European salmon products have been identified as a source of Listeria

Recently, cold smoked fish products are the source of a long-term outbreak of Listeria in Denmark. Since 2016, the disease has caused nine illnesses and two deaths this year. And the source is ready-to-eat salmon products (frozen smoked salmon, salted salmon).

Through genome-wide sequencing (WGS), nine cases were infected by the same source in the hospital. Preliminary results showed that the source of infection was from a Polish aquatic product processing plant. In the absence of the latest WGS data from Polish processing plants, the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention was unable to draw a conclusion. As early as September 2017, Dansk Supermarked Group, a Danish retail company, considered replacing its supplier after Listeria was found in a salmon processing plant (BK Salmon) in Poland. The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the source of infection of the strain might remain active and that more products infected with pathogens were flowing into many European Union countries. An outbreak of Listeria can occur at any time before the source of infection is officially identified and controlled.