Backtracking and forward checking of human listeriosis clusters identified a multiclonal outbreak linked to Listeria monocytogenes in meat products of a single producer.

ABSTRACT: Due to its high case fatality rate, foodborne listeriosis is considered a major public health concern worldwide. We describe one of the largest listeriosis outbreaks in Germany with 83 cases of invasive listeriosis between 2013 and 2018. As part of the outbreak investigation, we identified a highly diverse Listeria monocytogenes population at a single producer of ready-to-eat meat products. Strikingly, the extensive sampling after identification of a first match between a cluster of clinical isolates and a food isolate allowed for a linkage between this producer and a second, previously unmatched cluster of clinical isolates. Bacterial persistence in the processing plant and indications of cross-contamination events explained long-term contamination of food that led to the protracte

SUBMITTER: Luth S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7473094 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature