RESUMEN
In September 2023, the UK Health Security Agency identified cases of Salmonella Saintpaul distributed across England, Scotland, and Wales, all with very low genetic diversity. Additional cases were identified in Portugal following an alert raised by the United Kingdom. Ninety-eight cases with a similar genetic sequence were identified, 93 in the United Kingdom and 5 in Portugal, of which 46% were aged under 10 years. Cases formed a phylogenetic cluster with a maximum distance of six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and average of less than one SNP between isolates. An outbreak investigation was undertaken, including a case-control study. Among the 25 UK cases included in this study, 13 reported blood in stool and 5 were hospitalized. One hundred controls were recruited via a market research panel using frequency matching for age. Multivariable logistic regression analysis of food exposures in cases and controls identified a strong association with cantaloupe consumption (adjusted odds ratio: 14.22; 95% confidence interval: 2.83-71.43; p-value: 0.001). This outbreak, together with other recent national and international incidents, points to an increase in identifications of large outbreaks of Salmonella linked to melon consumption. We recommend detailed questioning and triangulation of information sources to delineate consumption of specific fruit varieties during Salmonella outbreaks.
Asunto(s)
Brotes de Enfermedades , Intoxicación Alimentaria por Salmonella , Humanos , Portugal/epidemiología , Masculino , Adulto , Femenino , Reino Unido/epidemiología , Persona de Mediana Edad , Niño , Adolescente , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Adulto Joven , Anciano , Preescolar , Intoxicación Alimentaria por Salmonella/epidemiología , Intoxicación Alimentaria por Salmonella/microbiología , Cucumis melo/microbiología , Salmonella/genética , Salmonella/aislamiento & purificación , Salmonella/clasificación , Lactante , Anciano de 80 o más Años , FilogeniaRESUMEN
Routine laboratory surveillance has identified an unprecedented and ongoing exceedance of Cryptosporidium spp. across the United Kingdom, notably driven by C. hominis transmission, since 14 August 2023. Information from 477 reported cases in England and Wales, followed up with a standardised exposure questionnaire as of 25 September 2023, identified foreign travel in 250 (54%) of 463 respondents and swimming in 234 (66%) of 353 cases. A significant, common exposure has not yet been identified in first analyses.