Rapid detection of the source of a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak in Switzerland through routine interviewing of patients and whole-genome sequencing.

Aims Of The Study: Listeriosis is a notifiable disease in Switzerland. In summer 2022, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health noticed an increase in reports of listeriosis cases, indicating a possible ongoing outbreak. Here we present the approaches applied for rapidly confirming the outbreak, detecting the underlying source of infection and the measures put in place to eliminate it and contain the outbreak.

A combined cross-sectional analysis and case-control study evaluating tick-borne encephalitis vaccination coverage, disease and vaccine effectiveness in children and adolescents, Switzerland, 2005 to 2022.

BackgroundTick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a severe, vaccine-preventable viral infection of the central nervous system. Symptoms are generally milder in children and adolescents than in adults, though severe disease does occur. A better understanding of the disease burden and duration of vaccine-mediated protection is important for vaccination recommendations.

Tularemia on the rise in Switzerland? A one health approach is needed!

In the last 10 years, an increase in tularemia cases has been observed in both humans and animals in Switzerland. In these, infection with Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of the zoonotic disease tularemia, can occur through arthropod vectors or contact to infected animals or exposure to contaminated environmental sources. Currently, we are only able to postulate potential aetiologies: (i) behavioral changes of humans with more exposure to endemic habitats of infected arthropod vectors; (ii) an increased rate of tularemia infected ticks; (iii) increasing number and geographical regions of tick biotopes; (iv) increasing and/or more diverse reservoir populations; (v) increasing presence of bacteria in the environment; (vi) raised awareness and increased testing among physicians; (vii) improved laboratory techniques including molecular testing.

Tuberculosis incidence in foreign-born people residing in European countries in 2020.

BackgroundEuropean-specific policies for tuberculosis (TB) elimination require identification of key populations that benefit from TB screening.AimWe aimed to identify groups of foreign-born individuals residing in European countries that benefit most from targeted TB prevention screening.MethodsThe Tuberculosis Network European Trials group collected, by cross-sectional survey, numbers of foreign-born TB patients residing in European Union (EU) countries, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020 from the 10 highest ranked countries of origin in terms of TB cases in each country of residence.

Phylogeography of subspecies and epidemiology of tularemia in Switzerland.

Tularemia, an endemic disease that mainly affects wild animals and humans, is caused by subsp. () in Switzerland. The Swiss population consist of multiple different subclades which are distributed throughout the country.