The European Union One Health 2018 Zoonoses Report

This report of the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control presents the results of zoonoses monitoring activities carried out in 2018 in 36 European countries (28 Member States (MS) and 8 non‐MS). The first and second most commonly reported zoonoses in humans were campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis, respectively. The European Union (EU) trend for confirmed human cases of these two diseases was stable during 2014–2018. The proportion of human salmonellosis cases due to Salmonella Enteritidis was at the same level in 2018 as in 2017. Of the 27 reporting MS, 16 met all Salmonella reduction targets for poultry, whereas 11 MS failed meeting at least one. The EU flock prevalence of target Salmonella serovars in breeding hens, laying hens, broilers and fattening turkeys decreased during recent years but stalled in breeding turkeys. Salmonella results from Competent Authorities for pig carcasses and for poultry tested through National Control Programmes were more frequently positive compared with food business operators. Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections in humans were the third most commonly reported zoonosis in the EU and increased from 2014 to 2018. Yersiniosis was the fourth most frequently reported zoonosis in humans in 2018 with a stable trend in 2014–2018. The number of reported confirmed listeriosis cases further increased in 2018, despite Listeria rarely exceeding the EU food safety limit tested in ready‐to‐eat food. In total, 5,146 food‐ and waterborne outbreaks were reported. Salmonella was the most commonly detected agent with S. Enteritidis causing one in five outbreaks. Salmonella in eggs and egg products was the highest risk agent/food pair. A large increase of human West Nile virus infections was reported in 2018. The report further updates on bovine tuberculosis, Brucella, Trichinella, Echinococcus, Toxoplasma, rabies, Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) and tularaemia.