Outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis linked to the consumption of frozen beefburgers received from a food bank and originating from Poland: northern France, December 2014 to April 2015

Abstract

A prolonged outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis occurred in northern France between December 2014 and April 2015. Epidemiological investigations following the initial notification on 30 December 2014 of five cases of salmonellosis (two confirmed S. Enteritidis) in young children residing in the Somme department revealed that all cases frequented the same food bank A. Further epidemiological, microbiological and food trace-back investigations indicated frozen beefburgers as the source of the outbreak and the suspected lot originating from Poland was recalled on 22 January 2015. On 2 March 2015 a second notification of S. Enteritidis cases in the Somme reinitiated investigations that confirmed a link with food bank A and with consumption of frozen beefburgers from the same Polish producer. In the face of a possible persistent source of contamination, all frozen beefburgers distributed by food bank A and from the same origin were blocked on 3 March 2015. Microbiological analyses confirmed contamination by S. Enteritidis of frozen beefburgers from a second lot remaining in cases’ homes. A second recall was initiated on 6 March 2015 and all frozen beefburgers from the Polish producer remain blocked after analyses identified additional contaminated lots over several months of production.

Worldwide Epidemiology ofSalmonellaSerovars in Animal-Based Foods: a Meta-analysis

“…Horizontal or vertical transmission coupled to packaging at inadequate temperatures in the cold chain or cooking at insufficient temperatures or in an improper manner allows for Salmonella spp. survival in meat and can trigger outbreaks (125)(126)(127). Although they are less associated with human infection than pork, beef products have recently been involved in major outbreaks caused by multidrug-resistant Salmonella in both Europe and North America (128,129).…”

Epidemiological Survey and Retrospective Analysis of Salmonella Infections between 2000 and 2017 in Warmia and Masuria Voivodship in Poland

“…During the winter months, the number of NTS cases in WaM has stabilized since 2007 at a level of 5–15 cases per 100,000 people per month; however, in summer, from 2008 onward, the number was about six times higher than that in winter with outbreaks of the disease in 2011 and 2013 (Figure 4). NTS infections by Polish food in France in 2014 occurred in seasons where higher temperatures favor the spread of bacterial diseases [12,28,29,30,31,32]. An increase in gastrointestinal bacterial infections in months with higher temperatures was observed globally, in Poland’s immediate neighbor, Latvia, as well as in countries outside of the EU, namely in the USA, Canada, and Australia [10,33,34,35].…”

“…Between December 2014 and April 2015, there was an epidemic outbreak of Salmonella in France, which was linked to the consumption of beef burgers contaminated with non-typhoid Salmonella originating from a Polish producer. Forty-one people in northern France were infected after the consumption of the contaminated meat [12]. This incident triggered a demand for information on the prevalence of NTS infections in the population of the predominantly agricultural Polish voivodship of Warmia and Masuria (WaM, Polish: województwo warmińsko-mazurskie ).…”

Vaccination against Salmonella Infection: the Mucosal Way

“…The areas where NTS disease is prevalent are located mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in south Asian countries, because of poor health care systems, malnutrition, and possible zoonotic transmission (7)(8)(9). Through food contamination, episodic outbreaks are also reported in developed countries, which may be caused by other serogroups, including O:7 and O:8 (10)(11)(12)(13). In 2010, the estimated burden of NTS infection accounted for 93.8 million cases and 155,000 casualties (14).…”