Swedish E. coli cases linked to imported parsley

Food Safety News

Contaminated parsley imported from southern Europe has been linked to at least 150 E. coli cases in Sweden.

Over 100 people were infected by Enterotoxigenic E.coli (ETEC) and Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) after eating food during a conference in Jönköping at the end of October. A similar outbreak sickened 50 people in Stockholm.

In Stockholm, people were infected around the same time at a restaurant that served parsley from the same producer. This led health officials to believe it was likely parsley from Italy that caused the outbreaks.

A total of 104 participants at the conference reported they had suffered illness. Samples were taken from four cases. Analysis showed they were infected with different combinations of pathogenic E. coli such as ETEC, EPEC, and Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC).

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