Multi-country outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes sequence type 8 infections linked to consumption of salmon products

A multi-country outbreak of 12 listeriosis cases caused by Listeria monocytogenes sequence type (ST) 8 has been identified through whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis in three EU/EEA countries: Denmark (6 cases), Germany (5) and France (1). Four of these cases have died due to or with the disease. It is likely that the extent of this outbreak has been underestimated since the outbreak was identified through sequencing and only a subset of the EU/EEA countries routinely use this advanced technique to characterise L . monocytogenes isolates. The first case was sampled in October 2015 in Denmark and the most recent case was reported in May 2018 in Germany.