A multi-country foodborne outbreak in Europe finally has a confirmed source: cold-smoked trout and salmon.

The fish products, produced in Estonia, were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Eighteen people in five countries have been affected since 2014. Five of them died. The affected areas have been:

• Denmark - 9 cases
• Sweden - 4 cases
• Estonia - 2 cases
• Finland - 2 cases
• France - 1 cases

The most recent case, reported in February, occurred in Denmark.

Cold-smoked trout and salmon were identified as the outbreak source via whole-genome sequencing by the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Health officials say that the outbreak may continue because an exact point of contamination in the food processing chain has yet to be identified.

Read the official outbreak technical report. 

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