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In total 135,959 tests for zoonotic bacteria and other microbiological contaminants in foodstuffs were carried out in 2010.  This represents a decrease of 11.4% on the number of tests carried out in 2009. Samples analysed included raw and ready-to-eat foods which were sampled at slaughterhouse, processing and retail (including catering) levels. 

Campylobacteriosis

  • Campylobacteriosis is still the most common bacterial cause of gastroenteritis in Ireland and Europe.  The crude incidence rate (CIR) dropped from 2009 (42.6 per 100,000 population) to 2010 (39.2 per 100,000 population) in Ireland; which is still below the European average CIR (48.6 per 100,000) for 2010.
  • The detection rate of Campylobacter spp. in food also decreased in 2010.  Of the 1,634 samples tested for Campylobacter spp., 8.5% (138) of samples were reported positive in 2010, compared to 10.2% (169 out of 1,657) in 2009. 
  • 0.3% (3 of 1,207) of the RTE food products tested in 2010, and 50.9% (135 of the 265) of raw products tested, were reported positive for Campylobacter spp.
  • 55% of all positive isolates recovered from food were identified as C. coli, 43% as C. jejuni, and 2% as unspecified in 2010.
  • 9.7% (281 out of 2,897) of animals samples tested in 2010 were reported positive for Campylobacter spp.; these were all serotyped as C. jejuni.

Salmonellosis

  • The CIR for salmonellosis increased from 2009 (7.9 per 100,000 population) to 2010 (8.4 per 100,000 population), however the Irish figures were still below the European average CIR (21.5 per 100,000 population) for 2010.
  • The serotype most referred to the NSRL in 2010 was S. Typhimurium (132, 36.4%), followed by S. Enteritidis (70, 19.3%) and S. Infantis (17, 4.7%).
  • 125,151 food samples were tested for the presence of Salmonella spp. in 2010.
  • 0.01% (2 out of 25,340) of RTE and 1.05% (518 out of 49,323) of raw meat samples tested were reported positive for Salmonella spp. 
  • S. Kentucky (48.8%) was the main serotype recovered from poultry meat, S. Typhimurium (45%) from pork, S. Dublin (50.9%) from beef, and S. Typhimurium (41.7%) and S. Dublin (41.7%) from mutton & lamb samples tested in 2010.
  • 0.03% (1 out of 3,996) of non-meat RTE and 0.03% (15 out of 45,379) raw food isolates, were reported positive for Salmonella spp. in 2010.
  • 2.85% (32 out of 1,124) of breeding and commercial flocks were reported positive for Salmonella spp. in 2010, however all animal feed material tested (175 samples) were negative for the pathogen.
  • High levels of antimicrobial resistance were recorded in S. Typhimurium recovered from pigs in 2010: 93%  to ampicillin, 39% to chloramphenicol, 88% to streptomycin, 94% to sulphonamides, 84% to tetracycline, 20% to trimethoprim, 7% to nalidixic acid, 2% to gentamycin and 2% to kanamycin.
  • High levels of antimicrobial resistance profiles were also recorded in S. Typhimurium recovered from bovines in 2010: 66%  to ampicillin, 43% to chloramphenicol, 74% to streptomycin, 77% to sulphonamides, 60% to tetracycline, 3% to trimethoprim, 3% to nalidixic acid and 3% gentamycin

Cryptosporidiosis

  • In 2010, 294 cases of cryptosporidiosis were notified in Ireland, a CIR of 6.9 per 100,000 population.  This was reduction on the 445 cases notified in 2009, a CIR of 10.5 per 100,000 population. The average CIR in the EU was 2.44 per 100,000 population in 2010, and Ireland had the highest CIR among all member states in this year. The second highest rate was the United Kingdom (8.1 per 100,000 population).

VTEC

  • In 2010 the CIR for VTEC was 4.7 per 100,000 population, this is a reduction on the CIR for 2009 which was 5.6 per 100,000 population.  However, Ireland reported the highest CIR of EU member states in 2010 (EU average CIR 0.83 per 100,000 population).
  • HUS cases in 2010 were associated with VTEC O157 and VTEC O26 isolates containing vt2, or both vt1 and vt2 genes. 
  • Forty-five VTEC outbreaks were notified in 2010, which included 103 of the 199 VTEC notifications in this year.
  • Unlike previous years, no foodborne VTEC outbreaks were reported in 2010.  However, the transmission routes were unknown for a quarter of all outbreaks.
  • Only one food sample out of 180 tested positive for VTEC (0.55%) in 2010: a raw unspecified meat sample.

Listeriosis

  • 10 cases of human listeriosis were notified in 2010, the same as 2009.  This equates to an Irish CIR of 0.2 per 100,000 population, compared to the EU average of 0.35 per 100,000 population, in this year.
  • 1.56% (60 out of 3,845) of food samples tested positive for L. monocytogenes using the detection method in 2010.  0.94% (27 out of 2,860) of RTE foods and 3.37% (7 out of 208) of raw foods tested were reported positive using this method.
  • 0.16% (10 out of 6,163) samples had counts of L. monocytogenes >100 cfu/g using the enumeration method. 0.05% (2 out of 3,755) of RTE products and 0.68% (1 out of 147) raw products had L. monocytogenes >100 cfu/g using this method.

Tuberculosis

  • 420 cases of tuberculosis were notified in 2010, corresponding to a CIR of 9.2 per 100,000 population, which is a decrease from 2009 (10.4 per 100,000 population).  265 (94.3%) of the culture confirmed cases were species identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
  • 12 cases of Mycobacterium bovis associated TB were reported in 2010 (CIR 0.3 per 100,000 population).  This is an increase on the 7 cases reported in Ireland in 2009 (CIR 0.2 per 100,000 population). 
  • The proportion of cattle herds in Ireland with bovine TB has been decreasing since 2008 (5.97%).  The percentage was lower in 2010 (4.7%), than it was in the previous year (5.17%).

Brucellosis

  • During 2010, 2 cases of brucellosis were notified compared to zero in 2009 and 3 in 2008.
  • The last confirmed case of brucellosis in cattle in Ireland was in 2006.  In 2010, 106,000 bovine herds and 963 goat and sheep herds were tested and confirmed negative from brucellosis.

vCJD, BSE and TSE

  • The last case of vCJD was notified in 2006, no new case was notified in 2010.
  • There has been a steady decline in BSE in Ireland since its peak in 2002, as older animals in the national herd are replaced by new ones.  Two cases of BSE in cattle were reported in 2010, compared to 9 in 2009.
  • In 2010, 24 (0.11%) of sheep tested positive for TSE, compared to 38 (0.18%) in 2009.

Toxoplasmosis

  • There were 36 notifications in 2010, which is a CIR of 0.8 per 100,000 population in this year.  This is similar to the figures for 2009, with 37 notifications reported equating to a CIR of 0.83 per 100,000 population.

Leptospirosis

  • There were 17 notifications in 2010, which is a CIR of 0.4 per 100,000 population.  This is a decrease on the 24 notifications in 2009, a CIR of 0.57 per 100,000 population. 

Others

  • No notifications for trichinellosis were reported in Ireland in 2010.
  • 3 notifications of yersiniosis (a CIR of 0.07 per 100,000 population), 9 of Q fever (a CIR of 0.2 per 100,000 population) and 1 case of Echinococcosis were notified (a CIR of 0.2 per 100,000 population) in 2010.