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Danish MRSA pork found in Sweden

A random sampling of Danish pork sold in Stockholm supermarkets found the resistant MRSA bacteria in one in every five packages.

Published: 14 November 2014 09:04 CET

Danish MRSA pork found in Sweden

One in every five packs of Danish pork sold in both Denmark and Sweden has been found to contain MRSA Photo: Kristoffer Juel Poulsen/Scanpix

The massive increase in the prevalence of MRSA in Denmark is also affecting Swedish consumers. A study carried out by Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter in tandem with Sweden’s National Veterinary Institute (Statens veterinärmedicinska) found that four of 20 packages of Danish pork bought throughout the Stockholm area contained the resistant MRSA bacteria.

A random sampling of German pork found the presence of MRSA in just one of 20 packages.

Read more on The Local Sweden

A similar test in Denmark found the same prevalence of the bacteria. The Technical University of Denmark analysed 100 packages of Danish-produced pork and found the MRSA 398 bacteria in 21 of them. That represented a steep increase from just five years ago when a similar analysis found the presence of MRSA in just five percent of Danish pork products.

Pigs do not become ill from MRSA and the bacteria is not particularly dangerous for people who are healthy. But for people who are already feeling weak or poorly, exposure to the bacteria can lead to blood poisoning and in the worst cases death.

See also: Every fifth pack of pork carries MRSA

Two leading experts concluded in August that up to 12,000 people are currently infected with MRSA 398 in Denmark, a variant that can be transmitted from livestock to humans.

With the Swedish findings, officials there are concerned.

"It's unlikely that you would become infected through meat but it is unpleasant to know that there are resistant bacteria in the food that you buy," Olov Aspevall, chief physician of the Swedish Public Health Agency (Folkhälsomyndigheten) told Dagens Nyheter.

See also: Ministry's MRSA reaction to be investigated

Last year Sweden imported 142,000 tonnes of pig products, with three quarters of that amount coming from Denmark and Germany.

The prevalence of MRSA among Danish pigs has already led Norway’s largest retailer to consider a stop of all imports of Danish pork.

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Two dead and 186 confirmed cases: What you need to know about the listeria outbreak sweeping across Spain

Photo: alexraths/Depositphotos

Spain’s health ministry has issued an international alert over what is being called the biggest ever listeriosis outbreak to hit Spain.

Who has been affected?

The number of people confirmed to have been infected has reached 186 with dozens having been hospitalized, including 31 pregnant women.

But more than 500 other cases are suspected of being linked to the outbreak, confirmed the Ministry of health in a statement.

A 90-year-old woman became the first fatality linked to the outbreak, after she passed away in Seville's Virgen del Rocio hospital on Tuesday and on Friday a 72-year-old man, who was in palliative care suffering from pancreatic cancer, died after contracting listeriosis.

Among those who have fallen ill are at least 23 pregnant women, at least two of whom suffered miscarriages suspected to have been caused by the infection, said the Junta de Andalusia, one losing a baby in the 18th week of gestation, and another in her third trimester.

Ten members of the same family were being treated after they all shared a meal of contaminated meat during the fiesta on August 15th. Among them are a pregnant woman and two young girls.

What is listeria?

The listeria monocytogenes under the microscope.

Listeria is a commonly found bacteria and most people who consume foods that contain it do not become ill.

But for elderly people, pregnant women or those with serious conditions like diabetes or cancer, it poses a serious threat.

Listeriosis begins with flu-like symptoms including chills, fever and muscle aches. It can take up to six weeks after consuming contaminated foods for symptoms to occur.

The infection is caused by the bacteria listeria monocytogenes, which can grow in foods, especially soft cheese, unpasteurised milk, and smoked fish, which is why pregnant women are advised to avoid these. It can also grow on other food products, including salads, and can continue to replicate even when food is refrigerated at cold temperatures.

A recent report revealed that an average of 70 people die from Listeriosis each year in Spain.

Where has it been detected?

Most confirmed cases – 161 so far – have been recorded in the southern region of Andalusia, where the packaged pork plant linked to the outbreak is situated.

But there have been other cases confirmed in Extremadura, Castile-Leon, Madrid, Aragon and as far away as Asturias and Catalonia.

Authorities have expressed concern over possible infection among tourists who may not suffer symptoms until they return home.

As well as issuing a national alert over the outbreak, Spain’s health ministry said it had issued alerts to EU authorities and the World Health Organization.

What's the source?

The regional government of Andalusia warned last Thursday that meatloaf or pre-cooked meat, known as carne mechada was to blame. The source has been traced to contaminated meat sold under the commercial name “la Mecha” made by Seville-based company Magrudis.

The entire batch of that particular product has been recalled from shops, the health ministry said, but consumer watchdog Facua warned that smaller stores may not have heeded the recall or that contaminated products could already have been bought and are in households awaiting consumption.

On Wednesday, health authorities widened the recall to all the products manufactured in the Magrudis factory since May 1st and have closed the plant entirely.

“Obviously there was a failure to follow the established procedures,” acting health minister Maria Luisa Carcedo told reporters. “Now we need to carry out the inspections and investigations to figure out exactly where this failure took place.”

Further products were added to the list of possible contaminated meat, all from the Magrudis factory, that ceased manufactoring on August 15th when the outbreak came to light.

These include packets from the Magrudis brand labelled; Crema de carne mechada, Manteca colorá, Pringá estilo casero, Zurrapa de hígado, Zurrapa lomo blanca and Zurrapa lomo roja.

Controversy

Questions are being asked as to why it took so long to raise the alarm over the outbreak and for the contaminated meat to be recalled.

Regional health authorities in Andalucia admit that it was first detected on August 5th but wasn’t until August 15th that a health alert was issued.

Rubén Sánchez, head of Facua, has called for the immediate dismissal of Jesús Aguirre, Andalusia’s regional health minister, for his “disastrous mismanagement” of the outbreak.

READ MORE: What is it that makes living in Spain so healthy?

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