Salmonella outbreak in England supports eggs as source in global cluster
A new study published on Eurosurveillance describes a local outbreak investigation of Salmonella Enteritidis in a restaurant in England in March 2023. The investigation found that eggs and chicken were the likely sources of the outbreak and that the outbreak was part of a larger international cluster. In early April 2023, UKHSA was notified via Accident and Emergency doctors, general practitioners, and a local authority environmental health (EH) department of multiple cases of gastroenteritis following food consumption at a restaurant, with attendance or take-away dates in late March. S. Enteritidis was identified as the causative organism. There were 65 cases associated with this 2023 outbreak; 25 confirmed and 18 probable cases linked to the restaurant, 10 confirmed cases with unknown links to the restaurant, and 12 confirmed cases with no link to restaurant. The investigation identified that the eggs used at the restaurant were purchased from wholesalers who had imported the eggs from Poland. Food chain investigations for two cases with no link to the restaurant also identified that they consumed eggs imported from Poland. One case purchased and ate eggs from a local independent store selling imported food; the food tracing investigation identified that these eggs had been imported from Poland. The second case ate a meal containing eggs at a different restaurant; food chain analysis identified that the eggs used in this restaurant were also imported from Poland.
