1887
  1. Home
  2. Eurosurveillance
  3. Volume 30, Issue 17, 01/May/2025
  4. Article
Outbreaks Open Access
Like 0
Download

Abstract

In May 2022, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare observed an increase in Mbandaka cases. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) linked the outbreak strain to a previously reported strain in the United Kingdom. From April 2022 to January 2023, 97 cases were reported across 18 of Finland’s 21 hospital districts, with a median age of 27 years (range <1–74 years) and 61% female cases. Based on trawling interviews and national food consumption data, cases were more likely to have eaten at a restaurant or takeaway (odds ratio (OR) = 115; 95% confidence interval (CI): 52–256; p < 0.001) or consumed poultry products (OR = 28; 95% CI: 7–115; p < 0.001). A case–case study linked cases with consumption of ready-to-eat products containing chicken from a specific company (OR = 28; 95% CI: 1.9–1,361; p = 0.004). Traceback investigations identified a pre-cooked, frozen chicken meat product from a country outside the European Union as the likely source. Mbandaka was isolated from cases and linked by WGS to this chicken meat product. Our findings highlight the potential health risk of pre-cooked chicken meat containing and the value of case–case studies and product images to assist recall during food-borne outbreak investigations.

© Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.17.2400602
2025-05-01
2025-05-02
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.17.2400602
Loading
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/eurosurveillance/30/17/eurosurv-30-17-1.html?itemId=/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.17.2400602&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. World Health Organization (WHO). Salmonella (non-typhoidal). Geneva: WHO; 2018. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/salmonella-(non-typhoidal)
  2. Jones TF, Ingram LA, Cieslak PR, Vugia DJ, Tobin-D’Angelo M, Hurd S, et al. Salmonellosis outcomes differ substantially by serotype. J Infect Dis. 2008;198(1):109-14. PMID: 18462137 
  3. European Food Safety AuthorityEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The European Union One Health 2021 zoonoses report. EFSA J. 2022;20(12):e07666. PMID: 36524203 
  4. Suominen KA, Björkstrand M, Ollgren J, Autio TJ, Rimhanen-Finne R. Cryptosporidiosis in Finland is predominantly of domestic origin: investigation of increased reporting, 1995-2020. Infect Dis (Lond). 2023;55(2):116-24. PMID: 36266958 
  5. Lehti SM, Andersen O, Leppäaho-Lakka J, Suominen E, Vainio A, Matsinen M, et al. Salmonella Typhimurium caused an unprecedentedly large foodborne outbreak in Finland in 2021. Zoonoses Public Health. 2024;71(5):560-7. PMID: 38769642 
  6. Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Tartuntataudit Suomessa 2021. [Communicable diseases in Finland 2021]. Helsinki: THL; 2022. Available from: https://www.julkari.fi/handle/10024/145966
  7. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Mbandaka ST413 linked to consumption of chicken meat products in the EU/EEA and the UK – first update. Stockholm/Parma: ECDC/EFSA; 2024. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/rapid-outbreak-assessment-multi-country-outbreak-salmonella-mbandaka-st413-linked
  8. Borodulin K, Sääksjärvi K, editors. FinHealth 2017 Study - Methods. Helsinki: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare; 2019. Available from: https://www.julkari.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/139084/URN_ISBN_978-952-343-449-3.pdf
  9. Valsta L, Kaartinen N, Tapanainen H, Männistö S, Sääksjärvi K. Ravitsemus Suomessa ‒ FinRavinto 2017-tutkimus. [Nutrition in Finland – the national FinDiet 2017 survey]. Helsinki: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare; 2018. Finnish. Available from: https://www.julkari.fi/handle/10024/137433
  10. International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO/TR 6579-3:2014. Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and serotyping of Salmonella. Part 3: Guidelines for serotyping of Salmonella spp. Geneva: ISO; 2014.
  11. Jünemann S, Sedlazeck FJ, Prior K, Albersmeier A, John U, Kalinowski J, et al. Updating benchtop sequencing performance comparison. Nat Biotechnol. 2013;31(4):294-6. PMID: 23563421 
  12. Gal-Mor O. Persistent infection and long-term carriage of typhoidal and nontyphoidal salmonellae. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2018;32(1):e00088-18. PMID: 30487167 
  13. Zha L, Garrett S, Sun J. Salmonella infection in chronic inflammation and gastrointestinal cancer. Diseases. 2019;7(1):28. PMID: 30857369 
  14. Marzel A, Desai PT, Goren A, Schorr YI, Nissan I, Porwollik S, et al. Persistent infections by nontyphoidal salmonella in humans: epidemiology and genetics. Clin Infect Dis. 2016;62(7):879-86. PMID: 26740515 
  15. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella enteritidis sequence type (ST)11 infections linked to eggs and egg products. Stockholm/Parma: ECDC/EFSA; 2022. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/multi-country-outbreak-salmonella-enteritidis-sequence-type-st11-infections
  16. van Duijkeren E, Wannet WJ, Houwers DJ, van Pelt W. Serotype and phage type distribution of salmonella strains isolated from humans, cattle, pigs, and chickens in the Netherlands from 1984 to 2001. J Clin Microbiol. 2002;40(11):3980-5.  https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.40.11.3980-3985.2002  PMID: 12409362 
  17. Hayward MR, Petrovska L, Jansen VA, Woodward MJ. Population structure and associated phenotypes of Salmonella enterica serovars Derby and Mbandaka overlap with host range. BMC Microbiol. 2016;16:15. PMID: 26846255 
  18. Scheil W, Cameron S, Dalton C, Murray C, Wilson D. A South Australian Salmonella Mbandaka outbreak investigation using a database to select controls. Aust N Z J Public Health. 1998;22(5):536-9. PMID: 9744205 
  19. Keaton AA, Schwensohn CA, Brandenburg JM, Pereira E, Adcock B, Tecle S, et al. Multistate outbreak of Salmonella Mbandaka infections linked to sweetened puffed wheat cereal - United States, 2018. Epidemiol Infect. 2022;150:e135. PMID: 35722838 
  20. Lienemann T, Niskanen T, Guedes S, Siitonen A, Kuusi M, Rimhanen-Finne R. Iceberg lettuce as suggested source of a nationwide outbreak caused by two Salmonella serotypes, Newport and Reading, in Finland in 2008. J Food Prot. 2011;74(6):1035-40. PMID: 21669088 
  21. Huusko S, Pihlajasaari A, Salmenlinna S, Sõgel J, Dontšenko I, DE Pinna E, et al. Outbreak of Salmonella enteritidis phage type 1B associated with frozen pre-cooked chicken cubes, Finland 2012. Epidemiol Infect. 2017;145(13):2727-34. PMID: 28770691 
  22. Chanamé Pinedo L, Mughini-Gras L, Franz E, Hald T, Pires SM. Sources and trends of human salmonellosis in Europe, 2015-2019: An analysis of outbreak data. Int J Food Microbiol. 2022;379:109850.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2022.109850  PMID: 35961158 
  23. Lane CR, LeBaigue S, Esan OB, Awofisyo AA, Adams NL, Fisher IS, et al. Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis, England and Wales, 1945-2011. Emerg Infect Dis. 2014;20(7):1097-104.  https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2007.121850  PMID: 24960614 
  24. European Commission (EC). 94/968/EC: Commission Decision of 28 December 1994 approving the operational programme for the control of Salmonella in certain live animals and animal products presented by Finland. OJ L 371, 31/12/1994, p. 36–37. Brussels: EC; 1994. Available from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/1994/968
  25. Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Health Directorate. Salmonella linked to frozen microwave meals. Canberra ACT; 2019. Available from: https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/hd/2019/salmonella-linked-to-frozen-microwave-meals
  26. Kääriäinen S, Obach D, Paspaliari DK, Tofferi M, Nieminen A, Pihlajasaari A, et al. Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak associated with frozen tomato cubes at a restaurant in western Finland, January to February 2021. Euro Surveill. 2022;27(41):2200316.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.41.2200316  PMID: 36239170 
  27. Gossner CM, de Jong B, Hoebe CJ, Coulombier D, European Food and Waterborne Diseases Study Group, European Food and Waterborne Diseases Study Group. Event-based surveillance of food- and waterborne diseases in Europe: urgent inquiries (outbreak alerts) during 2008 to 2013. Euro Surveill. 2015;20(25):19-28.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2015.20.25.21166  PMID: 26132769 
  28. Pogreba-Brown K, Austhof E, Ellingson K. Methodology minute: An overview of the case-case study design and its applications in infection prevention. Am J Infect Control. 2020;48(3):342-4.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2018.11.024  PMID: 31606255 
  29. Krumkamp R, Reintjes R, Dirksen-Fischer M. Case-case study of a Salmonella outbreak: an epidemiologic method to analyse surveillance data. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2008;211(1-2):163-7.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2007.02.006  PMID: 17412638 
A multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Mbandaka linked to pre-cooked, frozen chicken meat in ready-to-eat products, Finland, 2022 to 2023
<p class="citation"> <span>Citation style for this article:</span> <span class="meta-value authors"> <a href="/search?value1=Ana+Cristina+Gonzalez-Perez&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Gonzalez-Perez Ana Cristina</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Heidi+Landgren&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Landgren Heidi</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Anni+Vainio&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Vainio Anni</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Wioleta+Kitowska&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Kitowska Wioleta</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Annika+Pihlajasaari&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Pihlajasaari Annika</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Elina+Leinonen&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Leinonen Elina</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Henry+Kuronen&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Kuronen Henry</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Taru+Lienemann&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Lienemann Taru</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Heli+Tapanainen&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Tapanainen Heli</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Niina+E+Kaartinen&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Kaartinen Niina E</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Jelena+Rjabinina&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Rjabinina Jelena</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Jelena+S%C3%B5gel&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Sõgel Jelena</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Ruska+Rimhanen-Finne&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Rimhanen-Finne Ruska</a></span>. A multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Mbandaka linked to pre-cooked, frozen chicken meat in ready-to-eat products, Finland, 2022 to 2023. <a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2025;30(17):pii=2400602. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.17.2400602" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.17.2400602</a> <span class="ES_Article_citation"> <span class="generated">Received</span>: 10 Sept 2024;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 10 Jan 2024 </span> </p>
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.17.2400602
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.17.2400602
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Submit comment
Close
Comment moderation successfully completed
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error