According to press reports, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services is investigating what it calls a “significant increase” in the number of E. coli reports throughout the state.
Since November 13, officials say they are investigating 20 cases, three involving children. They say the cases are scattered across the state and are not isolated in any one region. The source remains a mystery. However, officials are treating it as an outbreak.
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This investigation is over. This outbreak is a reminder that deli products, such as sliced meats and cheeses, can have Listeria bacteria. People who are at higher risk for Listeria infection should avoid eating hot dogs, lunch meats, cold cuts, and other deli meats, unless they are heated to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot just before serving.
CDC and several states, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, investigated a multistate outbreak of Listeria infections linked to deli-sliced meats and cheeses. A single, common supplier of deli products was not identified.
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is sharing news of a recent E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, involving 23 illnesses, that was likely associated with romaine lettuce. No deaths were reported. The active investigation has reached its end and the outbreak appears to be over. The FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control did not identify actionable information for consumers during this investigation. Additionally, when romaine lettuce was identified as the likely source of the outbreak, the available data at the time indicated that the outbreak was not ongoing and romaine lettuce eaten by sick people was past its shelf life and no longer available for sale. The FDA is communicating details about the outbreak at this time to help ensure full awareness by the public and to highlight the ongoing importance of industry actions to help ensure the safety of leafy greens. Federal health officials do not believe there is a current or ongoing risk to public health.
A Salmonella outbreak at Al Basha Restaurant in Seattle, Washington has sickened at least three people. One person has been hospitalized. That restaurant is located at 2302 1st Avenue in Seattle. The dates that the ill persons ate there are September 15, 22, and 23, 2019.
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RASFF – foodborne outbreak caused by Listeria monocytogenes in cold meat (charcuterie), sliced and pre-packed from the Netherlands in the Netherlands
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Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador are reporting an E. coli outbreak in the province. The Department of Health and Community Services advises that there have been 22 confirmed cases of E.coli in the province this week, and Public Health officials within the department, as well as the regional health authorities are working with Service NL to investigate.
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Image CDC
An E. coli outbreak at the Acapulco Mexican Restaurant in Andover, Minnesota has been confirmed by Doug Schultz, Information and Communications Officer for the Minnesota Department of Health. He said, “We are investigating a cluster of STEC cases that ate at the Andover location.” That restaurant is located at 13753 Ibis St NW in Andover.
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The Public Health Agency of Canada revealed on Tuesday afternoon that their Salmonella outbreak investigation has now uncovered an additional 14 cases of the disease in Canada, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 110. According to a statement from the Health Agency, Salmonella has been found across multiple provinces and territories, and the cases are part of an ‘ongoing’ outbreak in the country.
One person has died after year-long Salmonella outbreak in Canada
ECDC has identified a microbiological link between an outbreak of nine Listeria monocytogenes ST1247 cases in Denmark and nine additional cases reported between 2014 and 2018 in Estonia (2 cases) Finland (2), France (1) and Sweden (4). In Denmark, the outbreak investigation is led by Statens Serum Institut (SSI), the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the DTU Food Institute.
Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis performed at the national level and by ECDC found all isolates from the 18 cases within two allelic differences from each other (core genome MLST using Moura scheme, 1540 of 1748 loci detected in all 18 isolates). The latest case was reported in Denmark in February 2019 (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Distribution of Listeria monocytogenes isolates by country and time of reporting 2014-2019 (n=18)
A large-scale study led by ECDC on whole genome sequencing shows that most listeria outbreaks such as this one remain undetected. The study, published in 2018, suggests that more than half of the severe listeriosis cases in the European Union belong to clusters, many of which are not being picked up fast enough by the current surveillance system.
Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis, which primarily affects pregnant women, newborns, and adults with a weakened immune system. Listeriosis is a relatively rare but potentially severe food-borne disease that has been reported in increasing numbers in the EU/EEA countries since 2008. In 2016, 2 536 cases were reported, including 247 deaths.
Image CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late last week released a summary of foodborne illnesses in 2017 based on an annual analysis of data from the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System, and Norovirus was the most common pathogen reported, responsible for 46% of illnesses. Salmonella and Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli were also linked to a substantial number of outbreaks.
In 2017, the CDC tracked 841 foodborne outbreaks, which included 14,481 illnesses, 827 hospitalizations, 20 deaths, and 14 food product recalls. A single etiologic agent was confirmed in 395 outbreaks (47%), which are defined as two or more related cases.
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