Description of the situation
29 February 2000
Disease Outbreak Reported
The outbreak of listeriosis reported in France began during the second half of December 1999. Twenty six cases including 7 deaths have so far been reported and the number of cases is expected to increase slightly in the next few days given the long incubation period of listeriosis (up to 2 months). The Ministry of Health issued a press release stating that a pork tongue in jelly is suspected to be the origin of the outbreak, on the basis of case-control study data. However, the name of the brand has not yet been identified and the Pasteur Institute in Paris is screening Listeria monocytogenes food isolates to detect the epidemic clone.
Food contaminated with L. monocytogenes is a significant source of illness and death worldwide. The case-fatality rate in recent outbreaks and sporadic cases is around 20%-30%. From early August 1998 to 6 January 1999, at least 50 cases caused by a rare strain of the bacterium L. monocytogenes, serotype 4b, were reported in the United States. Six adults died and 2 pregnant women had spontaneous abortions. The vehicle for transmission was identified as hot-dogs and possibly processed meats produced under many brand names by one manufacturer.
Listeria in ready-to-eat foods was identified as a priority for risk assessment by the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) in order to develop an international strategy for the reduction of illness from this source. In response, WHO and FAO are undertaking risk assessments for L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods. In October 2000, the preliminary report of a Joint FAO/WHO consultation on microbiological risk assessment will be delivered to CCFH, which is expected to define more focused questions for further study. A final report will be delivered to CCFH in 2001.