Insights into recurring multi-country outbreaks of Salmonella Strathcona associated with tomatoes, Europe, 2011 to 2024
Brait, Vivien; Böff, Lena; Zmarlak-Feher, Natalia Marta; Jourdan-Da Silva, Nathalie; Mazzilli, Sara; Pardos de la Gandara, Maria; Moura, Alexandra; Mossong, Joel; Ernst, Corinna; Ragimbeau, Catherine; Pijnacker, Roan; Lanzl, Maren; Brandal, Lin T; Lange, Heidi; Stephan, Roger; Biggel, Michael; Raess, Michelle; Daniel, Ondřej; Spačková, Michaela; Clarke, Christina; Cormican, Martin; Colgan, Aoife; Garvey, Patricia; Mckeown, Paul; Dryselius, Rikard; Karamehmedovic, Nadja; Grilc, Eva; Trkov, Marija; Pirš, Mateja; Brown, Derek; Browning, Lynda; Hoban, Ann; Godbole, Gauri; Painset, Anais; Chattaway, Marie Anne; Vainio, Anni; Rimhanen-Finne, Ruska; Fischer, Jennie; Lamparter, Marina C; Mattheus, Wesley; Commans, Florian; Grginić, Ana Gverić; Mlinarić, Ivan; Pem-Novosel, Iva; Kurečić Filipović, Sanja; Ferencak, Ivana; Jurić, Dragan; Niskanen, Taina; Jernberg, Cecilia; Rizzi, Valentina; Sarno, Eleonora; Kornschober, Christian; Wolfsbauer, Andreas; Werber, Dirk; Simon, Sandra; Gymoese, Pernille; Ethelberg, Steen; Müller, Luise; Maritschnik, Sabine; Meinen, Anika; Pietsch, Michael
Series / Report no.
Open Access
Type
Journal Article
Article
Article
Language
en
Date
2025-10
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Title
Insights into recurring multi-country outbreaks of Salmonella Strathcona associated with tomatoes, Europe, 2011 to 2024
Translated Title
Published in
Euro Surveill 2025; 30(41):2500224
Abstract
Notifications of Strathcona infections increased in Europe in 2023 prompting a multi-country outbreak investigation. We aimed to describe the epidemiology of . Strathcona infections in 17 European countries 2011-2024, investigate the genetic relatedness of . Strathcona isolates and identify the vehicle. Cases were persons residing in the study area and with a laboratory-confirmed . Strathcona infection 2011-2024. Confirmed cases had a . Strathcona isolate clustering with the outbreak reference strain in core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) within 7 allelic differences (AD) and possible cases within 8-13 AD. Probable cases had an epidemiological link to a confirmed case and non-outbreak cases had an isolate > 13 AD from the outbreak reference strain. Since 2011, 662 . Strathcona infections have been identified: 469 confirmed, 161 probable, 13 possible and 19 non-outbreak cases. Median age of the cases was 34 years (IQR: 19-58 years) and 306 (47.5%) were notified in 2023-2024. Most sequenced isolates (469/496; 94.5%) were highly genetically related (≤ 7 AD) over time and across countries, compatible with a common source. Epidemiological and traceback investigations identified small tomatoes from Sicily as the suspect food vehicle. Stringent control measures at the source are needed to stop the contamination and prevent future cases.