The European Union One Health 2022 Zoonoses Report

Abstract

This report by the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control presents the results of the zoonoses monitoring and surveillance activities carried out in 2022 in 27 Member States (MSs), the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) and 11 non-MSs. Key statistics on zoonoses and zoonotic agents in humans, food, animals and feed are provided and interpreted historically. In 2022, the first and second most reported zoonoses in humans were campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis, respectively. The number of cases of campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis remained stable in comparison with 2021. Nineteen MSs and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) achieved all the established targets in poultry populations for the reduction of Salmonella prevalence for the relevant serovars. Salmonella samples from carcases of various animal species, and samples for Campylobacter quantification from broiler carcases, were more frequently positive when performed by the competent authorities than when own checks were conducted. Yersiniosis was the third most reported zoonosis in humans, followed by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Listeria monocytogenes infections. L. monocytogenes and West Nile virus infections were the most severe zoonotic diseases, with the most hospitalisations and highest case fatality rates. In 2022, reporting showed an increase of more than 600% compared with 2021 in locally acquired cases of human West Nile virus infection, which is a mosquito-borne disease. In the EU, the number of reported foodborne outbreaks and cases, hospitalisations and deaths was higher in 2022 than in 2021. The number of deaths from outbreaks was the highest ever reported in the EU in the last 10 years, mainly caused by L. monocytogenes and to a lesser degree by Salmonella. Salmonella and in particular S. Enteritidis remained the most frequently reported causative agent for foodborne outbreaks. Norovirus (and other calicivirus) was the agent associated with the highest number of outbreak human cases. This report also provides updates on brucellosis, Coxiella burnetii (Q fever), echinococcosis, rabies, toxoplasmosis, trichinellosis, infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (focusing on Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium caprae) and tularaemia.

Stress response of Salmonella Newport with various sequence types toward plasma-activated water: Viable but nonculturable state formation and outer membrane vesicle production

“…According to the survey results, the proportion of S . Newport ranked fifth among Salmonella detected in the European Union, second in the United States and the top ten in China ( Cheng et al, 2019 ; EFSA, ECDPC, 2023 ; Wu et al, 2018 ). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) based on nucleic acid sequence has been used to type S. Newport, offering a detailed classification compared with serotyping ( Tang et al, 2019 ).…”

Microbiological and physicochemical profile of Italian steak tartare and predicting growth potential of Listeria monocytogenes

“…This kind of meat preparation was already found to harbour pathogenic bacteria such as verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli , Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes , and has been recognized as source of foodborne outbreaks caused by Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli O157 and Salmonella Typhimurium [ [3] , [4] , [5] ]. L. monocytogenes, one of the two species considered pathogenic , has not been strictly associated with outbreaks caused by minced meat preparations, but it poses a particular concern when meat preparations are intended to be eaten raw (falling into the RTE category), as its presence has been frequently reported (from 2.07 % to 55 %) [ [6] , [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] ]. According to EFSA-ECDC report [ 7 ], in the EU, the overall occurrence of the pathogen in RTE beef products was 4.9 %.…”

“…L. monocytogenes, one of the two species considered pathogenic , has not been strictly associated with outbreaks caused by minced meat preparations, but it poses a particular concern when meat preparations are intended to be eaten raw (falling into the RTE category), as its presence has been frequently reported (from 2.07 % to 55 %) [ [6] , [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] ]. According to EFSA-ECDC report [ 7 ], in the EU, the overall occurrence of the pathogen in RTE beef products was 4.9 %.…”

Modulation of Campylobacter jejuni adhesion to biotic model surfaces by fungal lectins and protease inhibitors

“…Campylobacter jejuni is the most common bacterial cause of human gastroenteritis (called campylobacteriosis) worldwide. In the EU, campylobacteriosis is the most commonly reported foodborne disease, with an estimated annual cost of €2.4 billion ( ECDC, 2023 ). Livestock and pets represent reservoirs of C. jejuni , which is well adapted and exposed to many antibiotics.…”

“…Livestock and pets represent reservoirs of C. jejuni , which is well adapted and exposed to many antibiotics. Such exposure contributes to its increasing resistance to antibiotics, including those used to treat human diseases ( ECDC, 2023 ), and thus compromises the effectiveness of antibiotic treatments. Thus, research is under way to find new, alternative, non-antibiotic interventions ( Dai et al., 2020 ).…”