The European Union summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and food-borne outbreaks in 2013

Abstract

This report of the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control presents the results of the zoonoses monitoring activities carried out in 2013 in 32 European countries (28 Member States and four non-Member States). Campylobacteriosis was the most commonly reported zoonosis. After several years of an increasing European Union (EU) trend, the human campylobacteriosis notification rate has stabilised. In food and animals no EU trends were observed and the occurrence of Campylobacter continued to be high in broiler meat at EU level. The decreasing EU trend in confirmed human salmonellosis cases observed in recent years continued. Most Member States met their Salmonella reduction targets for poultry. In foodstuffs, the reported EU-level Salmonella non-compliance in fresh poultry meat decreased. Human listeriosis increased further, showing an increasing EU trend in [2009][2010][2011][2012][2013]. In ready-to-eat foods Listeria was seldom detected above the legal safety limit. Also during 2009-2013, a decreasing EU trend was observed in confirmed yersiniosis cases. Positive findings for Yersinia were mainly reported in pig meat and products thereof. The number of confirmed verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) infections in humans increased. VTEC was reported from food and animals. A total of 5,196 food-borne outbreaks, including waterborne outbreaks, were reported in the EU. Most food-borne outbreaks were caused by Salmonella, followed by viruses, bacterial toxins and Campylobacter, whereas in 28.9 % of all outbreaks the causative agent was unknown. Important food vehicles in strong-evidence food-borne outbreaks were eggs and egg products, followed by mixed food, and fish and fish products. The report further summarises trends and sources along the food chain of tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis, Brucella, Trichinella, Echinococcus, Toxoplasma, rabies, Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) of findings from Croatia, who reported data for the first time in 2013. Campylobacter was also detected in turkey meat at moderate level and in other foods at low to very low levels. AnimalsThe majority of the tested broilers were reported by the Nordic countries, where the Campylobacter prevalence in broilers is generally at a low to moderate level due to control programmes. Overall, Campylobacter was found in 29.6 % of the tested slaughter batches, 15.1 % of the tested flocks and 30.4 % of the tested animals. The prevalence in the investigations varied greatly between MS. Campylobacter food-borne outbreaksIn 2013, 414 Campylobacter outbreaks were reported, of which 32 were strong-evidence outbreaks. The sources of these strong-evidence outbreaks were, in decreasing order of importance, broiler meat and products thereof; other, mixed or unspecified poultry meat and products thereof, and milk and mixed food. Salmonella HumansIn 2013, a total of 82,694 confirmed salmonellosis cases were reported by 27 EU MS, resulting in an EU notification rate of 20.4 cases per 100,000 popula...

Detection of Salmonella enterica in Meat in Less than 5 Hours by a Low-Cost and Noncomplex Sample Preparation Method

“…almonella is a global foodborne pathogen responsible for approximately 30% of foodborne outbreaks in the United States and 23% in the European Union (1,2). Pork meat remains an important source of human salmonellosis, which is why the absence of Salmonella is confirmed at critical control points at abattoirs (2).…”

Detection of West Nile virus and tick-borne encephalitis virus in birds in Slovakia, using a universal primer set

“…Between 1960 and 1978, WNV was isolated from Aedes cantans mosquitoes, and neutralizing antibodies were detected in 5.4 % of birds, 5.3 % of small mammals, 1 % lagomorphs and 4.4 % of free-living ungulates tested [4]. So far, no human cases of West Nile fever have been reported in Slovakia [5]. During 2008 and 2011 neutralizing antibodies were detected in 8.3 % of unvaccinated horses [6].…”

Cheese-related listeriosis outbreak, Portugal, March 2009 to February 2012

“…In European countries with established surveillance programmes, such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the incidence of listeriosis is reported to be increasing and the distribution of cases is shifting, primarily affecting elderly persons and those with predisposing medical conditions, leading to a high case fatality rate [1,2]. This is of concern as life expectancy increases, including for those who are immunocompromised (e.g.…”

“…This long delay amplified the magnitude of the outbreak, leading to a high number of cases (n = 30) and a high case-fatality rate (36.7%). Underestimation of the number of cases is likely, as many cases usually go unreported and unrecognised, since patient data and strains are voluntarily reported and listeriosis is an infrequent disease [2], with clinical symptoms that are difficult to identify [16].…”

“…In humans, L. monocytogenes infections are mainly foodborne and can cause an invasive and often fatal disease in pregnant women and their fetuses, newborns, elderly people and immunocompromised individuals, with a case fatality rate of up to 30% [1]. The incidence of listeriosis increased in several European countries between 2009 and 2013 (such as Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom [1,2]) and, was the most frequent cause of hospitalisation and death (15.6%) due to the consumption of contaminated food in Europe in 2013 [2]. This increase reinforces the need for each country to establish enhanced molecular surveillance of listeriosis for efficient outbreak detection, investigation and control, as carried out by PulseNet USA or the Centre National de Référence des Listeria, Institut Pasteur, Paris, for example [3,4].…”