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Epidemiology and Infection logoLink to Epidemiology and Infection
. 2000 Aug;125(1):9–12. doi: 10.1017/s0950268899004069

An outbreak of Salmonella blockley infections following smoked eel consumption in Germany.

G Fell 1, O Hamouda 1, R Lindner 1, S Rehmet 1, A Liesegang 1, R Prager 1, B Gericke 1, L Petersen 1
PMCID: PMC2869563  PMID: 11057953

Abstract

In June 1998, an increased number of persons with Salmonella blockley infection were reported from one German state. Because S. blockley is extremely uncommon in Germany, a case-control study was performed in order to find the source. A total of 13 patients met the case definition. Nine of 12 cases and 2 of 21 controls with food consumption histories reported eating smoked eel (OR 28.5; 95% CI 3.9-235.3). The consumed eel came from four different local smokeries, but could be traced back to fish farms in Italy. This outbreak indicates that eel may be a vehicle for salmonella infection and that the smoking process may not eliminate bacterial contamination from raw fish.

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