The Statens Serum Institut is currently investigating a protracted disease outbreak with Listeria monocytogenes in collaboration with the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the Norwegian Food Institute DTU.
Listeria infection is a foodborne illness that can cause blood poisoning or meningitis in people who have a weakened immune system. The disease can also be dangerous for pregnant women and their unborn child.
Listeria outbreaks are often long-lasting, the infection can occur for a period of up to several years. The current outbreak includes 17 people who have become ill over a six-year period. Two cases of illness have provisionally been registered in 2024.
A total of 17 people have been infected with the same type of listeria since the summer of 2019. The patients are 13 women and 4 men with a median age of 73 years, with one patient in their 20s and four in their 80s. The patients live throughout the country. All have been hospitalized. Two people have died within 30 days of detection of the infection.
The bacteria is of the type Listeria monocytogenes . By whole-genome sequencing of the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria isolated from the patients, it can be seen that they are very closely related and belong to sequence type 1607.
No source has been identified yet.
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