Zoonoses in the European Union: origin, distribution and dynamics - the EFSA-ECDC summary report 2009.

We present a summary of the main findings of the latest report of the European Food Safety Authority and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on zoonoses, zoonotic agents and food-borne outbreaks in the European Union (EU), based on data from 2009. Zoonoses are prevalent and widely distributed across several countries in the EU. The most important highlight of this report was the continuous decrease of human salmonellosis since 2005, probably due to effective control programmes in livestock.

Trends in Campylobacter incidence in broilers and humans in six European countries, 1997-2007.

The objective of this study was to examine incidences of Campylobacter in broilers and humans, and to describe seasonal variation and long-term trends by comparing longitudinal surveillance data in six Northern European countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands). Due to high degree of seasonality and autocorrelation, seasonally adjusted (de-seasonalized) and trend adjusted data (de-trended) were used for comparing incidences within and between the six countries. De-seasonalized time series were obtained by fitting the incidence time series to mean monthly temperature and then removing this effect from the data. Long-term trends were fitted to the de-seasonalized time series. The incidence of Campylobacter colonization in broiler flocks and incidence of campylobacteriosis in humans showed a concordant seasonality for all the countries. There was a strong association between the incidence in both broilers and humans in a given month and the mean temperature of the northern hemisphere in the same month, as well as the preceding month, as shown by the cross-correlations and the chosen Generalized Additive Model. Denmark and Sweden showed a steadily decreasing trend for Campylobacter in broilers and human campylobacteriosis in the period 2001-2007. In Iceland, there was a decreasing trend for campylobacteriosis in humans from 1999 to 2007, whilst the broiler trend for Campylobacter was stable from 2001 to 2004, then falling thereafter. In Norway, the human campylobacteriosis trend showed a steady increase throughout the period. On the other hand, the Norwegian broiler trend for Campylobacter showed a decrease from 2001 until 2004, but was thereafter stable. There was no significant decrease or increase in incidence for human campylobacteriosis in the Netherlands, and the trend for Campylobacter in broilers was close to stable. The seasonality seen in broiler and human closely follows the temperature, and was probably caused, at least partly, by temperature related factors.

Danish strategies to control Campylobacter in broilers and broiler meat: facts and effects.

Thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. have been the most common bacterial cause of human gastrointestinal disease in Denmark since 1999. In 2003, the Danish voluntary strategy to control Campylobacter was intensified. The focus was on biosecurity, allocation of meat from Campylobacter-negative broilers to the production of chilled products, and consumer information campaigns. From 2002 to 2007, the percentage of Campylobacter-positive broiler flocks at slaughter decreased from 43% to 27%. After processing, Campylobacter-positive samples of chilled broiler meat fell from 18% in 2004 to 8% in 2007. Furthermore, the number of registered human Campylobacter cases decreased by 12%; from 4379 cases in 2002 to 3865 cases in 2007. We believe that the observed decrease in the occurrence of Campylobacter in broilers and broiler meat and the coincidental fall in the number of registered human cases is, in part, a result of the implemented control strategy.

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis types of Campylobacter spp. in Danish turkeys before and after slaughter.

In this study, seven Danish turkey flocks were investigated at the farm, on arrival to the slaughterhouse, and during and after slaughter. Flocks were selected based on their Campylobacter spp. status at the farm and three Campylobacter negative and four Campylobacter positive flocks were included in the study. At the slaughterhouse, 70-75 samples were collected at different points from the shackling station to packaging of the final meat cuttings. Samples included cloacal swabs, neckskin, liver, heart, meat and environmental samples. Detection of Campylobacter was carried out by conventional culture and by the EiaFoss system (Foss Electric, Hilleroed, Denmark) for detecting Campylobacter spp. in food, using Preston Broth as enrichment medium. The two methods were compared and sensitivities and specificities were calculated using the conventional culture as gold standard. The three negative flocks were consistently negative from the farm and all through processing. Among the samples from the positive flocks, the frequency of positive samples obtained at the slaughterhouse varied. The frequency of positive samples obtained from the four positive flocks varied and was found to be 4%, 49%, 87% and 96%, respectively. In 31 out of 424 samples, discrepancies were observed between results obtained by the EiaFoss system and the conventional culture technique. The sensitivity for the EiaFoss system was calculated to be 0.94 for meat and neckskin samples. A total of 161 strains were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in order to investigate possible changes in carriage of Campylobacter spp. strains during processing. In three flocks, only one PFGE type was encountered in samples collected at the farm level and, in one flock, two different types were observed. In two flocks, the strain from the farm was also isolated in samples collected at the slaughterhouse. Changes in carriage were observed in two flocks during processing, in particular post chilling.

Genetic relatedness among Campylobacter jejuni serotyped isolates of diverse origin as determined by numerical analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) profiles.

AIMS: To use amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis to evaluate the genetic relatedness among 254 Campylobacter jejuni reference and field strains of diverse origin representing all defined 'Penner' serotypes for this species. METHODS AND RESULTS: Field strains (n = 207) from human diarrhoea and diverse animal and environmental sources were collected mainly through a National surveillance programme in Denmark and serotyped by use of the established 'Penner' scheme. Genetic relationships among these isolates, and the archetypal serotype reference strains, were assessed by numerical analysis of AFLP profiles derived from genomic DNA. Extensive genetic diversity was seen among the strains examined; however, 43 groups of isolates were identified at the 92% similarity (S-) level. Thirteen groups contained isolates from a single host, possibly representing genotypes of 'low risk' to human health. The remaining 30 groups contained isolates from humans, chickens and associated food products, cattle, sheep, turkeys, ostriches and/or dogs. Strains assigned to serotypes 2, 6/7, 11 and 12 formed major clusters at the 77.6% S-level. Most other serotypes did not form homogeneous clusters. CONCLUSIONS: High-resolution genotyping applied to strains from a comprehensive range of sources provides evidence for multiple sources of sporadic C. jejuni infection. The results suggest that public health protection measures should be directed at all foods of animal origin. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The genetic relatedness among all 'Penner' serotypes of C. jejuni is assessed by AFLP analysis. In addition, further evidence of epidemic and host-specific clones of C. jejuni is provided.

Serovars of Salmonella isolated from Danish turkeys between 1995 and 2000 and their antimicrobial resistance.

The prevalence of Salmonella serovars and their antimicrobial resistance patterns were investigated among Danish turkeys between 1995 and 2000, by sampling the flocks approximately 14 days before they were slaughtered. Within the flocks, the prevalence of salmonella varied from 7.1 per cent to 25 per cent, and 24 different serovars were detected. The five most prevalent, which accounted for 58.5 per cent of the isolates were Salmonella Heidelberg (16.2 per cent of the isolates), Salmonella Agona (15.8 per cent), Salmonella Derby (12.4 per cent), Salmonella Muenster (7.3 per cent) and Salmonella Anatum (6.8 per cent). In addition, a few rough isolates and isolates belonging to the antigenically incomplete formulae 6,7:-:- and 4,12:b:- were found. The level of antimicrobial resistance was low; the highest resistance was recorded to ampicillin (13.7 per cent) and streptomycin (9.0 per cent) followed by tetracycline (8.5 per cent), sulphonamides (7.7 per cent) and spectinomycin (4.7 per cent). Resistance to quinolones was very low: four isolates were resistant to nalidixic acid, and only one was resistant to enrofloxacin. No resistance was recorded to colistin, apramycin, ceftiofur, florfenicol, or amoxycillin with clavulanic acid. Only 24 isolates were resistant to two or more compounds in various combinations of up to six compounds; one Salmonella Havana isolate was resistant to six compounds. Six isolates were serovar Typhimurium, but none of them belonged to phage type DT104.

Thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in turkey samples: evaluation of two automated enzyme immunoassays and conventional microbiological techniques.

AIMS: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of two automated enzyme immunoassays (EIA), EiaFoss and Minividas, and a conventional microbiological culture technique for detecting thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in turkey samples. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 286 samples (faecal, meat, neckskin and environmental samples) were collected over a period of 4 months at a turkey slaughterhouse and meat-cutting plant in Denmark. Faecal and environmental samples were tested by the conventional culture method and by the two EIAs, whereas meat and neckskin samples were tested by the two EIAs only. Two enrichment broths were used, Campylobacter Enrichment Broth (CEB) and Preston Broth (PB). Verification of positive test results was carried out by conventional culture on selective solid media. The specificities of all methods were high. The sensitivities of the EIAs were higher than that of the conventional culture technique but varied depending on the type of sample and enrichment broth. For neckskin samples, the Minividas had a significantly higher sensitivity than the EiaFoss and using PB instead of CEB as the enrichment broth significantly improved the sensitivity for both EIAs. CONCLUSIONS: Both EIAs provided more accurate results than the conventional culture technique. Furthermore, neckskin samples enriched in PB resulted in more positive test results and Campylobacter growth than samples enriched in CEB. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The Eiafoss and Minividas proved to be reliable methods for detecting Campylobacter spp. in various samples. However, the results emphasize the need for the development of specific enrichment protocols for specific samples.