Multi-country Salmonella Strathcona Outbreak linked to Tomatoes

Italy

####Update October 23rd, 2025:
A prolonged multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Strathcona ST2559 continues to affect the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA). Between 2023 and September 30, 2025, a total of 437 confirmed cases have been recorded across 17 countries, representing 205 new infections since the previous assessment in November 2024.

Reported cases include:
- Austria (76)
- Croatia (3)
- Czechia (11)
- Denmark (12)
- Estonia (2)
- Finland (5)
- France (43)
- Germany (113)
- Ireland (6)
- Italy (123)
- Luxembourg (5)
- The Netherlands (5)
- Norway (4)
- Slovakia (6)
- Slovenia (10)
- Spain (3)
- Sweden (10).

Recent investigations confirm that small tomatoes from Sicily, Italy, continue to be the likely source of infection. The same conclusion was reached in prior outbreaks in Austria (2023) and Italy (2024), as well as a 2011 outbreak in Denmark linked to the same tomato source.

The Italian food safety authority has since intensified environmental and product testing. Salmonella Strathcona was detected in irrigation water samples from a tomato producer in Sicily, confirming environmental contamination as a contributing factor. Authorities also noted gaps in local inspections and irrigation management that may have facilitated the persistence of contamination.

The outbreak shows recurring seasonal patterns and ongoing transmission, suggesting persistent sources in the production environment. The ECDC and EFSA recommend enhanced environmental monitoring and control measures during tomato cultivation, particularly involving water sources, to prevent further contamination.

Source: www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/prolonged-multi-country-outbreak-salmonella-strathcona-st2559-linked-consumption


Update September 9th, 2025:
An additional 50 cases have been reported in the multi-country Salmonella Strathcona outbreak linked to tomatoes, bringing the total to more than 300 illnesses since January 2023.

As of September 2025:
- 289 confirmed cases have been recorded across 16 European countries.
- United Kingdom: 29 cases.
- United States: 8 cases.
- Canada: 5 cases (all linked to travel in Europe).
- The most affected countries are Italy (78 cases), Germany (68), Austria (59), and France (24).
- Nine European countries have reported 29 new cases between January and August 2025, with Italy recording the highest number (11).

Authorities continue to identify Sicilian cherry tomatoes (ciliegino and datterino varieties) as the likely source. Italy has implemented a nationwide sampling and testing plan, but the ECDC and EFSA warn that this is an ongoing, seasonal outbreak, recurring mainly between June and October.

Officials note that the recurrence of cases without travel history suggests ongoing transmission and distribution of contaminated produce beyond Italy. The source of contamination has not yet been pinpointed, and further environmental investigations are underway.

Source: www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/Communicable%20disease%20threats%20report%2C%2030%20August-5%20September%202025%2C%20week%2036_0.pdf


November 13th, 2024:
A prolonged multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Strathcona ST2559, linked to the consumption of tomatoes, is ongoing in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) and the United Kingdom. From January 2023 to November 2024, 232 confirmed cases have been identified across 16 EU/EEA countries and the UK: Austria (33), Croatia (3), Czechia (10), Denmark (9), Estonia (1), Germany (62), Finland (3), France (23), Ireland (1), Italy (67), Luxembourg (2), the Netherlands (2), Norway (3), Slovakia (5), Slovenia (2) and Sweden (6). Twenty-nine cases were also identified in the UK.

Tomatoes have been identified as the vehicle of infection in several national epidemiological investigations undertaken in response to this outbreak. Whole genome sequencing cluster analyses suggest that the outbreak strain from multiple affected countries has a recent common origin.

The problem was discovered through epidemiological, microbiological, and traceability investigations in the 2023 Austrian outbreak and the 2024 Italian outbreak. These investigations confirmed that small tomatoes from the Sicily region of Italy were the vehicle of infection in these two outbreaks. The same conclusion was confirmed for a historical S. Strathcona ST2559 outbreak in Denmark in 2011. Further investigations are ongoing to verify whether small tomatoes from Sicily are the vehicle of infection in all EU countries that have reported or continue to report cases in this multi-country outbreak.



Source: www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-11/9107.pdf