by Andrew Thomson on August 14, 2018
An outbreak of Salmonella Agona (S. Agona) affecting 147 people from five European countries over the last four years may be linked to ready-to-eat (RTE) cucumber.
The majority of these cases (122) have occurred since the beginning of 2017, and the other 25 cases were reported between 2014 and 2016. The European Union is investigating the outbreak, which has been particularly bad in the United Kingdom with 129 reported cases, followed by 15 in Finland, and one in Denmark, Germany and Ireland.
Experts found that all S. Agona isolates from the five countries were genetically close and there was a seasonal pattern of cases with peaks in April 2017 and 2018. This suggests “an intermittent common source outbreak” which was linked to RTE products containing cucumbers and prepared in the UK.
So while RTE products containing cucumbers were identified as a possible vehicle of infection, further investigations along the food chain are needed.
Common symptoms of Salmonella infection include diarrhoea, fever and abdominal cramps, which tend to occur 12–36 hours after infection. Most people recover without treatment, but severe infections are more likely in infants, the elderly and immune-compromised persons.