In 2023, Europe saw an increase in reports of people becoming ill from the major foodborne pathogens compared to the previous year.
The findings come from the One Health Zoonoses report, published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The number of cases of listeriosis increased to 2,952 between 2019 and 2023, the highest level since surveillance at EU level started in 2007. This is related to the aging of the European population and the increasing prevalence of chronic age-related diseases, which increase the risk of serious symptoms. in older age groups. There were 1,497 hospitalizations and 335 deaths.
Finland, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Denmark and Belgium had the highest reporting rates. Romania and Croatia reported the lowest. Cyprus reported no cases. Germany had 663 cases, France reported 538 and Spain reported 428.
Most files containing information on travel status were obtained in the EU. The most frequently reported countries as likely origins of the infection were France, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands.
Data shows that the proportion of samples from ready-to-eat food categories that exceeded contamination limits for Listeria monocytogenes ranged from 0.11 percent to 0.78 percent, with the highest level reported for fermented sausages.
Campylobacter situation
Campylobacteriosis was the most commonly reported zoonotic disease in humans in the EU. In 2023, 148,181 cases were reported, up from 139,225 in 2022. There were nearly 12,200 hospitalizations and 44 deaths.
Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Malta had the highest country-specific reporting rates. Bulgaria, Greece, Poland and Romania had the lowest rates. Germany had the most cases, more than 40,000, while Spain reported almost 28,900. For most cases of known origin, the infection was acquired in the EU. Finland, Sweden and Denmark had the highest percentage of travel-related cases.
Twenty-four Member States and Northern Ireland shared data on the legal limit for chilled broiler carcasses. Fifteen countries reported 6,686 test results from official controls, with 16 percent of Campylobacter-positive samples exceeding the limit of 1,000 colony-forming units per gram (CFU/g). Twenty countries and Northern Ireland reported 61,591 results from food business monitoring, with 15.8 percent of positive samples exceeding 1,000 CFU/g. Eleven Member States recorded results from both sources, showing that the number of samples above the limit was significantly higher for official samples than for own controls.
Salmonella figures
Salmonellosis was the second most reported gastrointestinal infection, with 77,486 cases, compared to 65,478 in 2022. There were 14,801 hospitalizations and 88 deaths.
Slovakia and the Czech Republic reported the highest reporting rates, while Portugal, Italy, Latvia, Cyprus, Romania and Ireland had the lowest. Spain had 12,161 cases, France almost 11,850, Germany 10,599 and Poland 9,196.
The majority of confirmed cases of salmonellosis were contracted in the EU. Latvia, Hungary, Romania and Spain reported the highest percentage of domestic cases. The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Sweden reported the highest percentage of travel-related cases. For travel-related cases in the EU, the most likely infection countries were Spain, Greece, Italy and Croatia.
Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium and monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium together represented 85 percent of confirmed cases contracted in the EU in 2023. Salmonella infantis ranked fourth, followed by Coeln, Chester, Derby, Thompson, Virchow and Newport.
STEC summary
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) was the third most reported infection, with 10,217 cases, followed by Yersinia, with 8,738 cases. STEC and Yersinia swapped places in the 2022 rankings.
There were also 1,234 hospitalizations and 31 deaths for STEC. A total of 505 cases of haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) were reported from 20 Member States, with 15 deaths. The most important serogroups were O26, O157, O145 and O80.
Denmark, Ireland, Malta and Sweden had the highest country-specific notifications, while Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia had the lowest. Germany had the most infections, with 3,485, followed by Denmark, with 1,431, and Switzerland, with 1,224. The six most common serogroups were O157, O26, O146, O103, O145 and O63.
Most cases with travel status information were infected in the EU. Germany, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands reported the most travel-related cases. Spain, Italy, Croatia and Greece were the countries most frequently reported as likely origins of infection in the EU.
As for other agents, there were 259 cases of Brucella and 76 of Trichinella. Staphylococcal enterotoxins were found in cheeses, histamine in fish, Vibrio in seafood, and a milk and whey powder collected by Germany from a processing plant tested positive for Cronobacter sakazakii.
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