Spain’s largest ever Listeria outbreak is over according to authorities with no new infections reported in the last 20 days.

La Consejería de Salud y Familias ended the listeriosis alert, which was started in mid-August, after confirming the risk of new infections was minimal and implicated products were not still being distributed. The incubation period of listeriosis, which can be up to seventy days, is about to expire.

The agency will maintain usual surveillance for a mandatory notifiable disease such as listeriosis.

In the space of two months, the outbreak from “La Mecha” brand chilled roasted pork meat produced by Magrudis caused three deaths in elderly people and five abortions. More than 200 cases were declared, of which 176 correspond to the same strain found in Magrudis products and 28 are pending analysis. Most were registered in Seville but people also fell sick in Cádiz, Granada, Huelva, and Malaga.

A total of 57 percent were women, with an average age of 45.5 years and the average age in men was 50 years. Almost 40 confirmed cases were found in pregnant women. Almost 80 percent of confirmed cases have had an incubation period of three days or shorter.

Four people are still in hospital compared to August 22, when the hospitalization peak was reached with 125 patients. There are no pregnant women affected in Andalusian hospitals or any patients in intensive care units.

High survival rate

The outbreak was reported by Spanish authorities to the World Health Organization, via the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) in late August.

The Minister of Health and Families, Jesús Aguirre, said that in the largest outbreak of listeriosis in Europe, the survival rate exceeds other similar incidents.

“In Andalusia, survival has been 98.6 percent, while in the United States outbreak it was 78 percent and in South Africa outbreak 73 percent,” he said.

The 2017-18 Listeria outbreak in South Africa affected 1,060 people with 216 deaths and was traced to polony made by Enterprise Foods, owned by Tiger Brands. The 2011 outbreak in the U.S. affected 147 people in 28 states with 33 deaths and was linked to whole cantaloupes from Jensen Farms.

More than 1,800 establishments have been inspected to verify the withdrawal of more than 8,000 kilograms of meat. The strain involved was characterized as serovar IVb, ST-388, CC388, CT-8466.

Most affected products from Magrudis were distributed in Andalusia, although Extremadura, Madrid, Castilla y León, and Castilla-La Mancha also received small quantities, according to the Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare (MSCBS). They were not sent outside Spain. Some had a shelf life of up to three months.

French authorities notified a confirmed case in an English citizen, diagnosed in France on August 16 and with a history of consuming cold pork in Seville on August 13. WHO officials had warned about the high number of tourists to Spain during the summer months meaning international travelers could have been exposed while the product was in the market.

La Consejería de Salud y Familias has created a group to coordinate alerts related to food safety that will be responsible for guiding the design of a new control plan against Listeria. An international scientific meeting to analyze the management of the food crisis will be held in the coming months.

Grand Strand Sandwich is recalling Lunch Box Chicken Salad Fresh Wedges with sell by 10/29/19 to 10/08/19, Lunch Box Chicken Salad Frozen Wedges with a julian date of , Fresh and Local Chicken Salad Croissants sell by date of 10/10/19 and 9/26/19 and due to a potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, a Listeria monocytogenes infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

On October 3, 2019 the firm was notified by Star foods aka Mrs. Stratton’s that the chicken salad they make for Grand Strand Sandwich Company, Inc has chicken in it which is involved in a recall. Tip Top Poultry, Inc., initiated a recall and is an ingredient provider to Star Food who makes Grand Strand Sandwich Company’s Chicken Salad.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

Products affected are:

The products were distributed between September 4, 2019 until October 2, 2019. These products were packaged in clear plastic and sold primarily in convenience stores and vending machines located in the States of: North Carolina and South Carolina.

Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected.

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food.

The CDC, several states, and federal partners (USDA/FSIS) are investigating a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections. This investigation is ongoing and has not identified a specific food item, grocery store, or restaurant chain as the source of infections.  However, The Public Health Agency of Canada is also investigating a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak in several Canadian provinces linked to cooked diced chicken.

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) shows that the type of Listeria making people sick in Canada is closely related genetically to the Listeria making people sick in the United States. WGS gives investigators detailed information about the bacteria causing illness. In this investigation, WGS showed that bacteria isolated from ill people were closely related genetically. This means that people in this outbreak are more likely to share a common source of infection.

As of August 23, 2019, a total of 24 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes has been reported from 13 states.  Ill people range in age from 35 to 92 years, with a median age of 72. Sixty-three percent of ill people are female. Of 23 ill people with information available, 22 hospitalizations have been reported. Two deaths have been reported.

As of August 23 2019, there have been seven confirmed cases of Listeria monocytogenes illness in three provinces: British Columbia (1), Manitoba (1) and Ontario (5). Individuals became sick between November 2017 and June 2019. Six individuals have been hospitalized. Individuals who became ill are between 51 and 97 years of age. The majority of cases (86%) are female.

According to Health authorities in Canada, based on the investigation findings to date, Rosemount brand cooked diced chicken has been identified as a likely source of the outbreak. Rosemount cooked diced chicken was supplied to institutions (including cafeterias, hospitals and nursing homes) where many of the individuals who became sick resided, or visited, before becoming ill.  That product has now been recalled.

In the United States, Tip Top Poultry, Inc., a Rockmart, Ga. establishment, has recalled approximately 135,810 pounds of fully cooked poultry products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.

The frozen, diced, and mechanically separated ready to eat chicken was produced on January 21, 2019 and display “PACK DATE 01/21/19” on the labels. The products subject to recall bear establishment number “P-17453” inside the USDA mark of inspection or on the case. These items were shipped to hotels, restaurants, and institutions nationwide.

The problem was discovered on August 17, 2019, when the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) notified FSIS that a sample of product produced by Tip Top Poultry, Inc. confirmed positive for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes.