News

Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) bacteria can cause potentially severe foodborne infections, mainly in young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. In a new expert appraisal, ANSES classifies the strains of the bacterium responsible for serious forms of infection and makes recommendations for improving the monitoring of contamination risks in products before they are placed on the market. In this context, the Agency is reiterating the importance of continuing to apply good hygiene measures and comply with cooking recommendations; moreover, it notes that susceptible population groups should continue to avoid eating certain foods.

Many discoveries about bacteria of the Brucella genus have been made in recent years: new species have been discovered, others that were already known have been detected in animals not known to carry these bacteria, and species such as Brucella canis are emerging in Western Europe. Could these bacteria be transmitted to humans? Which animal species are concerned? How can these bacteria be distinguished from each other? These questions were the focus of the European IDEMBRU project, coordinated by ANSES as part of the One Health EJP programme.

ANSES has developed a PCR test for the rapid and inexpensive identification of Listeria monocytogenes strains causing foodborne infections, in collaboration with food safety laboratories in several other European countries. This test has already been used in some countries to investigate the origin of human cases of listeriosis.