Journal of Food Protection (Jan 2025)
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
- Margaret Kirchner,
- Alexandra Palacios,
- Natalie Cataldo,
- Kate L. Allen,
- Allison Wellman,
- Asma Madad,
- Temesgen Jemaneh,
- Timothy Jackson,
- David T. Ingram,
- Victoria Wagoner,
- Robert Hatch,
- Joseph Baugher,
- Laurel Burall,
- Kenneth Nieves,
- Mabel Low,
- Grace Pederson,
- Lauren DiPrete,
- Victoria Sepcic,
- Deepam Thomas,
- Kristen Lozinak,
- Sinisa Urban,
- Kyle Shannon,
- Erin Kafka,
- Ainsley Lackey,
- Lauren Edwards,
- Hilary E. Rosen,
- Christian Bond,
- Michael Needham,
- Annie Locas,
- Austin Markell,
- Kelvin Chau,
- Adrienne Kong,
- Meghan Hamel,
- Ashley Kearney,
- Monique Salter,
- Laura Gieraltowski,
- Michael C. Bazaco,
- Stelios Viazis,
- Amanda Conrad
Affiliations
- Margaret Kirchner
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA; Corresponding authors.
- Alexandra Palacios
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; Corresponding authors.
- Natalie Cataldo
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Kate L. Allen
- Office of Regulatory Affairs, Salem, OR, USA
- Allison Wellman
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Asma Madad
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Temesgen Jemaneh
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Timothy Jackson
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- David T. Ingram
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Victoria Wagoner
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Robert Hatch
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Joseph Baugher
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Laurel Burall
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Kenneth Nieves
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Mabel Low
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Grace Pederson
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Lauren DiPrete
- Southern Nevada Health District, Las Vegas, NV, USA
- Victoria Sepcic
- Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Las Vegas, NV, USA
- Deepam Thomas
- New Jersey Department of Health, Trenton, NJ, USA
- Kristen Lozinak
- Maryland Department of Health Laboratories Administration, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Sinisa Urban
- Maryland Department of Health Laboratories Administration, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Kyle Shannon
- Maryland Department of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Erin Kafka
- Maryland Department of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Ainsley Lackey
- Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Raytown, MO, USA
- Lauren Edwards
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Lansing, MI, USA
- Hilary E. Rosen
- California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA
- Christian Bond
- California Department of Public Health, Sacramento, CA, USA
- Michael Needham
- California Department of Public Health, Sacramento, CA, USA
- Annie Locas
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Austin Markell
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Kelvin Chau
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Adrienne Kong
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Meghan Hamel
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Ashley Kearney
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Monique Salter
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Laura Gieraltowski
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Michael C. Bazaco
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Stelios Viazis
- Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA
- Amanda Conrad
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 88,
no. 1
p. 100413
Abstract
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.
