Cross-border outbreak of listeriosis caused by cold-smoked salmon, revealed by integrated surveillance and whole genome sequencing (WGS), Denmark and France, 2015 to 2017

International audienceIn August 2017, an outbreak of six listeriosis cases in Denmark was traced to cold-smoked salmon, using epidemiological investigations and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analyses. Exchange of genome sequences allowed identification in France of a food isolate from a salmon-derived product and a human isolate from 2016 within the same cgMLST cluster as the Danish isolates (L2-SL8-ST8-CT771). The salmon product came from a third European Union country. WGS can rapidly link human cases and food isolates across Europe

Health inspection: new approaches for a veterinarians and operators network implementation, acting as a link between holdings and slaughterhouses

National audienceWhen poultry are slaughtered, they undergo official veterinary ante and post-mortem controls, covering all important aspects for protection of public health, animal health and welfare. Today, controls’ organization must be based on an assessment of animal health risks and food safety1,2. The active participation of operators is envisaged for these sanitary controls under the responsibility and supervision of veterinarians. Nevertheless scientific methods are needed to implement new approaches to sanitary controls on poultry in holdings and slaughterhouses to ensure they cover all their objectives. Multidisciplinary working groups composed of members from the national competent veterinary authority, epidemiologists, hygienists, veterinarians, and operators’ representatives were created. These groups defined the goals to reach for public health, animal health and welfare purposes. For each of them, the tasks were characterized and indicators of their achievement proposed. Five tasks were described: i. sanitary auditing on holding of provenance by a veterinarian; ii. “descending” food chain information analysis before each flock arrival at slaughterhouse; iii. ante-mortem and iv. post-mortem examinations; v. standardized “ascending food chain information”. Sanitary auditing on holding by a veterinarian and standardized “ascending food chain information” are the two examples described here. For sanitary auditing on holding, a questionnaire and a guide aiming at clarifying what to observe and how to answer the questions were designed. The questionnaire consists of a brief description of the holding followed by questions covering biosecurity and public health topics. For “ascending food chain information”, ante and post mortem examination data of different batches are standardized and sent to the holding, in order to be interpreted by the veterinarian attending the holding. The visible anomalies are synthesized as epidemiological, organic and etiological data. Anomalies’ detectability in the conditions of processing plant and sanitary risk were both considered in the data analysis. Descriptive factsheets of anomalies were then designed for a national reference frame in slaughterhouses. Finally, our work allowed the proposal of news tools relevant to the veterinary public health monitoring throughout the poultry chain. The proposed procedures, as well as the effective participation of different actors, were assessed on a sample of slaughterhouses and holdings

Cross-border outbreak of listeriosis caused by cold-smoked salmon, revealed by integrated surveillance and whole genome sequencing (WGS), Denmark and France, 2015 to 2017

International audienceIn August 2017, an outbreak of six listeriosis cases in Denmark was traced to cold-smoked salmon, using epidemiological investigations and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analyses. Exchange of genome sequences allowed identification in France of a food isolate from a salmon-derived product and a human isolate from 2016 within the same cgMLST cluster as the Danish isolates (L2-SL8-ST8-CT771). The salmon product came from a third European Union country. WGS can rapidly link human cases and food isolates across Europe

Disentangling a complex nationwide Salmonella Dublin outbreak associated with raw-milk cheese consumption, France, 2015 to 2016

International audienceOn 18 January 2016, the French National Reference Centre for Salmonella reported to Santé publique France an excess of Salmonella enterica serotype Dublin (S. Dublin) infections. We investigated to identify the source of infection and implement control measures. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) were performed to identify microbiological clusters and links among cases, animal and food sources. Clusters were defined as isolates with less than 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms determined by WGS and/or with identical MLVA pattern. We compared different clusters of cases with other cases (case-case study) and controls recruited from a web-based cohort (case-control study) in terms of food consumption. We interviewed 63/83 (76%) cases; 2,914 controls completed a questionnaire. Both studies' findings indicated that successive S. Dublin outbreaks from different sources had occurred between November 2015 and March 2016. In the case-control study, cases of distinct WGS clusters were more likely to have consumed Morbier (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 14; 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.8-42) or Vacherin Mont d'Or (aOR: 27; 95% CI: 6.8-105), two bovine raw-milk cheeses. Based on these results, the Ministry of Agriculture launched a reinforced control plan for processing plants of raw-milk cheeses in the production region, to prevent future outbreaks

Real-Time Whole-Genome Sequencing for Surveillance of Listeria monocytogenes , France

International audienceDuring 2015-2016, we evaluated the performance of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) as a routine typing tool. Its added value for microbiological and epidemiologic surveillance of listeriosis was compared with that for pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), the current standard method. A total of 2,743 Listeria monocytogenes isolates collected as part of routine surveillance were characterized in parallel by PFGE and core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) extracted from WGS. We investigated PFGE and cgMLST clusters containing human isolates. Discrimination of isolates was significantly higher by cgMLST than by PFGE (p<0.001). cgMLST discriminated unrelated isolates that shared identical PFGE profiles and phylogenetically closely related isolates with distinct PFGE profiles. This procedure also refined epidemiologic investigations to include only phylogenetically closely related isolates, improved source identification, and facilitated epidemiologic investigations , enabling identification of more outbreaks at earlier stages. WGS-based typing should replace PFGE as the primary typing method for L. monocytogenes

Outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O26 paediatric haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) cases associated with the consumption of soft raw cow’s milk cheeses, France, March to May 2019

International audienceWe report an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) associated paediatric haemolytic uraemic syndrome linked to the consumption of raw cow's milk soft cheeses. From 25 March to 27 May 2019, 16 outbreak cases infected with STEC O26 (median age: 22 months) were identified. Interviews and trace-back investigations using loyalty cards identified the consumption of raw milk cheeses from a single producer. Trace-forward investigations revealed that these cheeses were internationally distributed

Villes, cultures et engagements

La culture, mot polysémique et plastique, s’impose désormais comme un outil des politiques urbaines globalisées. Ces dernières ambitionnent de contribuer à la compétitivité des villes, quitte à exclure les populations défavorisées et à légitimer cette exclusion en ayant recours au registre consensuel de l’art et de la culture. Dans ce processus, il est possible de se demander de quelle manière l’urbain est modifié par sa « mise en culture », et inversement, en quoi la culture est façonnée par son devenir urbain. Dans ce dossier, les interrogations portent surtout sur les acteurs et les conséquences de ces dynamiques : dans quelle mesure les politiques urbaines et culturelles, et les projets qui en découlent, agissent-ils sur les pratiques et les représentations de celles et ceux qui conçoivent les villes mais aussi de celles et ceux qui les habitent au quotidien ? Comment les différents groupes qui constituent la ville, et en particulier les artistes et les acteurs culturels, répondent-ils ou participent-ils à ces projets ? Quels sont leurs degrés d’engagement, d’opposition ou de compromis par rapport à des projets qui aspirent à changer l’image des villes ? Culture, a polysemic and plastic word, is now emerging as a tool of globalized urban policies. These policies aim to promote the competitiveness of cities, even if it means excluding disadvantaged populations and legitimising this exclusion by resorting to the consensual register of art and culture. In the midst of this process, one can wonder to what extent cities are transformed by this “culturalization”, and vice versa, to what extent culture is shaped by its urban future. The papers in this issue focus on the actors and consequences of these dynamics: how do urban and cultural policies, and the projects which result from them, affect the practices and representations of not only those who design cities, but those who inhabit them on a daily basis as well? How do the different groups who make up the city, and in particular artists and cultural actors, respond to or participate in these projects? What are their degrees of commitment, opposition or compromise to projects that aspire to change the image of cities

Paediatric haemolytic uraemic syndrome related to Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, an overview of 10 years of surveillance in France, 2007 to 2016

International audienceIntroduction: Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) related to Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is the leading cause of acute renal failure in young children. In France, HUS surveillance in children aged < 15 years was implemented starting from 1996.AimWe present the results of this surveillance between 2007 and 2016.Methods: A voluntary nationwide network of 32 paediatric departments notifies cases. Two national reference centres perform microbiological STEC confirmation.Results: Over the study period, the paediatric HUS incidence rate (IR) was 1.0 per 100,000 children-years, with a median of 116 cases/year. In 2011, IR peaked at 1.3 per 100,000 children-years, and decreased to 1.0 per 100,000 children-years in 2016. STEC O157 associated HUS peaked at 37 cases in 2011 and decreased to seven cases in 2016. Cases of STEC O26-associated HUS have increased since 2010 and STEC O80 associated HUS has emerged since 2012, with 28 and 18 cases respectively reported in 2016. Four STEC-HUS food-borne outbreaks were detected (three STEC O157 linked to ground beef and raw-milk cheese and one STEC O104 linked to fenugreek sprouts). In addition, two outbreaks related to person-to-person transmission occurred in distinct kindergartens (STEC O111 and O26).Conclusions: No major changes in HUS IRs were observed over the study period of 10 years. However, changes in the STEC serogroups over time and the outbreaks detected argue for continuing epidemiological and microbiological surveillance