Outbreak of Salmonella cases linked to bean sprouts continues

28 October 2010

An outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly infection from contaminated bean sprouts in England and Scotland is continuing.

The HPA's Centre for Infections (CFI) in Colindale has now identified 190 confirmed S. Bareilly cases in England, Wales (5 of the cases) and Northern Ireland (two cases) since the beginning of August to date. The CFI normally sees fewer than 10 cases in a typical month.

Health Protection Scotland has identified 21 confirmed cases in the same period.

Both the HPA and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) stress that bean sprouts are safe to eat provided that they are washed and cooked until piping hot before consumption or are clearly labeled as ready-to-eat.

Dr Joe Kearney, a director with the HPA's Local and Regional Services Division, is chairing an outbreak control team comprising representatives from the Agency, the FSA, Health Protection Scotland and Environmental Health Officers from a number of local authorities. Dr Kearney said: "As the outbreak continues, it is important for caterers and people who buy bean sprouts to eat at home to ensure that these products are properly prepared and cooked until they are piping hot unless they are clearly labeled as "ready-to-eat". 

Dr Kearney added that people who prepare meals in catering establishments and in the home should keep raw bean sprouts separate from other salad products, including ready-to-eat bean sprouts, to avoid the risk of cross-contamination. The FSA advice on the safe preparation of bean sprouts may be accessed on http://www.food.gov.uk/.

Information on Salmonella is available on the Health Protection Agency's website www.hpa.org.uk

Notes to editors

The outbreak control team (OCT) investigating the rise in Salmonella Bareilly cases is led by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and includes the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Health Protection Scotland and Environmental health officers from several local authorities.

Specialists in the CFI's Salmonella Reference Unit previously reported that the strain of Salmonella Bareilly isolated from a bean sprout sample is indistinguishable from the strain of S. Bareilly isolated from human samples.

Salmonella

Salmonella bacteria are commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of wild and domestic animals and birds, especially poultry, and occasionally in humans. Salmonella Bareilly is a strain of Salmonella that causes gastro-enteritis in humans through consumption of contaminated food.

Infection with Salmonella can cause watery and sometimes bloody diarrhoea, abdominal pain, headache, nausea, vomiting and fever.

Illness can range from mild to severe. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have severe illness. In some cases, Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream and then to other body sites and can be fatal without treatment. However, death from salmonella infection is rare.

Salmonella infection frequently results from contact with contaminated food products; the cross-contamination of cooked food by raw food; and/or a failure to cook food properly. Contact with infected animals may also result in human infection. Person-to-person spread can occur, particularly during the diarrhoeal phase of illness.

Treatment

The majority of patients with salmonella infection recover without treatment. Recovery is aided by the replacement of fluids. The advice of a health professional should be sought in cases of severe diarrhoea.
In rare events when infection spreads from the intestines to the blood stream, prompt hospital treatment with appropriate antibiotics is required.

Prevention

Salmonella can be prevented by the correct storage and cooking of foods and by hygienic food handling and preparation. Avoidance of certain foods, for example unpasteurised milk and dairy products and raw eggs will also lower the risk of illness.

Advice on the safe preparation, storage, cooking and handling of food is available on the Food Standards Agency website.

It is important for anyone with symptoms to maintain their fluid levels and take the utmost care with hand-washing and hygiene generally.

It is especially important for people to wash their hands before eating or preparing food, after handling raw meat or poultry, after using the toilet, after changing nappies and after cleaning up after others with diarrhoea. Hand-washing after contact with domestic or farm animals is essential. Children who have touched animals should be supervised when washing their hands.

Press release issued by Hugh Lamont, Regional Communications Manager, HPA North West. For further information please call Hugh Lamont on 0151 482 5728/07764 906508 or the national HPA press office on 0208 327 6647/7098/7097.

Last reviewed: 29 October 2010