Population-based food consumption survey as an additional tool for foodborne outbreak investigations, Germany, 2017

Abstract

We conducted a food consumption survey in the general adult population of 18 years and older in Germany to obtain data on the frequency of consumption of food items that caused foodborne disease outbreaks in the past. A total of 1010 telephone interviews were completed that queried the consumption of 95 food items in the 7-day period before the interview. Survey results were weighted to be representative. Six exemplary ‘high risk’ food items were consumed by 6% to 16% of the general population. These were raw ground pork: 6.5%; ‘Teewurst’ (=spreadable sausage-containing raw pork): 15.7%; unpasteurised milk consumed without prior heating: 9.0%; food items prepared with raw eggs: 9.8%; unheated sprouts or seedlings: 8.8% and frozen berries consumed without prior heating: 6.2%. Data from our food consumption survey were comparable to data obtained from control persons in case-control studies conducted during past foodborne disease outbreak investigations. We consider our survey an additional helpful tool that will allow comparison with food consumption data from case-patients obtained in exploratory, hypothesis-generating interviews early on in outbreak investigations, and which may assist in forming hypotheses regarding associations of illnesses with suspected food vehicles. This may facilitate and accelerate investigations of future foodborne disease outbreaks.

Effect of a High Proportion of Rye in Compound Feed for Reduction of Salmonella Typhimurium in Experimentally Infected Young Pigs

“…Salmonellosis is primarily a zoonosis and interventions are possible at any stage from farm to fork [1]. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is strongly associated with pigs, with infections in humans caused by contaminated pork and meat products, causing an impact on public health [2,3]. In Germany, 33% of acquired infections or 13,529 cases of salmonellosis were reported in 2018 [4], making salmonellosis the second most commonly reported bacterial gastrointestinal disease in Germany after Campylobacter enteritis [4].…”

“…Nitrogen-free extract (NfE) = dry matter-(crude ash + ether extract + crude fiber + crude protein) 2. Metabolizable energy (ME) calculated from the specified raw nutrient content.…”

Invasive listeriosis outbreaks and salmon products: a genomic, epidemiological study

“…This is more than would be expected in the general population even though only a small proportion of patients could be interviewed. In a food consumption survey for outbreak investigations in Germany, 24% (95%-CI 18–30%) of healthy over 65-year-old respondents stated that they had consumed smoked or graved salmon in a period of two weeks prior to the survey [ 20 ]. These results from patient interviews provide convincing epidemiological evidence and support the causal relationship between listeriosis outbreaks and the consumption of salmon [ 18 ].…”

Use of a non-probabilistic online panel as a control group for case–control studies to investigate food and waterborne outbreaks in Lower Saxony, Germany

“…Finally, in order to assess in which scenarios or for which hypothesised food and water exposures or behaviours using panellists as controls might be more appropriate than traditional controls, any selection bias introduced by using the panel need to be better understood. A prospect is to compare the reported food and water exposures and behaviours of panellists with that of probability samples from population-based food exposure surveys, such as with the German food exposure survey [ 36 , 37 ] or other sources of such data for which selection biases are minimised or previously characterised [ 38 ].…”