A Binational Sample-Initiated Retrospective Outbreak Investigation of Listeria monocytogenes Infections in the United States and Canada Linked to Enoki Mushrooms Imported from China 2022–2023
In 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. state and local partners, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) conducted a binational sample-initiated retrospective outbreak investigation (SIROI) of Listeria monocytogenes illnesses linked to enoki mushrooms. The FDA and CDC investigated the first known L. monocytogenes outbreak linked to enoki mushrooms from 2016 to 2020, making the 2022 outbreak the second time this pathogen-commodity pair was investigated by FDA and CDC. The 2022 outbreak included six ill people, all of whom were hospitalized. Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback evidence led to multiple public health actions, including voluntary recalls by firms, public communications about the outbreak, and FDA's country-wide Import Alert for enoki mushrooms from China. This SIROI illustrates the importance of surveillance sampling, national and international coordination of efforts, and rapid information sharing to identify and stop foodborne outbreaks on a global scale. To reduce the risk of listeriosis illnesses linked to contaminated enoki mushrooms, public health and regulatory agencies in the United States and Canada remain committed to conducting comprehensive surveillance for Listeria in foods and in people, efficiently investigating identified outbreaks, and implementing control measures to potentially minimize the impact of future outbreaks.
Authors
- Meghan Hamel
- Kate Allen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0870-7209)
- Mabel Sheau Fong Low (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1312-6975)
- Lauren DiPrete (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6596-3615)
- Kristen Lozinak
- Joseph D. Baugher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2466-3047)
- Michael C. Bazaco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3155-4068)
- Monique Salter
- Christian Bond
- Amanda Conrad
- Allison Wellman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7905-3900)
- Deepam Thomas
- Stelios Viazis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4711-1520)
- Hilary Rosen
- Margaret Kirchner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5888-8610)
- Victoria Sepcic
- Annie Locas
- Adrienne Kong
- Asma Madad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6669-8454)
- Erin Kafka
- Alexandra Palacios (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9905-840X)
- Kenneth Nieves
- Robert Alan Hatch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8176-0831)
- Alan Lackey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0283-7440)
- Kyle Shannon
- Laura Gieraltowski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0575-4579)
- David T. Ingram
- Michael Needham
- Laurel S. Burall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8117-6264)
- Austin Markell
- Temesgen Jemaneh
- Lauren E. Edwards (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7411-9659)
- Timothy Jackson
- Kelvin Chau
- Ashley Kearney
- Grace Pederson
- Sinisa Urban
- Victoria Wagoner
- Natalie Cataldo
Institutions
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CA)
- United States Food and Drug Administration (US)
- California Department of Public Health (US)
- New Jersey Department of Health (US)
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas (US)
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (US)
- Public Health Agency of Canada (CA)
- Maryland Department of Health (US)
- Baltimore City Health Department (US)
- The Centers (US)
- Southern Nevada Health District (US)
- Scomm (United States) (US)
- Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (US)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KE)
- Office of International Affairs (US)
- Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Food Protection
- Published
- 2024-11-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100413
- Citations
- 11
- Primary Topic
- Listeria monocytogenes in Food Safety
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.25
Funders
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration