July 3, 2006

Study finds 3 in 10 German farms have Salmonella

Salmonella is present in 30 percent of Germany's large-scale egg-production farms, a study found on Thursday (Jun 28).

This compares with infection rates of just one percent in Scandinavian nations.

Even though the bacteria can be killed by cooking, some strains can cause life-threatening gastro-intestinal illness in children and old people.

The project involved a 25-nation pilot study by the Federal German Institute for Risk Analysis in Berlin.

Even though the rate in Germany is considered high by European standards, the rate of infection in some eastern European nations was 65 percent or higher.

Final figures are expected to be released in autumn.