The UK was affected by two melon-related outbreaks in 2021, in keeping with a just lately printed research.
The UK was already identified to be a part of a multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup with 350 circumstances attributable to melons from Honduras. 4 folks have been sick in the US and two in Canada. There have been additionally sufferers from Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Eire, Luxembourg and Norway.
Nonetheless, there was one other outbreak attributable to E. coli O157 that was additionally linked to imported melons, in keeping with a research printed within the Journal of Meals Safety.
STEC melon incident
In July and August 2021, there have been 17 circumstances of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157:H7 within the UK. Assessment of STEC surveillance questionnaire information and evaluation of responses to a modified hypothesis-generating questionnaire concerned consuming pre-cut watermelon from a retailer from Europe as a automobile for an infection.
9 sufferers have been girls and the ages ranged from lower than 1 to 65 years. The sufferers lived in Nice Britain, with 10 in England, six in Wales and one in Scotland. 13 folks reported bloody diarrhea and stomach ache, eight had nausea, 5 reported vomiting, and three reported fever. Six folks have been hospitalized however none developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) and nobody died.
Of eight sufferers who reported consumption of pre-cut watermelon, 5 bought it from the identical retailer. The researchers mentioned that changed hypothesis-generating questionnaires ought to be used early in investigations to seize detailed publicity histories whereas the affected person continues to be keen to take part and to scale back recall bias. Additionally they proposed a revision of the usual STEC questionnaire, to supply extra particulars on contemporary produce, together with selection, retailer, model, and product line.
The watermelon distributor mentioned that it carried out E. coli counts as an indicator of contamination, in a single pattern per manufacturing. No pattern had greater than 100 colony forming items per gram (cfu/g). The E. coli O157 check was solely carried out for samples with greater than 100 cfu/g. Two retailers examined 209 and 359 merchandise containing pre-cut watermelon and reported no samples above 100 cfu/g.
The watermelons got here from three companies in Spain. The melon was minimize at a producing plant in England and had a shelf life of 5 to 6 days. There have been no complete or pre-cut watermelon samples in manufacturing within the days previous to symptom onset within the circumstances out there for testing.
Salmonella outbreak in melon
Between March and July 2021, there have been 113 circumstances of Salmonella Braenderup within the UK. Analytical epidemiological research recognized Galia melons because the automobile of an infection. The outbreak pressure was subsequently remoted from two samples of Galia melon imported from Latin America.
Greater than 100 sufferers lived in England, however eight have been in Scotland and two from Wales and Northern Eire. A complete of 70 circumstances have been girls and the sufferers have been between 6 months and 101 years outdated. Fifteen have been hospitalized, and three folks have been already hospitalized when signs started.
In the course of the outbreak investigation, 200 melon samples, together with Galia, cantaloupe or honeydew varieties from a provider in Honduras, have been examined at UKHSA’s Meals, Water and Setting (FW&E) laboratories in York, London and Porton, and two Galia melons examined constructive.
Cantaloupe melons have been additionally recognized as attainable an infection autos and couldn’t be dominated out based mostly on the research findings and the same nature of the cultivation, transport, provide and distribution patterns. It was attainable that the similarities within the look of Galia and cantaloupe melons led to circumstances incorrectly figuring out which kind they have been consuming.
The Honduran authorities performed an on-site inspection of the rising farm in June 2021. A danger administration plan was developed. There was heavy rain for 3 days through the harvest. Salmonella Braenderup matching the outbreak pressure was discovered on the floor of a wash tank at one of many Honduran services the place Galia melons are packed.
“Quite a lot of sources of contamination have been attainable; Almost definitely, unusually excessive rainfall in Honduras through the harvest interval triggered sewage overflow and runoff to infect the water used to irrigate melon crops,” the scientists mentioned.
Postharvest contamination from an contaminated handler or cross-contamination of different produce through the transportation course of might even have occurred.
“Given the issue of eradicating pathogens from the pulp of ready-to-eat fruit and veggies, public well being interventions ought to deal with all steps of the meals chain previous to consumption, from on-farm cultivation to processing, packaging and distribution,” the researchers mentioned. .
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