18.12.2015

This report of the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control presents the results of the zoonoses monitoring activities carried out in 2014 in 32 European countries (28 Member States (MS) and four non-MS). Campylobacteriosis was the most commonly reported zoonosis with an increase in confirmed human cases in the European Union (EU) since 2008.
In 2014, Campylobacter continued to be the most commonly reported gastrointestinal bacterial pathogen in humans in the European Union (EU) and has been so since 2005. The number of reported confirmed cases of human campylobacteriosis was 236,851 with an EU notification rate of 71.0 per 100,000 population, a 9.6% increase compared with the rate in 2013.
Broiler meat is considered to be the most important single source of human campylobacteriosis. 
In 2014, a total of 88,715 confirmed salmonellosis cases were reported by 28 EU MS, resulting in an EU notification rate of 23.4 cases per 100,000 population. This represented a 15.3% increase in the EU notification rate compared with 2013. There was a statistically significant decreasing trend of salmonellosis in the 7-year period of 2008-2014. The two most commonly reported Salmonella serovars in 2014 were S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium, representing 44.4% and 17.4%, respectively, of all reported serovars in confirmed human cases. The proportion of S. Enteritidis increased compared with 2013. This increase was mainly attributed to increase in cases in one MS. Cases of S. Infantis, the fourth most common serovar, returned to the level of 2012 after the increase in 2013.  Most food-borne outbreaks were caused by viruses, followed by Salmonella, bacterial toxins and Campylobacter and with unknown causative agent in 29.1% of all outbreaks. Important food vehicles in strong-evidence food-borne outbreaks were ‘eggs and egg products’, followed by ‘mixed food’ and ‘crustaceans, shellfish, molluscs and products thereof’.