Large French Yersinia outbreak traced to raw milk cheese

A large epidemic of Yersinia in France caused by raw milk cheese has prompted scientists to highlight the risks associated with non -pasteurized dairy products.

In March 2024, the French surveillance of Yersiniose picked up a group of isolates from Yersinia Enterocolitica, corresponding to bioserotype 2 / o: 9.

An investigation into the epidemic identified 175 confirmed patients with sampling dates between January 27 and August 23, 2024. Case interviews and the surveys in the footsteps highlighted the cheese with mild goat milk unpasteurized from a manufacturer as a source to the pathogen. Yersinia Enterocolitica belonging to the same cluster that case isolates was isolated from 23 samples from the producer and a goat farm providing milk to dairy products.

The affected cheeses have been recalled in France. A quick alert report for food and food (Rasff) revealed that cheese has been distributed in 29 countries. An Epipulse alert, a system managed by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has identified seven other patients in Belgium, Luxembourg and Norway.

Raw milk cheese link
The notification of Yersiniosis is not compulsory in France, but isolates are regularly sent on a voluntary basis by clinical microbiology laboratories to Yersinia National Reference Laboratory for characterization.

In mid-March 2024, this laboratory informed Public Health France on a group of six isolates from Yersinia Enterocolitica. These isolates came from five patients with sampling dates between January 27 and March 2. At the end of April, because the number of new patients identified each week in the cluster had increased, an investigation into the epidemic was triggered.

According to a study of Eurosurvence review, the 175 patients were 1 and 85 and 98 women. They resided in 12 of the 13 regions of continental France, however, 73 cases lived in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, in the south-east of France. A person was hospitalized.

Four patients mentioned the consumption of a cheese with mild goat milk unpasteurized from Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, a food not included in the questionnaire. When asked, 22 mentioned having consumed the cheese.

Return to the farm
An inspection of the manufacturer in June has not revealed any hygiene or non-compliance deficiency with the regulations. Thirty-nine samples were taken from 30 cheeses, eight surface swallows and another environmental sample. Yersinia Enterocolitica Biotype 2 was found in four cheeses and an environmental sample.

The manufacturer has received eight dairy goats milk. These farms were inspected in July and the samples were taken from 30 milk filters and a pair of start -up by farm. Yersinia Enterocolitica was isolated from a pair of boots of a farm.

A reminder of all the batch of cheese with soft goat’s goat’s milk from the manufacturer occurred in July. The production of cheese resumed, after cleaning and disinfection, without using milk in the only positive firm. Sales were authorized after tests showed negative results.

The milk was pasteurized until the cleaning of the Udders of the goats before the milking was implemented, and the microbiological analyzes of the milk filters and batch of raw goat milk cheese showed no contamination by the pathogen of Yersinia Enterocolitica. The authorization to resume the distribution of raw milk and the production of raw milk cheese in the involved farm were granted at the end of August.

When he was told about the epidemic, the manufacturer included Yersinia Enterocolitica in the panel of pathogenic bacteria to test: eleven samples tested negative by the laboratory of the cheese company. The method used was the detection kit of Yersinia to the food test. The analyzes of the food security authorities used ISO 10273: 2017 and obtained several positive results.

Researchers said that an advantage of the anti-feeding detection kit is the speed of results. However, they said, the low sensitivity to the detection of Yersinia from cheese highlights the need for a reliable and rapid method to detect the pathogenic yersinia of Yersinia in the food industry.

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