Outbreak of Salmonella Mbandaka ST413 linked to chicken meat

As of 8 November 2022, 196 cases have been reported in Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Israel. Nineteen cases have been hospitalised and five cases have had septicaemia; there has been one fatal case in the UK. Cases have occurred across all age groups and there is no overall difference when gender is taken into account. 

Based on case interviews from Finland and the UK, ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken products and/or fresh chicken meat, such as those used in sandwiches and wraps, are the likely vehicles of infection. 

Following investigations, the food safety authority in Finland linked the suspected RTE products to an Estonian company, however, this link could not be verified by the identification of batches nor by microbiological evidence. The Estonian company received processed chicken meat from different suppliers, and its role as a source of infection could not be established. 

Epidemiological data and microbiological evidence from whole genome sequencing of human isolates indicate there are several active sources through different food distribution chains, with a likely common source further up the supply chain. New cases are likely to occur in the EU/EEA until the source has been identified and controlled. 

ECDC encourages Member States to sequence S. Mbandaka isolates from human cases and interview cases with S. Mbandaka ST413 infection focusing on the consumption of various poultry meat and related products. Further investigations are recommended in cooperation with food safety authorities. 

Table 1. Number of confirmed and probable cases, as of 8 November 2022

Figure 1. Distribution of confirmed and probable cases, as of 8 November 2022