Outbreaks of monophasic Salmonella enterica serovar 4,[5],12:i:- in Luxembourg, 2006.

A monophasic Salmonella enterica serovar 4,[5],12:i:- phage type DT193 emerged as the dominant serovar in Luxembourg in 2006, when it caused two major outbreaks involving 133 laboratory-confirmed human cases, 24 hospitalisations, and one death. The outbreak strain had an uncommon pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern STYMXB.0031 and antibiotic resistance profile ASSuT. A high proportion of cases were clustered in institutions for the elderly and in day-care centers. Strains identical to the outbreak strain were recovered from two control meals, a nappy changing table, retail sausages and caecal porcine samples at an abattoir. Locally produced pork meat is strongly suspected to have been the vehicle for the outbreaks, although the precise mechanisms remain unclear.

The epidemiology of the human rabies threat in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Epidemiological data were recorded and blood samples were obtained from a group of 297 individuals from Luxembourg who had been in contact with rabies-infected or -suspected animals from 1979 to 1985, and who had been vaccinated with a complete course of HDCS rabies vaccine. The majority of the subjects were farmers aged between 30 and 59. The most frequent source of infection was cattle, followed by foxes, sheep and cats. Dogs were in the fifth position only, probably as a direct result of obligatory vaccination of dogs in Luxembourg. Animal rabies was proven in 253 of the 297 cases; in 35 cases, rabies diagnosis was not confirmed, and in 9 cases the animals escaped. Concerning the mode of contact, most people (86%) reported having had contact which caused no skin lesions. Contact with skin lesion, i.e. by biting, scratching or scraping, was only reported in connection with dogs, cats and wild animals, whereas with cattle and other farm animals, contact was mostly without skin lesion. The hand was the part of the body (85%) most frequently involved. Sera were tested by an enzyme immunoassay for rabies antibodies. The results were unsatisfactory: 21.5% of the cases had no demonstrable antibodies and 15.2% had antibodies in low titre. No decline in antibody titre was found according to the time interval after vaccination. Therefore, the enzyme immunoassay does not appear to be optimal to determine long-term immunity.