International outbreak investigation of Salmonella Heidelberg associated with in-flight catering

Abstract

Rapid and wide dispersal of passengers after flights makes investigation of flight-related outbreaks challenging. An outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg was identified in a group of Irish travellers returning from Tanzania. Additional international cases sharing the same flight were identified. Our aim was to determine the source and potential vehicles of infection. Case-finding utilized information exchange using experts' communication networks and national surveillance systems. Demographic, clinical and food history information was collected. Twenty-five additional cases were identified from Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, USA and Canada. We conducted a case-control study which indicated a significant association between illness and consumption of milk tart (OR 10.2) and an egg dish (OR 6) served on-board the flight. No food consumed before the flight was associated with illness. Cases from countries other than Ireland provided supplementary information that facilitated the identification of likely vehicles of infection. Timely, committed international collaboration is vital in such investigations.

Infection, colonization and shedding of Campylobacter and Salmonella in animals and their contribution to human disease: A review

“…Animal food products are implicated in human Salmonella infection outbreaks related to local and multinational food distribution networks (Dallman et al, 2016;EFSA & ECDP, 2017;Zenner et al, 2014), and international in-flight catering (Rebolledo et al, 2014). The isolation of Campylobacter strains from chicken carcases similar to those frequently isolated in humans is not uncommon and signifies the importance of animals in human infections (Devane et al, 2013;Nielsen et al, 2006;Stone et al, 2013).…”

Multinational outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infection during an international youth ice hockey competition in Riga, Latvia, preliminary report, March and April 2015

“…This will delay detection of Salmonella outbreaks among travellers. Cross-border outbreaks and outbreaks related to mass gatherings pose special problems [12][13][14][15] and cooperation between national authorities and ECDC is needed. The investigation to determine the source of the outbreak is ongoing and a retrospective cohort study among event participants from several EU/EFTA countries is underway in order to identify the source.…”

Preharvest Salmonella Risk Contamination and the Control Strategies

“…enterica serovar Havana (10.8%), serovar Rissen, serovar Soerenga, and serovar Schwarzengrund (6.2%). These serovars have been associated with animal and human infections and outbreaks [42][43][44].…”