Salmonella Cases Have Increased in Humans

Salmonella bacteria live in the intestines of people, animals and birds. Most people are infected with salmonella by eating foods that have been contaminated.

Salmonella infection (salmonellosis) is a common bacterial disease that affects the intestinal tract. The declining trend of salmonellosis cases in the European Union (EU) has levelled off according to the annual report on zoonotic diseases published.

Cases of Salmonella Enteritidis acquired in the EU have increased in humans by 3% since 2014 says the report, which is compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In laying hens, the prevalence increased from 0.7% to 1.21% over the same period.

New Mouse Model to Study Salmonella Meningitis
A way to study potentially life-threatening meningitis caused by Salmonella has been established by National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists.

‘Outbreaks due to Salmonella are on the rise, with S. Enteritidis causing one in six food-borne disease outbreaks in 2016.’

"The increase shown by our surveillance data is worrying and a reminder that we have to stay vigilant," said Mike Catchpole, ECDC's Chief Scientist. "Even in a state of high awareness and with national control programmes for S. Enteritidis in place, there is a need for continuing risk management actions at the Member State and EU level," he added.

Marta Hugas, EFSA's Chief Scientist, said: "The decrease of Salmonella has been a success story in the EU food safety system in the last 10 years. Recent S. Enteritidis outbreaks contributed to a change in this trend in humans and poultry. Further investigations by competent authorities in the field of public health and food safety will be crucial to understand the reasons behind the increase."

There were 94 530 human cases of salmonellosis reported in the EU in 2016. S. Enteritidis - the most widespread type of Salmonella, accounted for 59% of all salmonellosis cases originating in the EU and is mostly associated with the consumption of eggs, egg products and poultry meat.

Pre-cut Greens Salad may Promote Growth of Salmonella Bacteria
Packed salad leaves which are damaged doubles the production of Salmonella bacteria and develops biofilms that stick on to the surface.

Campylobacter and Listeria

Campylobacter, the most reported food-borne pathogen in humans, was detected in 246 307 people, an increase of 6.1% compared with 2015. Despite the high number of cases, fatalities were low (0.03%). Levels of Campylobacter are high in chicken meat.

Salmonella is Well-known Than Campylobacter in Germany
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is an important tool to estimate the consumers perception on various health risk factors.

Listeria infections, which are generally more severe, led to hospitalisation in 97% of reported cases. In 2016, listeriosis continued to rise, with 2 536 cases (a 9.3% increase) and 247 deaths reported. Most deaths occur in people aged over 64 (fatality rate of 18.9%). People over 84 are particularly at risk (fatality rate of 26.1%). Listeria seldom exceeded legal safety limits in ready-to-eat foods.

Salmonella food-borne outbreaks increasing

New Salmonella Test Gives Accurate Results
A new Salmonella test developed aids in detecting the bacteria from environmental and clinical samples accurately and is one of the leading causes of food-borne illness

The 4 786 food-borne disease outbreaks reported in 2016 represent a slight increase in comparison with 2015 (4 362 outbreaks), but the figure is similar to the average number of outbreaks in the EU during 2010-2016.

Salmonella bacteria were the most common cause of food-borne outbreaks (22.3%), an increase of 11.5% compared to 2015. They caused the highest burden in terms of numbers of hospitalisations (1,766; 45.6% of all hospitalised cases) and of deaths (10; 50% of all deaths among outbreak cases).

Salmonella in eggs caused the highest number of outbreak cases (1 882).

Source-Eurekalert