Salmonella enterica is one of the principal causes of foodborne zoonotic enteritis. Among the different serovars, Dublin (S. Dublin) is of particular importance due to its propensity to progress to an invasive infection in humans and due to the high proportion of multi-drug resistant strains in Canada.
Cattle are considered as the main reservoir of S. Dublin. This serotype has emerged since 2011 in the province of Quebec, Canada, in both cattle and human populations. First animal cases have been reported in calf production.
White veal are valued for the quality of their meat, offal and liver. The liver is usually consumed mildly cooked and is considered as a probable source of foodborne exposure to S. Dublin in humans. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of S. Dublin positive liver after slaughtering and the seroprevalence against S. Dublin at the calf level.
Prevalence of salmonella Dublin in veal liver in Quebec, Canada from a public health perspective, February 2019
International Journal of Infectious Diseases vol. 79 pg. 75
C.M. Andela Abessolo, P. Turgeon, P. Fravalo, G. Côté, G. Eyaba, W.P. Thériault, J. Arsenault
Nontyphoidal Salmonella is a main cause of bacterial food-borne infection in Europe [1,2]. The majority of human infections is caused by a limited number of Salmonella serotypes among the 2,600 described to date [3,4]. Salmonella enterica serotype Dublin (S. Dublin) is particularly invasive in humans and more often leads to severe disease and higher mortality rates compared with other serotypes [4–7]. S. Dublin is host-adapted to bovines and is frequently isolated from cattle, with raw milk or raw-milk cheeses as a typical vehicle for food-borne outbreaks [8,9].
A picture taken on November 18, 2011 shows a Morbier cheese from France during the European bi-annual Eurogusto slow food festival in Tours, central France. Slow Food, whose symbol is a red snail, promotes food that is “good at a sensory level,” but also aims to educate people about traditional and wholesome means of production and defend biodiversity in the food supply. AFP PHOTO/ALAIN JOCARD / AFP PHOTO / ALAIN JOCARD
In 2012, a major S. Dublin outbreak occurred in France, with 103 cases linked to Saint-Nectaire (bovine raw-milk cheese) consumption [10,11]. In 2015, 34 S. Dublin cases were reported linked to the consumption of Reblochon (bovine raw-milk cheese) (data not shown; Santé publique France).
In France, the National Reference Center for Salmonella (NRC) and the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) routinely collect and serotype human and non-human Salmonella isolates, respectively [12–14], using the Kauffmann–White–Le Minor scheme [3]. The S. Dublin isolates collected are frequently susceptible to all antibiotics and show an indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern. To better distinguish S. Dublin isolates, multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) has recently been used for surveillance and outbreak investigations [11,15]. Moreover, whole genome sequencing (WGS) of Salmonella has been shown to discriminate between closely related isolates of S. Dublin [16,17].
On 18 January 2016, the French NRC reported to Santé publique France (SpFrance, the French national public health agency) an excess of S. Dublin infections across the country, with 37 S. Dublin isolates identified between mid-November 2015 and mid-January 2016, compared with 10 S. Dublin isolates during the same period in the two previous years. An outbreak investigation team with experts from SpFrance, NRC, ANSES and the French Directorate General for Food (DGAL) launched extensive epidemiological, microbiological and food investigations to confirm the outbreak, identify the vehicle of transmission and propose appropriate control measures.
Disentangling a complex nationwide salmonella Dublin outbreak associated with raw-milk cheese consumption, France, 2015 to 2016,
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland reports all of the below listed products supplied or manufactured by Natural Green Limited, Stadium Business Park, Ballycoolin, Dublin are subject to recall due to rodent infestation at the supply site in Ireland. A Closure Order, under the FSAI Act 1998, was served by the HSE on the food business operator of the Stadium Business Park site.
On May 18, 2017, the first cases of food poisoning were reported to health types in Dublin and soon linked to a northern Dublin food business that had supplied food to numerous family parties the weekend of May 13 and 14, 2017.
25/05/17 Members of the ‘Sloggers to Joggers’ fitness group jog behind the hearse pictured after the funeral of Sandra O’Brien St. Finian’s Church, River Valley, Swords this morning. Sandra Murphy O’Brien, in her 50s, died after she became ill after a Communion celebration at a north Dublin pub….Picture Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin.
“A Closure Order was served on the food business on Friday 19th May.”
The statement came a week after Sandra O’Brien, who was in her 50s, died from suspected food poisoning at a First Communion party.
The statement continues: “The HSE is aware of more than 50 people (including 4 children) ill from a number of separate groups of family parties supplied by a North Dublin food business on Saturday 13th May and Sunday 14th May.
“To date five people were admitted to hospital and 16 of those ill have been confirmed as Salmonella.”
Now, an inquest has heard the woman died from Salmonella.
The Health Service Executive’s Environmental Health Office and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland are preparing files on the incident.
Reports will be filed by both authorities to the Director of Public Prosecution once investigations are complete.
The catering company, Flanreil Food Services, who provided the food served on the day of the First Communion function was represented at the inquest by solicitor Elaine Byrne.
Inspector Oliver Woods applied for a six-month adjournment of the inquest to allow for investigations to continue and the coroner adjourned the inquest until 8 November, 2018.
Salmonella enterica serotype Dublin is a cattle-adapted bacterium that typically causes bloodstream infections in humans.
To summarize demographic, clinical, and antimicrobial drug resistance characteristics of human infections with this organism in the United States, we analyzed data for 1968–2013 from 5 US surveillance systems.
During this period, the incidence rate for infection with Salmonella Dublin increased more than that for infection with other Salmonella. Data from 1 system (FoodNet) showed that a higher percentage of persons with Salmonella Dublin infection were hospitalized and died during 2005–2013 (78% hospitalized, 4.2% died) than during 1996-2004 (68% hospitalized, 2.7% died). Susceptibility data showed that a higher percentage of isolates were resistant to >7 classes of antimicrobial drugs during 2005–2013 (50.8%) than during 1996–2004 (2.4%).
Epidemiology of Salmonella enterica Serotype Dublin infections among humans, United State, 1968-2013
Emerging Infectious Diseases, vol. 23, no. 9, September 2017, R. Reid Harvey, Cindy R. Friedman, Stacy M. Crim, Michael Judd, Kelly A. Barrett, Beth Tolar, Jason P. Folster, Patricia M. Griffin, and Allison C. Brown
Lloyd Mudiwa of the Irish Medical Times reports a large outbreak of foodborne salmonellosis involving more than 50 cases of infection in North Dublin is being investigated by public health specialists, IMT reports.
The HSE was initially notified on May 18 of an outbreak of salmonellosis associated with consumption of food at a family party in Dublin some five days earlier. Foods had been provided by a food business in North Dublin. Over the weekend of May 13 and 14 the business had supplied food to multiple off-site parties in addition to on-site dining. The investigation identified illness among attendees at additional off-site parties.
An Outbreak Control Team was convened and chaired by the Department of Public Health (East) with representation from Environmental Health Service ((EHS) Dublin Specialist (Communicable Disease Unit) and Dublin, Fingal), the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), Public Health Laboratory, and the National Salmonella Shigella and Listeria Reference Laboratory.
A closure order was served on the food business on May 19 by the HSE EHS under Section 53 of the FSAI Act 1998. Alerts were issued to GPs and hospital emergency departments by the Department of Public Health (East).
“To date more than 50 cases of illness have been identified and 24 persons have tested positive for salmonella. Six people have been admitted to hospital.
The statement comes a week after Sandra O’Brien, who was in her 50s, died from suspected food poisoning at a First Communion party.
The Health Service Executive confirmed that the outbreak has affected “multiple groups”.
The HSE is liaising with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and an Outbreak Control Team has been formed and an investigation is ongoing.
The statement continues: “The HSE is aware of more than 50 people (including 4 children) ill from a number of separate groups of family parties supplied by a North Dublin food business on Saturday 13th May and Sunday 14th May.
“To date five people were admitted to hospital and 16 of those ill have been confirmed as Salmonella.”
The first cases of food poisoning were notified to the HSE on Thursday May 18. The statement confirms that a north Dublin food business was identified as the common link in this outbreak.
“The investigation is focused on this business. A Closure Order was served on the food business on Friday 19th May.”
The HSE say the investigation is ongoing and includes further examination of the food business operation and food served and assessment of the information from ill and well persons who consumed food.
(BTW, the mask worn by Garth is somewhat equivalent to the mask I wore when I started playing goal in 1969, except Garth’s is better. A couple of years later, in pee wee, the kids could fire the puck and who knows how many concussions I had, along with playing middle linebacker in high school football, so questions of PTSD are never far from what is left of my mind.)
The kitchens of a North Dublin pub have also been shut pending the investigation.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland is liaising with the HSE after a number of people were hospitalised and treated for suspected salmonella poisoning following a First Communion party.
Reporter with Independent News and Media Conor Feehan said: “It’s understood that food may have been made on a premises and then transported to the house for a First Communion party.”
He added: “But it seems that after the party a number of people took ill and in this particular case a woman in her 50s was later found dead at home by her husband on Sunday.”
In a statement the Health Service Executive said it is investigating an outbreak of food poisoning due to salmonella in North Dublin and is liaising with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. An Outbreak Control Team has been formed and an investigation is ongoing.
Two of the city centre’s most popular burrito bars, Little Ass Burrito Bar at 32a Dawson Street and Mama’s Revenge at 12 Leinster Street South, were issued with closure orders.
This was according to the rote media reports we often get, listing the names of restaurants hit with such orders, and not very much more.
But both burrito bars are open now, serving wraps of rice and beans with pulled pork and all the trimmings. There won’t be any shortage of Mexican grub any time soon.
So what really happened there? And what does it say about how the media covers Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) closure orders?
The FSAI’s Jane Ryder says there’s no need to provide any extra information on press releases to separate serious breaches from minor breaches.
The pub – one of the most popular spots for GAA fans because it of its proximity to Croke Park – is regularly packed on big match days. However, following a damning hygiene inspection the day after the 2014 All Ireland hurling final, it was ordered to close for 48 hours by Health Service Executive (HSE).
Its owners, Quinn Hospitality Ireland Operations 2 Ltd, with an address at Church View, Cavan, Co Cavan, pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to breaking hygiene and foodstuff laws.
Senior environmental health inspector Chris Counihan told Judge John O’Neill that in his 17 years of professional experience he had not seen anything as bad.
Mr Counihan told prosecution solicitor Adrian Lennon that on September 8th last he went to the popular pub in Dublin 9. He said he found “evidence of rat infestation” in two cellars where drinks were stored.
In one cellar he found a dead rat on the floor and he said no effort had been made to clean it up. There were also rat droppings on the floor as well as fragments of dried sewage and pieces of soiled tissue on the walls and on a manhole cover. Mr Counihan said the dried fragments of toilet paper was a result of over-flowed sewage which contained human waste.
In the poorly lit, cellar there was evidence of “uncovered drainage” and pipes had no “pest protection”. Mr Counihan said, “raw sewage over-flowed from a manhole.”
The manhole had also allowed rats to enter, the court was told. The floor was in a state of disrepair with gaps that could have also let in pests.
The pub owners have also agreed to pay the HSE’s costs of €2,000 plus VAT.
Cattle are considered as the main reservoir of S. Dublin. This serotype has emerged since 2011 in the province of Quebec, Canada, in both cattle and human populations. First animal cases have been reported in calf production. 
