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Multinational collaboration in solving a European Salmonella Braenderup outbreak linked to imported melons, 2021
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View Affiliations Hide AffiliationsHannah Moorehannah.louisemoore telethonkids.org.au
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Members of the EU/EEA/UK S. Braenderup Outbreak Investigation Group: Lin Brandal, Derek Brown, Lynda Browning, Marie Anne Chattaway, Ondřej Daniel, Niall deLappe, Rikard Dryselius, Sarah Gee, Nathalie Jourdan Da Silva, Nadja Karamehmedovic, Stine Kjaer Lefévre, Heidi Lange, Wesley Mattheus, Paul McKeown, Joël Mossong, Anaïs Painset, Maria Pardos de la Gandara, Roan Pijnacker, Catherine Ragimbeau, Ruska Rimhanen-Finne, Ife Slegers-Fitz-James, Michaela Špačková, Anni Vainio, Dieter Van Cauteren, An Van den BosscheView Citation Hide Citation
Citation style for this article: . Multinational collaboration in solving a European Salmonella Braenderup outbreak linked to imported melons, 2021. Euro Surveill. 2024;29(1):pii=2300273. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.1.2300273 Received: 23 May 2023; Accepted: 23 Aug 2023
Abstract
A genomic cluster of Salmonella Braenderup ST22, a serovar of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica which causes symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, was notified by Danish authorities to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on 3 May 2021. By 6 July 2021, S. Braenderup outbreak cases (n = 348) had been reported from 12 countries in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) and the United Kingdom (UK), including 68 hospitalised cases. With support from affected EU/EEA countries, and in partnership with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), ECDC established an international outbreak investigation team to rapidly identify the source and prevent outbreak spread. Consumption information was shared with affected countries through a standard line list, revealing that 124 of 197 cases (63%) reported having eaten (any) melons within 7 days prior to disease onset. The speed and completeness of the investigation, which identified the outbreak vehicle as galia melons imported from Honduras in June 2021, was a direct result of extensive collaboration and information sharing between countries’ national food safety and public health authorities. This article describes the outbreak and the benefits, successes, and challenges of multi-country collaboration for consideration in future large foodborne outbreaks across Europe.
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