Salmonella Outbreak in the E.U. Traced to Tomatoes from Sicily
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11/17/2024 |
An extensive outbreak of Salmonella Strathcona ST2559 has been traced to tomatoes originating from Sicily. Initial diagnoses were made in Denmark in 2011 and outbreaks with the infective strain have persisted through to 2024 with 266 confirmed cases over the past 23 months. Cases have occurred in Italy, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands and the U.K. among other nations.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (equivalent to the U.S. CDC) and the European Food Safety Authority participated in epidemiologic investigations including field and traceback studies and laboratory evaluation of isolates including application of whole genome sequencing.
The ECDC is conducting further investigations to determine how tomatoes were contaminated, presumably through irrigation water. Factors leading to foodborne infection probably parallel the situation with leafy greens grown and packed in Arizona and California.
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