TORONTO - On any given day, about one in 12 adults in hospitals across Canada are either colonized or infected with a superbug, the first national survey to determine the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms has found. The survey of 176 acute-care hospitals looked at rates of infection or colonization in patients from three bacterial microbes that have become immune to the killing effects of most or all antibiotics — MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), VRE (vancomycin-resistant Enterococci) and Clostridium difficile.

By Toni Clarke (Reuters) - Some simple safety techniques for food handling and preparation could help delicatessens and other food stores cut the risk of customers developing the potentially deadly foodborne illness of listeriosis, according to a U.S. government report released on Friday. The report by the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, recommended strict control of temperature during refrigeration, better cleaning and sanitizing of food contact surfaces and wearing gloves while serving customers.

TORONTO - Health Canada is warning that the cancer drug Avastin has been linked in rare cases to necrotizing fasciitis, the fast-moving bacterial infection also known as flesh-eating disease. Two Canadians taking Avastin developed necrotizing fasciitis and one of them died, the federal department said Thursday in a warning issued in conjunction with the drug's manufacturer, Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration is detaining imports of cucumbers from a Mexican company after they were linked to salmonella illnesses in 18 states. The FDA placed the restrictions against Daniel Cardenas Izabal and Miracle Greenhouse of Culiacán, Mexico. The alert means the United States won't accept the imports unless the company can show testing that proves the cucumbers are safe. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that 73 people may have been sickened by the cucumbers.