<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:black;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-ZA" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> outbreak in South Africa<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Most of you may already be aware of this outbreak in South Africa.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Globally, it is the largest ever report of a Listeria outbreak.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">See link to a recent ProMed report: <span style="color:#7030A0">http://www.promedmail.org/direct.php?id=20180218.5635764</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are performing whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on all the isolates. The outbreak strain has a MLST subtype number 6 (ST6). WGS data analysis has shown that all ST6 isolates are very closely related and only differ by a very few SNPs.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The source of the outbreak has been identified to a processing plant (Enterprise) that makes processed ready to eat meats like polony and viennas. This product is very likely exported to many African countries, so please be aware of this,
and be on the lookout for human cases <i>of Listeria monocytogenes</i>. Should you identify any cases/isolates, please keep me informed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">See link to a recent media report: <span style="color:#7030A0">
https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/listeriosis-outbreak-what-you-need-to-know-20180305</span>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Regards,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anthony<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">Dr. Anthony Smith</span></u></b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">Senior Medical Scientist<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">Centre for Enteric Diseases (Bacteriology Division)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">National Institute for Communicable Diseases<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">South Africa<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">E-mail:
<a href="mailto:anthonys@nicd.ac.za"><span style="color:black">anthonys@nicd.ac.za</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">Tel: +27-11-5550348 | Cell: +27-83-4612145<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">Website:
<a href="http://www.nicd.ac.za/"><span style="color:blue">www.nicd.ac.za</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA"><img border="0" width="233" height="155" id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:image001.png@01D3B463.7D6F3B40" alt="Description: Description: cid:image005.png@01CDEFF3.8ECCCBD0"></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA"><img border="0" width="263" height="91" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D3B463.7D6F3B40" alt="Description: cid:image002.jpg@01CDEFDD.B127F850"></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#00B050;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#00B050;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA"> Practice Number: 5200296</span><span style="color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
The views expressed in this email are, unless otherwise stated, those of the author and not those of the National Health Laboratory Service or its management. The information in this e-mail is confidential and is intended solely for the addressee.
Access to this e-mail by anyone else is unauthorized. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted in reliance on this, is prohibited and may be unlawful.
Whilst all reasonable steps are taken to ensure the accuracy and integrity of information and data transmitted electronically and to preserve the confidentiality thereof, no liability or responsibility whatsoever is accepted if information or data is, for whatever reason, corrupted or does not reach its intended destination.</body>
</html>