They eat a tortilla in a bar: twenty-two people were poisoned, it was contaminated with salmonella

La “tortilla de patatas” consommée dans un bar de Barcelone serait à l’origine d’une contamination (photo d’illustration). blackieshoot – UNSPLASH

At least twenty-two people have suffered food poisoning after eating an omelette contaminated with salmonella in a bar in Barcelona, ​​Spain, on Saturday July 20, 2024. Four had to be hospitalized, including a 15-year-old minor.

They had gone to taste a “tortilla de patatas” in Spain, in a bar in Barcelona, ​​Raval district, on Saturday July 20, 2024, reports El Periodico, spotted by L’Indépendant.

The meal did not go down well: at least twenty-two people were reportedly poisoned after eating the omelette. The bar owner informed the Barcelona Public Health Agency of the possibility of a salmonellosis outbreak on July 23, 2024, according to sources from the agency, who confirmed this information at El Periodico.

Four people hospitalized

Of the twenty-two people affected, four had to be hospitalized, including a 15-year-old Argentinian minor who was traveling with his parents.

The Barcelona Public Health Agency managing the outbreak is investigating. The bar remained open. Samples were taken and will be analyzed in the ASPB laboratory, details El Periodico.

The same day the outbreak was reported, the agency's Food Control and Intervention Service informed the establishment not to use the eggs and to change brands.

What is salmonellosis ?

Salmonellosis is an intestinal infection caused by the salmonella bacteria that usually causes gastroenteritis. The incubation period is generally 1 to 2 days and depends on the dose of bacteria ingested, the health of the host and the characteristics of the strain of Salmonella. Fever, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain are the main symptoms of the infection, explains the Pasteur Institute.

Without treatment, these symptoms disappear after 3 to 5 days on average. Antibiotic therapy may be prescribed for the elderly, infants or immunocompromised people in whom the infection can be more severe or even fatal.