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Restaurants serve more than 70 billion meals in the U.S. each year. Annually, approximately 48 million foodborne illnesses occur in the U.S., yet only over 800 foodborne disease outbreaks get reported. From 1998-2013, 56% of the 17,445 outbreaks reported were associated with restaurants. While scientifically validated cleaning and sanitation strategies are available, microbial cross-contamination from environmental surfaces remains an issue. For instance, previous research shows that the cleaning tool itself can become a source of contamination. The objective of this study was to test if a flatware rest provides a physical barrier between contaminated tabletop surfaces and eating utensils. Data confirmed that flatware rests prevented the contamination of utensils from microorganisms when compared with utensils placed directly on surfaces inoculated with E. coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, and MS2 bacteriophage (a surrogate for norovirus). This study demonstrates that flatware rests are a practical solution to prevent cross-contamination of foodborne pathogens from tabletop to utensil, and potentially are an added layer of consumer protection., Introduction Restaurants serve more than 70 billion meals in the U.S. each year (Jones & Angulo, 2006). In 2014, food-away-from-home sales surpassed food-at-home sales, comprising over 50% of total food [...]

Background: Post‐acute sequelae of SARS‐CoV‐2 (PASC) describes a syndrome of physical and cognitive decline that persists after acute symptoms of infection resolve. Few studies have explored PASC among nursing home (NH) residents. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at two NHs in Michigan. COVID‐positive patients were identified from March 21, 2020 to October 26, 2021. The comparison group were patients who lived at the same NH but who were never infected during the study period. Minimum Data Set was used to examine trajectories of functional dependence (Activity of Daily Living [ADL] composite score) and cognitive function (Brief Interview for Mental Status [BIMS]). Linear mixed‐effects models were constructed to estimate short‐term change in function and cognition immediately following diagnosis and over time for an additional 12 months, compared to pre‐COVID and non‐COVID trajectories and adjusting for sex, age, and dementia status. Results: We identified 171 residents (90 COVID‐19 positive, 81 non‐COVID) with 719 observations for our analyses. Cohort characteristics included: 108 (63%) ≥ 80 yrs.; 121 (71%) female; 160 (94%) non‐Hispanic white; median of 3 comorbidities (IQR 2–4), with no significant differences in characteristics between groups. COVID‐19 infection affected the trajectory of ADL recovery for the first 9 months following infection, characterized by an immediate post‐infection decrease in functional status post‐infection (−0.60 points, p = 0.002) followed by improvement toward the expected functional trajectory sans infection (0.04 points per month following infection, p = 0.271). Conclusions: NH residents experienced a significant functional decline that persisted for 9 months following acute infection. Further research is needed to determine whether increased rehabilitation services after COVID‐19 may help mitigate this decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]