According to the 2020 Annual Epidemiological Report on Communicable Diseases in Europe report; for 2017, 30 countries reported 2 502 confirmed listeriosis cases in the EU/EEA. The EU/EEA age-standardised notification rate was 0.42 cases per 100 000 population. The highest rate was detected among people over 64 years of age (1.7 cases per 100 000 population). The annual number of listeriosis cases in the EU/EEA shows an increasing trend.
Researchers identified 22 independent listeriosis outbreaks occurring between 2010 and 2021 that were most likely associated with the consumption of smoked and graved salmon products. In Germany, 228 cases were identified, of 50 deaths reported (22%) 17 were confirmed to have died from listeriosis. Many of these 22 outbreaks were cross-border outbreaks with further cases in other countries.
Invasive listeriosis, caused by Listeria (L.) monocytogenes, is a severe foodborne infection, especially for immunocompromised individuals. The aim of our investigation was the identification and analysis of listeriosis outbreaks in Germany with smoked and graved salmon products as the most likely source of infection using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and patient interviews.
This report shows that smoked and graved salmon products contaminated with L. monocytogenes pose a serious risk for listeriosis infection in Germany. Interdisciplinary efforts including WGS and epidemiological investigations were essential to identifying the source of infection. Uncooked salmon products are high risk foods frequently contaminated with L. monocytogenes. In order to minimise the risk of infection for consumers, food producers need to improve hygiene measures and reduce the entry of pathogens into food processing. Furthermore, susceptible individuals should be better informed of the risk of acquiring listeriosis from consuming smoked and graved salmon products’.
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References:
Invasive listeriosis outbreaks and salmon products: a genomic, epidemiological study
Researchers draw attention to Listeria problem in fish, Food Safety News, May4, 2022