In the United States a total of 407 people infected with one of the outbreak strains of Salmonella were reported from 44 states: Of 362 people with information available, 158 (44%) were hospitalized. Six deaths were reported.
In Canada a total, 190 laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella Soahanina, Sundsvall, Oranienburg, and Newport illness were linked to this outbreak. Sixty-eight (68) individuals were hospitalized, and nine deaths were reported.
Norovirus has been determined to be the suspected cause of a large outbreak at Airbus in France in late 2023, according to public health officials.
The Loire-Atlantique regional health agency (ARS) believes norovirus was behind almost 700 people falling sick at the Airbus Atlantic Christmas lunch in mid-December. Findings are based on the clinical symptoms in patients and the time it took for them to appear.
Sick people reported suffering from nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea after the event in Montoir at the company’s restaurant. Testing of food leftovers was negative for norovirus. No detail was given on whether patients or food handlers had been tested.
The varied menu is said to have included a cheese plate, a starter with scallops, a foie gras terrine, beef in sauce, and a lobster dish.
Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Norovirus, outbreak, Research
| Date Posted |
Ref | Pathogen or Cause of Illness |
Product(s) Linked to Illnesses (if any) |
Total Case Count |
Status |
| 1/24/
2024 |
1214 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Not Yet Identified |
26 | Active |
| 12/6/
2023 |
1205 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Not Yet Identified |
3 | Active |
| 11/15/
2023 |
989 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Peaches, Plums, and Nectarines |
See Advisory |
Active |
| 11/8/
2023 |
1198 | Elevated Lead Levels |
Apple Cinnamon Puree |
See Advisory |
Active |
In July 2021, Public Health Wales received two notifications of salmonella gastroenteritis. Both cases has attended the same barbecue to celebrate Eid al–Adha, two days earlier. Additional cases attending the same barbecue were found and an outbreak investigation was initiated. The barbecue was attended by a North African community’s social network. On same day, smaller lunches were held in three homes in the social network. Many people attended both a lunch and the barbecue. Cases were defined as someone with an epidemiological link to the barbecue and/or lunches with diarrhoea and/or vomiting with date of onset following these events. We undertook a cohort study of 36 people attending the barbecue and/or lunch, and a nested case-control study using Firth logistic regression. A communication campaign, sensitive towards different cultural practices, was developed in collaboration with the affected community. Consumption of a traditional raw liver dish, ‘marrara’, at the barbecue was the likely vehicle for infection (Firth logistic regression, aOR: 49.99, 95%CI 1.71–1461.54, p = 0.02). Meat and offal came from two local butchers (same supplier) and samples yielded identical whole genome sequences as cases. Future outbreak investigations should be relevant to the community affected by considering dishes beyond those found in routine questionnaires.
Since 15 December 2023, 68 people from 14 regions have been reported infected with Cryptosporidium in Sweden. Most of the disease cases are from Halland and Jönköping. Of the disease cases, 72 percent are women, the average age is 41 years and 79 percent are in the age group 21-60 years. Based on the available data, the latest case of the disease contracted on January 3 (see figure). Typing of a selection of samples shows that 13 out of 18 belong to the same type of Cryptosporidium, which indicates that the disease cases have a common source of infection.
Affected infection control units, the Swedish Food Agency and the Public Health Agency are investigating the outbreak to identify the source of infection, which is suspected to be fresh food. Information about what the outbreak cases have eaten before becoming ill is done via interviews and the collection of questionnaires. The answers are then compared to what people in a healthy comparison group indicate that they have eaten to assess whether there are foods that the outbreak cases have eaten to a greater extent than the comparison group.
All recalls that resulted from this investigation are listed on FDA’s cantaloupe recall website. Recalled cantaloupes are no longer available for sale and the use-by dates have passed.
Recalled whole and pre-cut cantaloupes and recalled product containing pre-cut cantaloupes were sold or distributed from September to early December 2023 and should be past shelf-life. Consumers who froze cantaloupe products should check if they are part of the recalls. If you are unsure of where your cantaloupes are from, you should discard them.
Recalled whole cantaloupe from the following brands:
Recalled pre-cut cantaloupe and products containing pre-cut cantaloupes (products made from recalled whole cantaloupes) can be found on the Major Recalls Page.
Illness usually occurs within 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food and usually lasts four to seven days. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. Children younger than five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe infections.
Ended
Campylobacter is a significant foodborne pathogen that leads to global outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) usually affecting less than 30 individuals. Human sapovirus (HuSaV) is an enteric virus responsible for sporadic cases and outbreaks of AGE worldwide. In a study conducted in Beijing, HuSaV detection ranked second after norovirus.
What is added by this report?
We present a discussion of the first large-scale outbreak of AGE caused by both Campylobacter coli (C. coli) and HuSaV. The outbreak involved a total of 996 patients and exhibited two distinct peaks over a period of 17 days. Through case-control studies, we identified exposure to raw water from a secondary water supply system as a significant risk factor. Among 83 patients, 49 samples tested positive for C. coli, 39 samples tested positive for HuSaV, and 27 samples tested positive for both pathogens using real-time polymerase chain reaction detection. Furthermore, whole-genome sequencing of 17 C. coli isolates obtained from 17 patients revealed that all isolates belonged to a highly clonal strain of C. coli.
What are the implications for public health practice?
Outbreaks of AGE resulting from multiple pathogen infections warrant increased attention. This report emphasizes the significance of ensuring the safety of drinking water, particularly in secondary supply systems.
Source Unknown
• Total Cases: 147
• Shigella Species Type:
– 101 (68.7%) sonnei
– 5 (3.4%) flexneri
– 41 (27.9%) species not yet available.
• Severity of Disease:
– 67 (45.6%) of the cases have been hospitalized due to shigella.
– 1 (0.7%) death has been attributed to shigella.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is reporting that there are more than 150 suspected local cases of gastrointestinal illness linked to the consumption of raw oysters, likely caused by norovirus. At this time, Public Health is warning consumers not to eat raw oysters from Laguna De Guerrero Negro, Baja California, Mexico; Laguna Manuela, Baja California, Mexico; and Bahia Salina, Sonora, Mexico because they may be linked to outbreaks of norovirus illnesses in California. Before eating raw oysters, consumers should ask the vendor/restaurant where the oysters were harvested.
FoodWorld 