§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (l)what assessment he has made of trends in the number of human cases of salmonella typhimurium (DT) 104; and if he will make a statement; [21106]
813W(2) how many cases of salmonellosis have been recorded in humans in each of the last five years; how many and what percentage were recorded as the salmonella typhimurium (DT) 104 strain; and if he will make a statement. [21105]
§ Mr. HoramThe information requested is given in the table:
Year Total salmonellas S. typhimurium DT 104 S. typhimuriumDT 104 as a percentage of total salmonellas 1992 31,355 789 3 1993 30,650 1,509 5 1994 30,411 2,848 9 1995 29,717 3,698 12 19961 30,272 4,006 13 Note:
1 Provisional figures.
Source:
Public Health Laboratory Service.
The Government's independent advisory committee on the microbiological safety of food's working group on microbial antibiotic resistance in relation to food safety, which was set up last year and the epidemiology of foodborne infections group, which is chaired by the Department of Health, are giving careful consideration to this organism. Copies of the terms of reference to these groups have been placed in the Library. In addition the Department of Health is funding a study into "factors affecting the survival and heat resistance of Salmonella typhimurium DT104".