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Scientific Interpretive Summary
A Systematic Review of the Aetiology of Salmonellosis in New Zealand
NZFSA’s comprehensive Salmonella risk management strategy aims to deliver the organisational goal of achieving a 30% reduction in the reported annual incidence of foodborne salmonellosis after five years. The strategy focuses on non-typhoidal Salmonella.
To inform the first phase of implementation of the Strategy, the NZFSA Science Group commissioned a systematic review of the available evidence around the aetiology of human (non-typhoidal) salmonellosis in the New Zealand setting. In particular it was to examine the proportional role of foodborne transmission and identify the most relevant food vehicles.
The report evaluates national case-control studies, notification data, outbreak surveillance data and published data, and relevant environmental laboratory and risk analysis studies. It gives an overall scientific opinion by considering this evidence along with other non-human and international evidence. Various data gaps are identified that could be addressed to refine the knowledge base on salmonellosis aetiology and attribution.
The overall assessment of aetiology in the New Zealand domestic setting concludes that contaminated food is ‘very likely’ to be ‘the majority cause’ i.e. >50% of cases The role of food vehicles is summarised as:
Food vehicle |
Overall assessment |
Poultry |
“Very likely” (>90% probability) to be at least a moderate cause (i.e. between 10-30% or higher of all cases) |
Pig meat |
“Likely” (>66% probability) to be at least a moderate cause (i.e. between 10-30% or higher of all cases). (But one sophisticated analysis puts this as the major cause at 60%, credible interval of 47-74%). |
Meat in general (ex-poultry, ex-fish) |
“Likely” (>66% probability) to be at least a moderate cause (i.e. between 10-30% or higher of all cases). |
Beef |
As above |
Eggs |
“Likely” to be a “minor cause” (i.e. <10% of foodborne cases) |
Sheep meat |
As above |
Dairy products |
As above |
Fresh produce |
As above |
Updated 13 November 2009
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