A. Lehmacher et al., NATIONWIDE OUTBREAK OF HUMAN SALMONELLOSIS IN GERMANY DUE TO CONTAMINATED PAPRIKA AND PAPRIKA-POWDERED POTATO-CHIPS, Epidemiology and infection, 115(3), 1995, pp. 501-511
Between April and September 1993, a nationwide outbreak of salmonellos
is occurred in Germany which was traced to contaminated paprika and pa
prika-powdered potato chips. Of the estimated 1000 cases, children bel
ow 14 years were principally affected. Levels of 0.04-0.45 organisms p
er gram were found in the snacks. The infective dose was estimated at
4-45 organisms with an attack rate of 1 in 10000 exposed persons. The
unique feature of the outbreak was the variety of serovars involved. S
. saintpaul, S. rubislaw and S. javiana were isolated during the same
time period from paprika powder, spice mixtures, snacks and patients.
Their clonal identity was confirmed by molecular typing methods. Furth
ermore, monophasic and non-motile strains of rare salmonella O-groups
were isolated from both paprika products and patients. This is the lar
gest documented outbreak due to contaminated spices which proved that
even extremely low numbers of salmonellae adapted to the dry state wer
e able to cause illness.