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S. enterica emergence led to largest foodborne epidemic in England, Wales
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The 1982 emergence of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in England and Wales led to the largest, most recalcitrant epidemic of foodborne infection caused by a single subtype of any pathogen since the inception of disease surveillance in those countries, according to recent findings.
In a retrospective review, researchers evaluated 67 years of national surveillance data to evaluate the features and causes of laboratory-confirmed salmonellosis in England and Wales. From 1945 to 2011, 43% of the cases were due to S. enterica serovar Enteritidis. The researchers categorized the reporting of this pathogen into four stages: pre-epidemic (1945-1981), emergence (1982-1987), epidemic (1988-1998) and decline (1999 onwards).
They found that the epidemic was linked to contaminated poultry and eggs, and the decline in disease prevalence was associated with the uptake of vaccines and other safety measures in poultry and egg manufacturing and distribution. During the epidemic, the researchers estimated that more than 525,000 individuals were infected, causing 6,750,000 days of illness, 27,000 hospitalizations and 2,000 fatalities. However, there has since been a significant decrease in foodborne illness in England in Wales, largely because of disease efforts made to control the epidemic.
“These figures should be treated with caution, but we suggest that a robust cost-benefit analysis of the epidemic and the interventions that led to its control would have great value for the development of improved safety policies,” the researchers wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant disclosures.
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