ECDC Reports More Than 160 New Cases in 2026 of the Prolonged Salmonella Strathcona Outbreak, Linked to Small Tomatoes from Sicily

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) included in its weekly threats report of October 9, 2026 an update on the prolonged Salmonella Strathcona ST2559 outbreak. As of October 9, ten EU and European Economic Area (EEA) countries (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden) had reported more than 160 new cases in 2026, almost all with symptom onset or sampling between July and September. About 100 more cases are awaiting sequencing. Altogether, the outbreak totals more than 800 confirmed cases between January 2023 and September 2026.

The ECDC explains that this is a recurrent, seasonal outbreak, with peaks from July to September every year. The strain has been circulating in Europe since 2011, when a first outbreak in Denmark was attributed to small elongated tomatoes brought from Sicily. Between 2023 and 2025 about 670 cases were confirmed in the EU and EEA, in addition to 73 in the United Kingdom, 10 in Canada, 24 in the United States and 2 in Serbia. Epidemiological, microbiological and traceability investigations in Austria and the 2025 assessment identified small tomatoes from Sicily as the vehicle, and in 2024 an irrigation water sample from a well of an Italian producer tested positive for the strain.

The 2026 cases maintain the pattern. Several countries report patients who lived in or had traveled to Italy before falling ill, which suggests a common exposure there, but there are also domestic cases in other countries. In Germany and Luxembourg, all the cases interviewed in 2026, eight and three respectively, had eaten cherry tomatoes, and Italy also reports tomato consumption. The ECDC clarifies that it must continue to be verified whether tomatoes are the vehicle in all countries, because other foods could be involved or become involved.

The ECDC's assessment is that the risk of new infections persists as long as the seasonal delivery of contaminated product continues and that new outbreaks are likely in coming seasons until the root cause is identified and control measures are applied. As of September 2026, the outbreak continues and the source is not yet fully controlled. The ECDC and EFSA published joint assessments in November 2024 and October 2025, and ask countries to keep uploading sequencing data because the strain shows slight genetic variations linked to an environmental component. For vegetable producers and packers, the case reinforces monitoring of irrigation water and fresh product. TAAG's Specio 2.7 kit detects Salmonella spp. and E. coli by real-time PCR with melting curve and its datasheet includes the fresh and processed fruit and vegetable industry; tomato is not listed as an individual matrix, so the association is indirect.