Published by: Food Safety Authority of Ireland Abbey Court Lower Abbey Street Dublin 1 Tel: 01 817 1300 Fax: 01 817 1301 Email: [email protected] Website:www.fsai.ie © 2006 ISBN 1-904465-44-7 CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS 2 8. TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM DATA SOURCES 3 ENCEPHALOPATHIES (TSEs) AND VARIANT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE (vCJD) 35 INTRODUCTION 8 vCJD 35 BSE 35 1. SALMONELLOSIS 9 Human 9 9. LEPTOSPIROSIS 37 Food 12 Human 37 Animals 16 Animal Feed 17 10. RARE ZOONOSES 38 Anthrax 38 2. CAMPYLOBACTERIOSIS 19 Echinococcosis 38 Human 19 Toxoplasmosis 38 Food 20 Trichinosis (Trichinellosis) 39 Animals 20 Rabies 39 Yersiniosis 39 3. LISTERIOSIS 23 Human 23 11. CONCLUSIONS 40 Food 24 APPENDIX A 42 4. VEROCYTOTOXIGENIC Human Diseases Notifiable E. COLI (VTEC) INFECTION 26 under the Infectious Disease Human 26 Regulations, 1981 (as amended) Food 28 (S.I. No. 390 of 1981) Animals 28 APPENDIX B 43 5. TUBERCULOSIS 30 Animal Diseases Notifiable Humans 30 under the Diseases of Animals Act, Animals 31 1996 (S.I. No. 6 of 1996) 6. BRUCELLOSIS 32 APPENDIX C 43 Human 32 Zoonosis Related Legislation Animals 33 REFERENCES 44 7. CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS 34 Human 34 – 1 – REPORT ON ZOONOSES IN IRELAND 2004 ABBREVIATIONS BSE Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy CJD Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease CMCL Central Meat Control Laboratory CSO Central Statistics Office CVRL Central Veterinary Research Laboratory DAF Department of Agriculture and Food DCMNR Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources DoHC Department of Health and Children ERHA Eastern Region Health Authority FSAI Food Safety Authority of Ireland HPSC Health Protection Surveillance Centre HUS Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome MHB Midland Health Board MWHB Mid-Western Health Board NEHB North-Eastern Health Board NSRL National Salmonella Reference Laboratory NWHB North-Western Health Board OBF Officially Brucellosis Free OBMF Officially Brucella melitensis Free OFML Official Food Microbiology Laboratory OTF Officially Tuberculosis Free nOBF Not Officially Brucellosis Free SEHB South-Eastern Health Board SHB Southern Health Board TB Tuberculosis TSE Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy VTEC Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli WHB Western Health Board vCJD Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease – 2 – DATA SOURCES HUMAN DATA These changes mean that a medical practitioner or a clinical director of a diagnostic laboratory is required Statutory Notifications to provide written or electronic notification to a Medical The Infectious Diseases Regulation of 1981 (as amended) Officer of Health in their health boarda when they become specifies which infectious diseases are notifiable in Ireland aware of, or suspect that a person is suffering from or is a and sets out the criteria for reporting cases of infection carrier of an infectious disease. These notifications are then (Appendix A). forwarded to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC)b who collate, analyse and report on the data. On 1st January 2004, Amendment No. 3 of the Infectious Diseases Regulations, 2003 (S.I. No. 707 of 2003) came Outbreak Reporting into effect. This amendment revised the list of infectious diseases that must be notified as well as introducing Foodborne illness may be considered an outbreak a requirement for diagnostic laboratory directors to with the occurrence of two or more linked cases of the report cases of infectious disease in addition to clinicians. same illness, a single case of illness caused by a significant In relation to food safety and zoonoses, the most notable pathogen or where the observed number of cases exceeds changes are: that expected. Outbreaks may be confined to members of the one family or be more widespread and involve local, • Laboratory directors are now required to notify national or internationally linked cases. cases of infectious disease Under the Infectious Diseases Regulations, the HPSC • Food and waterborne illnesses are now specified receives notifications of “unusual clusters of changing individually, e.g. campylobacter infection; patterns of illness”. Investigations into outbreaks may cryptosporidiosis; listeriosis. Previously these diseases provide crucial information such as mode of transmission, were reported under the one category: ‘Food pathogens involved, suspected vehicle and factors Poisoning (bacterial other than salmonella)’ contributing to the outbreak. This information may help • The categories ‘Gastroenteritis in children under determine reasons for an outbreak and lessons that can two years’ and ‘Food Poisoning (bacterial other be learned with a view to preventing similar outbreaks than salmonella)’ have been removed in the future. • Case definitions for infectious diseases have been introduced (available on the HPSC website: www.hpsc.ie) • Possible threats such as botulism and tularemia are now notifiable • Pathogens that are important in monitoring antimicrobial resistance are now notifiable • Unusual clusters or changing patterns of illness that may be of public health concern, including outbreaks, must also be reported. a Since 1st January 2005, the ten regional health boards have been replaced by a single body, the Health Service Executive (HSE). However, data for this report were collected by the health boards and will be reported as such. b The HPSC was known as the National Disease Surveillance Centre prior to 1st January 2005. – 3 – REPORT ON ZOONOSES IN IRELAND 2004 FOOD DATA Table II. Population by Health Board Laboratories providing microbiological data on food are listed in Table III. These data were provided by HEALTH BOARD POPULATION the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAF), the Easter Regional Health Authority (ERHA) 1,401,441 Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (DCMNR) as well as the regional health boards. Midland Health Board (MHB) 225,363 Mid Western Health Board (MWHB) 339,591 Incidence Rates North Eastern Health Board (NEHB) 344,965 Data from the 2002 census (Tables I and II) were used to calculate national incidence rates unless otherwise stated. North Western Health Board (NWHB) 221,574 Southern Health Board (SHB) 580,356 Table I. Population by Age Group and Gender South Eastern Health Board (SEHB) 423,616 AGE GROUP ALL PERSONS MALE FEMALE Western Health Board (WHB) 380,297 0-4 277,630 142,040 135,590 Total 3,917,203 5-9 264,090 135,890 128,200 Source: DoHC and CSO 10-14 285,708 146,114 139,594 Salmonella Typing 15-19 313,188 160,413 152,775 The National Salmonella Reference Laboratory (NSRL), 20-24 328,334 165,292 163,042 established in 2000 is based in the Department of Medical Microbiology, University College Hospital, Galway. 25-34 617,369 308,477 308,892 S. enterica isolates from hospitals, food and veterinary 35-44 562,890 279,831 283,059 laboratories are subtyped by the NSRL using methods such as serotyping, phage typing, antimicrobial resistance typing 45-54 480,447 241,566 238,881 and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). 55-64 351,546 177,386 174,160 Verocytotoxigenic E. coli Typing 65+ 436,001 189,155 246,846 Typing data on verocytotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) are Total 3,917,203 1,946,164 1,971,039 provided to the HPSC by the Health Service Executive South West Area Public Health Laboratory at Cherry Source: CSO Orchard Hospital. – 4 – Table III. Laboratories Providing Data on Zoonotic Agents in Food, 2004 (Directive 92/117/EEC) LABORATORY FOODS STAGE OF SAMPLING PATHOGENS Central Meat Control Laboratory (CMCL) Meat and meat products Processing S. enterica Listeria spp. DAF approved laboratories Meat and meat products Slaughterhouse S. enterica (for Central Veterinary Other foods and processing Campylobacter spp. Research Laboratory [CVRL]) Listeria spp. E. coli O157 DAF approved private laboratories* Raw poultry carcasses Processing S. enterica Campylobacter spp. Dairy Science Laboratories x 3 Milk and milk products Processing S. enterica Regional Veterinary Laboratories, Listeria spp. Waterford and Sligo Official Food Microbiology Food from retail level Retail ** S. enterica Laboratories (OFMLs) x 7 Campylobacter spp. Listeria spp. E. coli O157 DCMNR approved private laboratories Fish and fish products Processing S. enterica Listeria spp. * For the FSAI/DAF enhanced poultry monitoring programme. ** The majority of these samples were taken at retail level (i.e. from catering and retail premises), while a small percentage of samples were from distributors/transporters, manufacturers/packers and primary producers. Animal and Animal Feed Data Table IV. Livestock Estimates in Ireland, Data on animals and animal feed are collected by DAF December 2004 from within its own inspection and laboratory service. ANIMAL 2004 Data on certain animal diseases such as tuberculosis, Cattle 6,211,500 brucellosis, BSE and salmonellosis are derived from specific surveillance and control programmes. Animal Sheep 4,556,700 diseases notifiable under the Diseases of Animals Act, Pigs 1,757,600 1966 (S.I. No. 6 of 1996) in 2002 and 2003 are listed in Appendix B. (Source: CSO. NB poultry data are no longer collated by CSO) Monitoring of animal feed is carried out by DAF as part Pets, as well as food producing animals, can harbour of the controls on feed and the DAF National Salmonella zoonotic pathogens. The Control of Dogs Acts, 1986 and Monitoring and Control Programme. The Central Statistics 1992, requires owners to hold a license for each dog they Office (CSO) provides annual estimates of the numbers own. In 2004 a total of 197,017 dog licenses were issued. of livestock in Ireland, 2004 (Table IV). However, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government estimate that only one fifth of dogs are licensed at any time. – 5 – REPORT ON ZOONOSES IN IRELAND 2004 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This is the third report on zoonoses in Ireland published 78% of samples tested were of domestic origin with 22% by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). This report imported. S. Kentucky and S. Bredeney were the most focuses on zoonotic pathogens of importance to Ireland common serovars identified in domestic poultry samples that were isolated from humans, animals, food and feed while S. Mbandaka and S. Enteriditis were most frequently in 2004.