Chester County Medicine Winter 2019 - 30

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2018: A Public Health Retrospective
continued from page 29
TABLE 3: Other 2018 Salmonella Outbreaks (Partial List)
S. agberi (white cake mix)
S.sandiego (pasta salad)
related to Salmonella and to pathogenic E. coli (particularly type
O157-H7). Perhaps the largest Salmonella outbreak in 2018
(which actually began back in 2016 and continued through September, 2018) involved Salmonella contamination of beef products
shipped nationwide to over 100 retailers, affecting 34 different
states, and the recall of 12.1 million pounds of beef. PA was not
involved in this one, but the national scale of this drawn out problem underscores just how easily such diseases can spread.
It should not be too surprising how often Salmonella species
are involved in such incidents. Older reference books taught that
there were between 1100 and 1500 Salmonella species, but there
are now at least 2463 serotypes (serovars) known to lab science (see
the J. Clin. Microbiol., July, 2000).
Examples of other Salmonella outbreaks during the last year or
so are shown in Table 3.

S. enteritidis (shell eggs, kosher
chicken)

S. concord (tahini products) S. reading (raw turkey)
S. montevideo (raw sprouts) S. infanti (raw chicken products)
S. mbandaka
S. newport (ground beef)
(Honey Smacks dry cereal)
S. adelaide
(pre-cut melons, mail order poultry)
Similarly, in 2018, much attention was given to widespread
cases of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) O157-H7 linked
to contaminated romaine lettuce from the central coastal growing area of northern central California. This outbreak wound up
involving the US, several states, and Canada. Consumers were
advised not to eat, and retailers not to serve or sell any romaine
lettuce from the suspect three counties in California. Health professionals were also advised not to use antibiotics to treat suspected
STEC cases since there was no evidence of benefit for that and an
apparent increased risk of HUS.

CONSIDER MEMBERSHIP
in The Chester County Medical Society

Join Us!

Established in 1828, the Chester County
Medical Society, founded by Dr. William
Darlington, M.D., is thought to be the oldest
county medical society in the State. The
Medical Society is involved in all aspects of
healthcare policy, practice, and education and
serves to advance the health of the community
and to protect and expand the healthcare
resources available to its citizens.
The Chester County Medical Society works
collaboratively with the Pennsylvania
Medical Society, but our focus is on our local
community. The Society's role in Chester
County is to support, protect, and advocate
for our physicians and our patients. We look
forward to growing an important healthcare
service for our community that will benefit us
all, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Member Benefits

Help Patients Find You! CCMS Members are listed in the Pennsylvania Medical Society's
"Find a Physician" program.
Legislative Support Representation with local legislators
Contact your local legislator by getting their contact information provided on our
Legislator page.
General Membership Meeting General Membership Meeting - an annual meeting
which provides members the opportunity to impact their Society's activities and goals.
Legislative Dinner-September 21, 2018 at The Farnhouse at People's Light Legislative
Dinner - a.k.a. "The Clam Bake" - an annual meeting for members to meet with local
legislators in an informal setting for cocktails and dinner to discuss healthcare issues.
Chester County Medicine Chester County Medicine has been the CCMS's official
publication for several decades. CCMS members will receive a complimentary subscription
to Chester County Medicine magazine, the Society's new twist on its longtime quarterly
publication.
DocBookMD - an exclusive HIPAA-secure messaging application for smart phone
and tablet devices.

To learn more, join or renew, visit https://www.pamedsoc.org/about-pamed/Membership

30 CHESTER COUNT Y Medicine | WINTER 2019

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Chester County Medicine Winter 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chester County Medicine Winter 2019