An outbreak of Salmonella blockley infections following smoked eel consumption in Germany

Abstract

In June 1998, an increased number of persons with Salmonella blockley infection were reported from one German state. Because S. blockley is extremely uncommon in Germany, a case-control study was performed in order to find the source. A total of 13 patients met the case definition. Nine of 12 cases and 2 of 21 controls with food consumption histories reported eating smoked eel (OR 28.5; 95% CI 3.9-235.3). The consumed eel came from four different local smokeries, but could be traced back to fish farms in Italy. This outbreak indicates that eel may be a vehicle for salmonella infection and that the smoking process may not eliminate bacterial contamination from raw fish.

Fish: a potential source of bacterial pathogens for human beings

“…blockley infections following smoked eel consumption was described in Germany. The consumed eel came from four different local smokehouses, but could be traced back to fish farms in Italy (Fell et al, 2000). This outbreak indicates that eel may be a vector of Salmonella spp.…”

Isolation of Salmonella and Shigella from fish harvested from the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria, Kenya

“…Fish and shellfish appear to be passive carriers of Salmonella that demonstrate no clinical disease and can excrete Salmonella spp. without apparent symptoms [6,7,8,9]. An outbreak of Salmonella blockley infections following consumption of smoked eel fish from four different local smokehouses in Italy was reported in Germany (8).…”

Human infections due to Salmonella Blockley, a rare serotype in South Africa: a case report

“…Unfortunately there were no food samples taken for analysis, therefore the source of infection remains unknown. Although chickens are the major source of Salmonella Blockley, previous studies have indicated that this serotype can be obtained from different sources such as eggs, smoked eel and vegetables [4,5]. Moreover, other factors such as food storage, unhygienic behavior of food handlers, poor food preparation and poor food serving can increase the risk of cross contaminations [4,5].…”

“…However, Salmonella Blockley was among the twenty most frequently isolated serotypes in 17 European countries over the period 1998 to 2002 [3]. Single outbreaks of Salmonella Blockley have been reported in the United States of America and Greece, while several sporadic cases have been reported in Europe [4,5]. In South Africa, only nine cases of Salmonella Blockley were identified by the Centre for Enteric Diseases (CED) of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) over the period 2003 to 2011.…”