A rare form of Salmonella has sickened 20 people in Denmark and 17 in Austria.
Since July, the Statens Serum Institut (SSI) has registered twenty cases of Salmonella Umbilo.
Fourteen men and six women are sick. Patients range from younger than 1 to 85 years old and the average age is 52 years.
Nine cases live in Midtjylland, six in Syddanmark, three in Nordjylland and two in Hovedstaden. Patients were reported in July, August and September.
Austria has also reported 17 cases of Salmonella Umbilo, which have been linked to arugula from Italy.
The National Food Institute of the Technical University of Denmark, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) and SSI are trying to determine the cause of the outbreak. Officials said it was too early to conclude a source from the Danish interviews, but salad and lettuce are among the foods under investigation.
The role of SSI involves whole-genome sequencing of isolates from sick people and interviewing patients to try to identify a possible source of infection.
WGS of bacteria isolated from patients are genetically closely related and all belong to the 2014 sequence type.
Salmonella Umbilo is a rare serotype that has not been observed in Denmark since 2017, until the current incident.
Salmonella was the leading cause of outbreaks in Denmark in 2023, with 18. The number of cases also increased from 899 in 2022 to 1,207.
There were eight outbreaks of Salmonella Enteritidis. The largest outbreak, with 31 cases, was caused by Salmonella Munich, but no source was found.
About Salmonella
Food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria usually does not look, smell or taste spoiled. However, anyone can become ill from a Salmonella infection. According to the CDC, infants, children, seniors and people with weakened immune systems are at greater risk for serious illness because their immune systems are fragile.
Anyone who has developed symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning should seek medical attention. Sick people should tell their doctor about possible exposure to Salmonella bacteria, because special tests are needed to diagnose salmonellosis. Symptoms of Salmonella infection can mimic other diseases, often leading to misdiagnosis.
Symptoms of a Salmonella infection may include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours of eating contaminated food. Otherwise, healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days. However, in some cases, the diarrhea can be so severe that patients require hospitalization.
Older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, are more likely to develop serious illness and serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions. Some people become infected without becoming ill or showing symptoms. However, they can still spread the infections to others.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)