The latest data on foodborne illness in Australia has revealed Salmonella caused more than half of reported outbreaks.
In 2019, state and territory health departments in the country received 55,622 notifications of enteric diseases potentially related to food. Consistent with previous years, the majority of infections were either campylobacteriosis or salmonellosis.
The study, published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence, revealed 121 foodborne outbreaks affected 2,428 people, resulting in 402 hospital admissions and four deaths.
Salmonella caused 64 outbreaks. Eggs were a major source of Salmonella Typhimurium infection across the country, with 26 egg-related outbreaks affecting 936 people.
In 2018, there were 51,174 foodborne disease notifications with 127 outbreaks. Outbreaks affected 1,644 people, with 283 hospital admissions and 13 deaths.
The number of Campylobacter infections was 36,451 in 2019. New South Wales reported the most cases with more than 11,300.
The highest rates of infection occurred in children up to 4 years old followed by adults aged 80 to 84. A higher incidence was observed amongst males in every age group. One outbreak was traced to chicken liver pâté.
Salmonella and STEC
The number of Salmonella infections was 14,676. Queensland reported 3,816 cases. Notifications were significantly higher in children under 5.
A total of 206 different serotypes identified. The most common type was Salmonella Typhimurium, followed by Enteritidis, Virchow, and Saintpaul. Â
There were 655 E. coli notifications with almost 300 from South Australia.
Notifications were highest in children up to 4 years old, followed by those aged 25 to 29, and were more common in females than in males. Most cases were acquired in Australia. Of patients infected abroad, Indonesia was the top visited country.
Victoria reported 10 of the 19 hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) cases. HUS was most common in children under 5 with eight infections. Thirteen patients were female and six were male. Two HUS deaths occurred, one in a New South Wales resident in their 60s and the second in a Queensland resident in their 30s.
All 51 Listeriosis patients needed hospital treatment. New South Wales reported the most cases with 17. One outbreak with four sick and two deaths was caused by smoked salmon. Three retail smoked salmon samples were positive for Listeria monocytogenes; although they were within regulatory limits.
Seven cases were pregnant women and four were infants younger than four weeks. From the other 40 cases, 25 were male. The majority were older than 65 and 14 were older than 80. Ten patients died and three deaths were attributed to listeriosis.
For hepatitis A, 242 infections were recorded with 109 in Victoria. A total of 142 people were hospitalized. One foodborne outbreak linked to imported products had four patients.
Major outbreaks
Of the 121 foodborne outbreaks, New South Wales reported 30 while Victoria and Western Australia were joint second with 26 each. Victoria had the most cases but South Australia recorded the most hospitalizations.
Salmonella was behind 64 outbreaks, norovirus caused 13, Ciguatoxin caused nine, Scombrotoxin was behind six and five were because of Clostridium perfringens. Campylobacter, Listeria, and Methemoglobinemia all caused one each.
Restaurants/cafés were the main reported food preparation setting, accounting for 59 outbreaks.
Eggs were linked to 26 outbreaks, seafood to 18 and meat to five. Egg-associated outbreaks included 24 Salmonella Typhimurium outbreaks, and a single outbreak each of Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Hessarek.
The first Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak linked to Australian commercial egg farms sickened 245 people between May 2018 and July 2019. Between September and December 2019, 94 confirmed and one probable patient fell ill in a Salmonella Weltevreden outbreak traced to a brand of frozen meals. Salmonella Weltevreden was detected in 16 samples of unopened frozen meals; however, Salmonella was not found at the manufacturing facility or in raw ingredients.
A methemoglobinemia incident with two sick was caused by prawns served at a restaurant in New South Wales. Methemoglobinemia is a condition characterized by elevated levels of methemoglobin in the blood, leading to reduced oxygen delivery to tissues.
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