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

In June 1998, an increased number of persons with Salmonella blockley infec tion were reported from one German state. Because S. blockley is extremely uncommon in Germany, a case-control study was performed in order to find th e 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 differen t local smokeries, but could be traced back to fish farms in Italy. This ou tbreak indicates that eel may be a vehicle for salmonella infection and tha t the smoking process may not eliminate bacterial contamination from raw fi sh.