHS), Department of Health (DH) and Food Standards Agency (FSA) following a presumptive diagnosis of Enterobacter sakazakii infection associated with powdered infant formula. (still under review)
http://www.hpa-standardmethods.org.uk/documents/qsop/pdf/qsop58.pdf
Slideshow presentation of the World Health Organisation initiatives for the control of Enterobacter sakazakii, taken f rom a Food Standards Agency Meeting on the Microbiological safety of powdered infant formula in London, January 18th, 2007
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/sakazikii070118.pdf
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