The British national Salmonella outbreak which has struck down nearly 250 people across the country could be traced back to a single source of eggs. Three people who contracted Salmonella at Birmingham hospital have died.

Public Health England (PHE) is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis PT14b in England that is possibly linked to outbreaks in France and Austria. Numbers of cases increased in June and July and this increase has been characterised by a series of local/regional outbreaks, primarily linked to restaurants and take aways serving Chinese food or similar cuisine. Since 1 June, localised outbreaks have occurred in Hampshire, London and Cheshire/Merseyside in addition to a largely hospital based outbreak in Birmingham. Over 200 people have been affected to date. All isolates are closely related irrespective of geographical location in England. All isolates examined so far are fully sensitive to antimicrobials. S. Enteritidis PT14b has been isolated from food and environmental samples taken in Birmingham, Hampshire and Cheshire and Merseyside. Same or similar strains are under investigation in France and Austria. French authorities are investigating six outbreaks of S. Enteritidis affecting 49 people to date. Isolates from cases and food samples largely conform to the outbreak strain. The outbreak under investigation in Austria conforms to the outbreak strain. The current assessment suggests that a common source is responsible for these outbreaks.