A 2010 Austrian Salmonella enteritidis PT4 outbreak associated with a laying hen holding previously involved in an S. enteritidis PT4 cluster: Pitfalls of regulatory responses in risk management

Abstract

We report on an outbreak caused by Salmonella enteritidis phage type 4 (PT4) among 143 participants at a soccer camp in Austria in August 2010. The outbreak affected 34 persons, including 24 epidemiologically related cases and 10 laboratory-confirmed cases. Food-specific cohort analyses revealed spaetzle (homemade noodles) (relative risks (RR): 2.68; 95% CI: 1.13-6.45), hamburger (RR: 2.70; 95% CI: 1.13-6.45) and potato salad (RR: 2.91; 95% CI: 1.69-5.02) as the most biologically plausible infection sources. Eggs used as ingredients were considered to be the vehicle of infection for the outbreak strain. The sole egg producer supplying the hotel that housed the soccer camp participants with table eggs operated two flocks. One flock had been epidemiologically and microbiologically related to a previous S. enteritidis PT4 outbreak affecting the same Austrian province in the four months preceding the August outbreak. We hypothesize that eggs from this flock, already condemned for industrial use only, were falsely declared table eggs and sold among eggs from the non-banned flock causing the subsequent outbreak. In Austria, the illegal distribution of eggs designated for industrial use (i.e., false declaration of these eggs as table eggs) has been previously documented. Our findings underscore the potential of proper epidemiological outbreak investigation to identify the pitfalls of regulatory responses in risk management.

Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization ofSalmonella entericaSerovar Enteritidis Isolates Associated with a Mousse Cake–Related Outbreak of Gastroenteritis in Ningbo, China

“…All the isolates from the outbreak had been previously identified as Salmonella Enteritidis (1, 9, 12: g, m: -) in our laboratory by traditional serotyping (unpublished data). Similar outbreaks caused by Salmonella Enteritidis have been reported in diverse foods, such as chicken with harusame noodles (Tokuzaki and Takahashi, 2007), eggs (Kilic et al, 2010;Liu et al, 2012), and salad (Mertens et al, 2013). A combination of phenotypic analysis and genotypic subtyping methods were employed in the epidemiological investigations of these outbreaks.…”

Scientific Opinion on the public health risks of table eggs due to deterioration and development of pathogens

“…Food-borne outbreaks related to the consumption of S. Enteritidis-contaminated eggs are widely reported in Europe and globally (Gormley et al, 2012;Liu et al, 2012;Zielicka-Hardy et al, 2012;Davies et al, 2013;Zenner et al, 2013;Harker et al, 2014).…”

“…In Europe, S. Enteritidis is the serovar most commonly associated with egg contamination in most of the egg and laying hen surveys carried out (Martelli and Davies, 2012;EFSA and ECDC, 2013). Food-borne outbreaks related to the consumption of S. Enteritidis-contaminated eggs are widely reported in Europe and globally (Gormley et al, 2012;Liu et al, 2012;Zielicka-Hardy et al, 2012;Davies et al, 2013;Zenner et al, 2013;Harker et al, 2014).…”

Induction of Viable but Non-culturable (VBNC) State in <i>Salmonella</i> Cultured in M9 Minimal Medium Containing High Glucose

“…[6][7][8][9][10] In consideration of the strong infectivity of Salmonella, a better understanding of the characteristics of environmental Salmonella isolates is necessary for the control of spreading and contamination of foods by Salmonella as well as for the risk management for food safety in general.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5] Among Salmonella spp., Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) is one of the dominant species, and has sometimes caused mass food poisoning in many countries. [6][7][8][9][10] In consideration of the strong infectivity of Salmonella, a better understanding of the characteristics of environmental Salmonella isolates is necessary for the control of spreading and contamination of foods by Salmonella as well as for the risk management for food safety in general.…”