Cryptosporidium, or “crypto,” as it’s commonly known, is a nasty parasite that causes diarrhea and other stomach upset. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says that, “While this parasite can be spread in several different ways, water (drinking water and recreational water) is the most common method of transmission. Cryptosporidium is one of the most frequent causes of waterborne disease among humans in the United States.”
One CDC report calculated 10,500 cases in 2008, and noted, “The seasonal peak in age-specific case reports coincides with the summer recreational water season and likely reflects increased use of communal swimming venues (e.g., lakes, rivers, swimming pools, and water parks) by young children.
Other means of transmission are pets like dogs and cats, young farm animals, and sexual contact with someone who is infected, according to the CDC. Not mentioned as a means of transmission in the CDC’s literature is raw milk.
But the Maine Department of Agriculture seems to have been obsessed with the idea that raw milk was the cause of a number of crypto cases that cropped up in the state during the spring and summer seasons between 2009 and now. The obsession was part of a plan hatched by top ag officials in 2010 to collaborate on finding cases of illness from raw milk.
So each case of crypto from an individual who drank raw milk prompted a flurry of emails among Maine agricultural officials. Interestingly, the obsession coincided with intense debates in Maine over local food sovereignty ordinances and proposed legislation that would allow small raw dairy producers to sell milk privately, without need of a permit. The emails and other documents from the Maine Department of Agriculture were part of a cache of nearly 700 pages of material obtained under Maine public records laws by lawyers, including the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, representing Dan Brown, a Maine farmer being sued in a test of the food sovereignty ordinances.
One of the most notable crypto cases involved Heather Retberg. She and her husband, Phil, own Quill’s End Farm and she happens to be one of the Five Musketeers who originated the idea of food sovereignty for Maine towns and has been pushing the approach as a means of reducing conflict between regulators and small food producers, and encouraging local food production. The approach has been passed by eight Maine towns, and an unknown number across the U.S. Retberg’s town, Penobscot, is one that has passed a food sovereignty ordinance, and she has refused to go through Maine’s licensing procedures for raw dairies.
In the summer of 2010, a case of crypto came up from someone who drank raw milk from Retberg’s farm. That prompted a visit from the Maine state vet, Donald Hoenig, August 13, 2010. He recounted in a memo he wrote afterwards to four colleagues (including Hal Prince, director of the Maine Department of Agriculture’s Division of Quality Assurance and Regulation) that he “walked through their pastures and I had a chance to look over all the animals they are raising–sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese and cattle. I took three fecal samples from the cows and also took milk samples from the only container of milk which they had in their refrigerator. They did not have any unopened containers of milk but since we’re not doing a bacterial exam on the milk and only looking for cypto at this time, I think this milk sample will be acceptable. We had a long discussion about the consequences of a positive test either from the fecal samples or the milk. I told them a positive milk sample would be the most significant and that they would likely have another visit from me and someone from the Maine CDC if the milk was positive.”
He added in his memo, “I am of the opinion that a positive fecal sample, while revealing, would not be that significant as crypto is very common on farms.”
And by the way, he noted in his memo, the farm would “certainly have a fair amount of work to do before meeting our licensing standards. They currently milk on rubber mats placed over the hard dirt barn floor and do not have a milk room. They milk by hand and the milk is bottled in the kitchen. Currently, they do not have a sign advertising milk at the farm entrance. I was at the farm for two hours.”
That visit prompted Hoenig to send the milk and fecal samples to a lab at Cornell University in New York. On August 31, the state’s chief vet reported back to his colleagues: “All three fecal samples and the milk samples were negative for crypto…” He noted that there were indications of a different parasite affecting cows in two fecal samples, but “I do not consider this to be a significant finding.” He said another colleague had done separate tests on the fecal samples “and did get a ‘weak’ positive on one of the fecal samples but he needed to do a little more research before he reports out that result in writing. (The parasitologist at Cornell told me that there are other species of crypto in cows besides C. parfum that could cause a positive result…)”
He concluded, with obvious disappointment, “Taking into consideration what I observed on my farm visit and the other risk factors for the patient, I think there is a low probability that the milk was the mode of transmission.”
That isn’t the end of the Retberg situation, though. She has been threatened with possible suit by the Maine Department of Agriculture for failing to obtain a permit. Such a case would be a second challenge, following up on the Dan Brown case, to food sovereignty ordinances.
Other crypto cases similarly came up empty. One involved a one-year-old boy who had drunk raw milk. An epidemiologist from Maine’s Department of Agriculture wrote in a 2010 email, “Parents wanted ‘organic’. Child’s physician was aware of milk source and mother knew it was not recommended. Family cottage in Strong, Maine on Toddy Pond. Water for the cottage is pumped from the pond, bottled to drink but baby bathed in pond water which he swallowed…” Hmmm.
In May 2011, Kate Colby, a field epidemiologist. wrote to colleagues that a “probable crypto case…is a 58 yo female who is hospitalized at MidCoast…Her daughter also became ill with similar symptoms on the same day within hours of the case…They purchased raw skim milk from Bisson’s Farm in Topsham (unknown purchase date) during the exposure period. They ran out of their normal pasteurized milk and purchased it while they were there to get meat. This was the first time they had done this. Other exposures include tomatoes, lettuce, and hamburger from Fat Boy’s restaurant in Brunswick, oranges, 2 pet dogs, pet rats, and transplanting strawberry plants in the garden without gloves. Drinking water is from public water supply and bottled water, no travel, no recreational water. The raw milk appears to be the only common exposure between her and her daughter. Her daughter is not currently ill and was not tested…I will close the case and fax in the case report form tomorrow morning. ” Gee, you kind of wonder about those pet dogs and rats.
Then there was this crypto case, reported by epidemiologist Megan Kelley in March 2011, of a 42-year-old woman from Islesboro and had “consumed raw milk purchased at Nealey’s in Northport and produced by Keene Farm in Belfast.” It noted, “Her 19-year-old son, who usually drinks rice milk, also used the product and was symptomatic for 2 days. He was not tested. Her other exposures include staying in a shack in the woods on Islesboro with no running water and eating moose meat. She does not eat fruits and vegetables. Eats mostly beef and moose. She has no water exposures, animals or farm contacts. She does not know of any other persons who are ill. Islesboro has not seen other diarrheal cases in the last few weeks.”
Living in the wild subsisting on moose meat sounded a little suspicious to me, but that didn’t dissuade the Maine Department of Agriculture. A sample from the woman was sent to the CDC, according to an email from Amy Robbins, a subordinate of state vet Hoenig. She reported to him in March 2011, “so it will be awhile before we have results from them. The lab was going to stress the need for a quick turnaround time due to the raw milk exposure.” Yes, raw milk cases get expedited attention.
It’s not clear what the CDC came up with, but state vet Hoenig was clearly frustrated by the Islesboro case, as he commented on it in an email: “Hard to figure out why immune compromised people are drinking raw milk isn’t it? You’d think their physicians would make certain recommendations on dietary restrictions, if they were under a physician’s care. I wish we had a better test for crypto in milk.”
The effort to link raw milk to crypto and other “enteric pathogens” was a group decision within the Maine Department of Agriculture. Robbins, the subordinate of state vet Hoenig, wrote him at the same time in spring 2011 that she was pushing for quick CDC turnaround because of raw milk: “It’s been about a year since we all last met to discuss raw milk exposures and enteric pathogens. At that time we came up with the plan to send an email to the group to receive feedback from everyone regarding next steps. I can reconvene the group to look at this approach for the future if that would help.”
Hoenig asked for a delay. “I think getting together again to discuss raw milk exposures is a great idea but we’ll probably have to wait until the legislature calms down a bit.”
It’s not clear when the followup meeting to plan further attacks against raw dairies actually took place. You figure it had to have been held, because what the hell would these epidemiologists and vets and other regulators do with all the time they would otherwise free up?
Seriously, you read through these emails, and you realize that those of us who support food rights and access to privately-produced milk and other foods aren’t just imagining they are after us. They are, and they are expending huge amounts of effort, and budget dollars, to continue their witch hunt.
I’d like to raise two questions:
1. What other food safety matters get pushed aside in the witch hunt over raw milk?
2. Are veterinarians and epidemiologists who misuse their training for political purposes guilty of professional misconduct?
Your closing sentence points out one of my main concerns: how many, much worse food handling and poisoning matters are they ignoring while prioritizing raw milk? When I think Maine I think shellfish, blueberries, eggs, wild meats, farmed salmon. All perfectly safe I suppose.
Paranoid regulators that have too much time on their hands breeds irrational decision making. It is as if the regulators are comopletely out of touch with reality. A reality that can be changed by market conditions and rational thought. When “we the people drink raw milk” and it is broadly available….the regulatory culture changes as well. The FDA and Processors are doing anything and everything that they can to torpedo raw milk. Clearly, when Crypto is the best that they can do…this is an indication that the raw milk movement has created change. Huge change.
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=chart+of+comparison+of+different+foods+that+cause+illness&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1280&bih=603&tbm=isch&tbnid=qGnNRd4yLSmXNM:&imgrefurl=http://chriskresser.com/raw-milk-reality-is-raw-milk-dangerous&docid=YAmnW93uCuIRXM&imgurl=http://chriskresser.com/wp-content/uploads/foodborneillness.jpg%253Fd9c344&w=559&h=432&ei=BqrkT5HQD4X42gX9n5HaCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=602&vpy=142&dur=1312&hovh=197&hovw=255&tx=144&ty=141&sig=113342200467489756900&page=1&tbnh=126&tbnw=163&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:81
Why is dairy such a hot topic??? becuase it is all about control of market and the processors are freaking out with the bad news that Raw Milk brings to their board room meetings.
They produce the most allergenic and non digestible ( gas cramps are not good for marketing ) food in America and the processors can not change their processing….they are stuck. Totally screwed. So screwed that they prefer Soy Milk and Bottled Water to good old cows milk. It is all factory through-put to them….to heck with family farmers of America.
This is a political food fight…nothing less. $$$$$$ and who gets it or loses it.
This certainly is the case here in Maine. John Baldacci, Democrat, was gov 2003 through 2010. While most of the names above like Hal Prince, Don Hoenig, etc were already marching to the FDA’s music under Baldacci’s admin. today they continue unabated while current Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s (with Repub. majorities in both houses) questions of his Ag Dept head, Whitcomb, appear to go unanswered. Hal Prince has “retired” in the last month or so but no replacement has been named and the state’s persecution of Farmer Brown is moving through the pre-trial process. And so, the persecution of small farms, exercising their Natural right to private contract with their patrons continues, uninhibited by either a political changing of the guard or the growing voice of the electorate and our silly notion of a government that represents us.
Deborah, I think the comment in the previous post was from Steve Bemis, “Bureaucracy without representation is tyranny.”
“Done nothing to improve food safety”. Well stand by for big changes in that area.
RAWMI is about to debut in Oregon. On July 23rd near Portland, more than 100 producers of raw milk will gather to become trained for RAWMI listing….that is big.
Mark
I was quoting MW, he seems to enjoy spouting lies. I haven’t met a farmer yet that doesn’t have concerns for safety.
RAWMI will be a resource to gather a collective unitifed well trained voice to protect the producer and the consumer. There are even producers from CA that will be attending the all day event.
Freedom requires training and taking 100% responsibity. RAWMI will help bring that level of competitance to those that want it.
It appears many do. Crypto is very common in our “treated” drinking water. Outbreaks are common.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Cryptosporidium+in+drinking+water&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
2. Are veterinarians and epidemiologists who misuse their training for political purposes guilty of professional misconduct?
They should be held accountable.
“You may find it interesting that Steve Sears MD, (Maine’s) state epidemiologist is visiting hospitals to lecture doctors on the dangers of raw milk. As an infectious diseases specialist he used to lecture on various infections before but milk is a new topic for him.”
Next doctors and nurses will be requiring patients, regardless of the illness issue at hand, to report where their fresh milk comes from – but then they probably do already!
It’s pretty clear that the harder food rights proponents push for the right to choose the foods they put into their bodies, the harder the the proponents of government control push back. Raw milk happens to be their current obsession, and patient privacy and intimidation their latest creative campaign. Expect ever more such infringements on privacy and rights.