Foodborne disease outbreaks in Barbados (1998-2009): a 12-year review.

INTRODUCTION: Microbes such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and S. aureus have been implicated in Foodborne disease outbreaks (FBDOs) worldwide, yet information on their occurrence in Barbados is scanty. The purpose of this study was to determine the aetiological agents, food vehicles, locations and peak seasons of FBDOs in Barbados; assess the quality of epidemiological investigations; and identify deficiencies in food production practices and laboratory detection. METHODOLOGY: A search of FBDOs occurring in Barbados between 1998-2009 was conducted among published and unpublished literature sources and reports. The search terms included the keywords "foodborne disease," "outbreaks" and "Barbados". RESULTS: During the period 1998 to 2009, there were 24 foodborne outbreaks, 215 cases of illness, one hospitalisation and no deaths. Overall, 37.5% of outbreaks were associated with hotels/resorts. Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 8 was most commonly implicated with eggs and poultry being the primary vehicles. Three outbreak reports were available for assessment and revealed that there were deficiencies in the outbreak investigations. These reports also recorded high levels of food contamination with indicator organisms, suggesting that improvements in food hygiene and production practices were required. CONCLUSIONS: The number of FBDOs is low in comparison to developed countries. However, the data was likely affected by under-reporting and inadequacies in the outbreak investigations and laboratory detection. Improvements in these areas would lead to not only better detection and characterisation of FBDOs in Barbados but improved food safety control measures.

Visitor Perceptions of Food Safety and Sociodemographic Determinants in Barbados, West Indies.

In Barbados, tourism is a significant pillar of the economy; however, there has been no research to document the food safety concerns of tourists. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to survey visitors' perceptions of food safety to understand their concerns, influences, and experiences with foodborne illness. A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted among 398 tourists, using stratified random sampling. Visitors were surveyed at two departure ports, the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) ( n = 240) and the Bridgetown Cruise Terminal (BCT) ( n = 158). Descriptive statistics included frequency distributions. Cross tabulations were performed to determine associations among key variables, and logistic regression analyses were used to report predictor variables at a significance level of P ≤ 0.05. In both surveys (GAIA and BCT), most respondents had a positive perception of food safety (75.8 and 99.4%) and a low frequency of foodborne illness (6.0 and 0.6%), respectively. Most visitors perceived the likelihood of acquiring food poisoning as a result of eating food from local retailers as "not common," and more visitors were "not concerned" about food hazards than concerned. Significant associations ( P ≤ 0.05) were found among sociodemographic parameters such as age, gender, ethnicity, and education and three variables of risk perception. The findings in this study can be used to guide risk communication and food safety and risk management within the hospitality industry, and they add to the body of knowledge surrounding consumer risk perceptions.

Leptospirosis in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in Trinidad.

The seroprevalence of leptospirosis in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) reared for meat in semi-intensive and extensive managed farms in Trinidad was determined. All sera were tested for specific antibodies against 17 internationally recognized serovars of Leptospira using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Animals withtitres greater or equal to 100 were considered as seropositive indicating exposure to Leptospira and those withtitres greater or equal to 800 were interpreted as cases of acute leptospirosis. Of a total of 226 apparently healthy water buffalo from five major farms in Trinidad tested, 33 (14.6 per cent) were seropositive with titres ranging from 100 to 400. Three (60.0 per cent) of 5 farms had seropositive animals with seropositivity rates ranging from 2.0 per cent (1 of 50) on Farm A to 32.7 per cent (16 of 49) on Farm B. The difference was statistically signifi cant (P<0.05; X2). Age and sex of animals had no significant (P>0.05; X2) effect on infection rate. The prevalent antibodies to serovars of Leptospira were farm specific with specific antibodies to serovars Copenhageni and Georgia being predominant on Farm B having been detected in 10 (62.5 per cent) and 9 (56.3 per cent) respectively of 16 seropositive animals. On Farm D however, also with 16 seropositive animals, specifi c antibodies to serovars Patoc and Bratislava were most frequently detected, found in 11 (68.8 per cent) and 5 (31.3 per cent) respectively of seropositive animals. This is the first documentation of leptospirosis in water buffalo in the Caribbean region and the health risk posed to farm workers, abattoir workers and veterinarians cannot be ignored.