Foodborne Disease Trends in Lebanon: ground raw meat and cooked chicken were the leading suspects
A study conducted in Lebanon revealed that ground raw meat and cooked chicken were the leading suspects in foodborne disease cases. From 2009 to 2013, a total of 1747 cases, including four fatalities, were reported to the Ministry of Public Health. Notably, ground raw meat accounted for 25% of the reported cases, while cooked chicken comprised 11%, aligning with Lebanese dietary preferences that include raw meat consumption.
In a concurrent investigation during this period, Salmonella was identified in 290 clinical and 49 food isolates. Serotyping disclosed the presence of ten and seven serotypes in clinical and food samples, respectively. Among the findings, 51 isolates from chicken ceca and carcasses were identified as Campylobacter spp., and 59 samples were confirmed to be Listeria monocytogenes.
The prevalent serotypes identified in both clinical and food samples included Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Braenderup, Salmonella Typhi, Salmonella Paratyphi A, Salmonella Blockley, and Salmonella Newport.
The study also highlighted specific outbreaks, such as the 2011 Salmonella Typhi outbreak in Nabatiyeh linked to raw meat and the Enteritidis outbreak in Mount Lebanon in the same year linked to Arabic sweets. Additionally, the 2009 incidence of salmonellosis was associated with the consumption of undercooked chicken products in a bank cafeteria.
Concerningly, the report indicated that 48% of shawarma sandwiches in Lebanon were found to be contaminated with Salmonella paratyphi. In response to these findings, PulseNet Lebanon was established in 2011 through collaboration between the Epidemiological Surveillance Program (ESPMOH) at the Ministry of Public Health, the Faculty of Medicine at the American University of Beirut, and the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute. Supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this network utilizes pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to perform DNA fingerprinting patterns, facilitating the identification of links between human foodborne illnesses and their sources during outbreaks.