In the news

From November 1 to date, 26 people in Sweden have been confirmed to be infected with Salmonella Agona. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has shown that the disease cases carry the same strain of Salmonella Agona and are thus suspected of having been infected by a common source. The cases, aged 3-86 years (median=32 years), are from twelve different regions in Sweden, and 15 infected are women. The outbreak strain of Salmonella Agona has also been identified in several cases of illness in Norway. Work to identify the source of infection, which is suspected to be a food with wide distribution in Sweden and Norway, takes place in collaboration between infection control units, the Swedish Food Agency and the Norwegian Public Health Agency, as well as with Norwegian authorities.@ https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/smittskydd-beredskap/utbrott/aktuella-utbrott/salmonella-agona-internationellt-november-2022-/

An outbreak of Salmonella Mbandaka ST413 in EU/EEA, Israel, and the UK linked to the consumption of chicken meat is reported by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDPC). Based on case interviews from Finland and the UK, ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken products and/or fresh chicken meat are the likely vehicles of infection. Epidemiological data and microbiological evidence from WGS of human isolates indicate several active sources through different food distribution chains, with a likely common source higher up in the chicken supply chain. On 20 May 2022, the United Kingdom (UK) reported a cluster of 31 Salmonella Mbandaka ST413 cases from England (25 cases), Scotland (3 cases), and Wales (3 cases). On 16 June 2022, Finland reported a cluster of nine S. Mbandaka cases from different regions between 19 April and 24 May 2022. Subsequent analysis on 20 June confirmed that the cluster of nine Finnish cases was genetically close to the representative isolates of the UK outbreak strains. In September, more cases were detected, indicating that the outbreak was ongoing. By 8 November 2022, 196 cases (140 confirmed and 56 possible) have been reported in seven EU/EEA countries (Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands), the UK, and Israel. Of 40 cases with information available in the UK, nine (22.5%) were admitted to the hospital, and one died. @https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/multi-country-outbreak-salmonella-mbandaka-st413-possibly-linked-consumption

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recalled Igor brand Gorgonzola mild ripened blue-veined cheese due to possible Listeria contamination. Jan K. Overweel Limited distributed the product in 350g packages with a best-before date of Feb. 01, 2023. The product has been sold in Ontario and Quebec. @ There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of this product. @ https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/igor-brand-gorgonzola-mild-ripened-blue-veined-cheese-recalled-due-listeria?utm_source=gc-notify&utm_medium=email&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=hc-sc-rsa-22-23&

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) reported that 259 got sick with a virulent form of E. coli O157 STEC that may have been linked to lettuce grown in the UK. The cases occurred across the country from 23 August to 29 October 2022, but the full details have only just been made public by the FSA. The FSA, its counterpart in Scotland, and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) started an investigation. FSA chief executive Emily Miles told board members that this outbreak linked to E.coli STEC (Shiga toxin-producing E.coli) is the largest since whole genome sequencing of such bugs began in 2014. There have been no deaths or reported cases of HUS linked to the latest outbreak. @ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11512733/Almost-260-Britons-sickened-E-coli-outbreak-linked-SALADS.html