In Denmark, the number of salmonella outbreaks increased from 2022 to 2023. This is evident from the annual report on zoonoses in Denmark, prepared by the DTU Food Institute, the Danish Food and Drug Administration and the Staten Serum Institut.
In Denmark, 18 salmonella outbreaks were registered in 2023, which is a significant increase from 2022, when there were 11 outbreaks. This appears from the annual report for 2023 on the incidence of zoonoses – diseases that can be transmitted from animals and food to humans.
The largest salmonella outbreak in 2023 in Denmark counted 31 registered cases of illness and was caused by Salmonella Munich. 8 of the Salmonella outbreaks in Denmark in 2023 are due to Salmonella Enteritidis. In total, around 200 patients were infected with different types of salmonella.
Increase in outbreaks with Salmonella Enteritidis also in Europe
The increasing number of outbreaks is also seen elsewhere in Europe and follows a general trend. Four of the 11 outbreaks of Salmonella Enteritidis detected in Denmark in 2023 can be traced back to larger international outbreaks.
EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, reports that European countries have reported several outbreaks in 2023. EFSA’s database contains results from genetic analyzes of the bacteria, which have contributed to clarifying and tracing both the meat and the companies where the salmonella originates.
“When several countries in Europe contribute to the same database, we have a better chance of clarifying more European foodborne outbreaks. And we can see that salmonella can be linked to imported chicken meat,” says research group leader Marianne Sandberg from the DTU Food Institute. Salmonella Enteritidis is more often found in hens, chickens and eggs than in foods of other animal origin. Humans can become infected through contact with animals or food that is infected with the bacteria.
“Salmonella Enteritidis is an infection we most often see after people have traveled. It was therefore surprising that the number of Salmonella Enteriditis outbreaks within the country’s borders increased from 1-3 per year in 2017-2022, to 8 in 2023,” says Luise Muller, epidemiologist from the Statens Serum Institut.
The source of infection for one outbreak was fried chicken meat for kebabs. That particular outbreak was part of an international outbreak and involved over 200 patients in 13 countries. There are no indications that Danish-produced eggs or chicken meat were the cause of the salmonella outbreak.
“In Denmark, we have a very fine-tuned control for salmonella in the production of broilers and eggs for human consumption. If we find salmonella, eggs or chicken meat from the flocks must not be sent out to consumers, but must be heat treated,” says specialist consultant Gudrun Sandø from the Danish Food and Drug Administration.
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