Listeria Cases Hit Record High In 2022 – According to the most recent data, Salmonella and E. coli incidence increased in 2022, while listeria illnesses reached record highs throughout Europe.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released the 2022 One Health Zoonoses report, which contains the data.
Listeria was the cause of the greatest number of deaths (286), followed by salmonellosis (81).
With 137,107 cases reported, the most common zoonotic disease, campylobacteriosis, stayed steady in 2022 when compared to the year before. 34 people died and over 10,500 people were admitted to hospitals. The most frequent cause of infection was chicken flesh.
Denmark, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Luxembourg had the highest notification rates according to their respective countries. Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Poland had the lowest. With about 43,500 cases, Germany had the highest number.
Listeria Cases 2012
Data on the Campylobacter process hygiene criterion specified in EU legislation was reported by twenty-four member states as well as Northern Ireland. 7,905 test results from official controls were reported by 16 nations and Northern Ireland; 19.4% of the values were more than 1,000 CFU/g. Twenty nations submitted 58,372 business monitoring findings; 17.5% of those results were greater than 1,000 CFU/g. Results from both samplers were shared by twelve countries, demonstrating that the percentage of people who exceeded the limit in official samples (22.1%) was substantially greater than in personal checks (9%).
READ: Temple University’s DPS Honored With North Broad Renaissance Award
Salmonella stats
After 60,169 instances in 2021, salmonellosis was the second most frequent disease, with 65,208 cases. Salmonella Enteritidis, Typhimurium, monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium, Infantis, Newport, and Derby were the most common serovars obtained from the EU.
Slovakia and the Czech Republic had the highest notification rates, while Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, and Romania had the lowest. France accounted for 11,162 of the cases.
The most often reported destinations outside the EU were Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, and Thailand out of 4,135 travel-associated cases having information on the likely country of infection. Spain and Italy were the most infected countries in Europe for cases related to travel.
READ: Universal Health Coverage Day 2023 Focuses On Building Resilience Of Health Systems
“The number of reported human cases for the two most common foodborne diseases remains lower than before the pandemic. However, given the impact of these infections on human health, further vigilance and efforts to reduce the number of cases is needed,” said Ole Heuer, head of the section of epidemic-prone diseases at ECDC.
Yersiniosis was third with almost 8,000 cases. This was the most infections in the past 10 years.
E. coli and Listeria data
Next came Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) with more than 7,100 cases and Listeria monocytogenes at 2,738.
STEC caused 1,130 hospitalizations and 28 deaths with infections, up from 6,406 in 2021.
The highest country notification rates were in Ireland, Malta, Sweden, and Denmark, while the lowest were in Portugal, Slovakia, and Poland. Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Lithuania recorded no infections in 2022. Germany had the most cases, with 1,873.
Based on information from 3,374 cases, the top serogroups were O157, O26, O103, and O146.
Spain, Greece, Italy, and Croatia were Europe’s most probable countries of infection. For non-EU nations, Turkey was the main country of infection, followed by Egypt and Morocco.
A total of 562 hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) cases were reported, affecting mainly children aged up to 4, and 20 of them died. The main serogroups were O26, O157, O80, and O145.
Listeria infections caused 1,330 hospitalizations, and cases increased from 2,365 in 2021. It was the biggest number reported since the beginning of EU-level surveillance in 2007.
Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Slovenia, and Belgium had the highest notification rates. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Romania reported the lowest. Germany had the most patients, with 548.
Czech Republic had 48 cases in 2022 versus 24 in 2021, and Slovakia’s went up to 25 from 13. In Italy, cases increased by 115; in Spain, they increased by 82. Twelve travel-associated infections were reported outside the EU, including in the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa.
Deaths increased by 100 from 186 in 2021. France had the most fatal cases with 73, followed by 67 in Spain, 33 in Germany, and 22 in Poland.
Brucella cases increased from 162 to 198, but Trichinella infections dropped from 77 to 41.
