German health authorities have linked 116 Salmonella Strathcona cases in the 2025-2026 season to Italian tomatoes, the latest chapter in an outbreak pattern that has produced more than 600 confirmed infections across 17 European countries since 2011.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) counted 100 confirmed and 16 probable cases in Germany during the season. Confirmed patients fell ill between June 2025 and March 2026, with whole genome sequencing matching the outbreak strain identified in previous years.

Despite investigation findings available for several years, the same closely related isolates are surfacing again. Since June 2026, RKI has recorded 39 additional cases tied to the outbreak cluster, both in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. Patient interviews again point to stays in Italy during the exposure period and to consumption of tomatoes.

Timeline and geography of the 2025-2026 outbreak

Cases clustered primarily between August and December 2025 across 13 German federal states. The first case appeared at the end of June, and the epidemic curve showed an outbreak persisting for months, peaking in late October. Cases continued regularly through 2025, becoming sporadic only in early 2026.

For 80 of the 116 cases, authorities established the likely country of infection. Germany accounted for 48 exposures. Of the 32 cases exposed abroad, 27 traced to Italy.

The victims spanned ages from under 1 to 87, with a median of 39. Half fell between 24 and 64. Women were affected more often than men, at 66 cases versus 49. Of 91 patients with hospitalization data, 24 were hospitalized for salmonellosis and six for other reasons.

The supply chain evidence

Salmonella Strathcona isolates submitted between June 2025 and March 2026 were closely related to isolates from previous outbreaks and to a strain detected in 2025 in Austria from Italian organic cherry tomatoes. Experts said this pattern is consistent with a common source.

RKI interviewed 30 of the 116 patients by telephone. Most reported eating tomatoes during their exposure window. Of the 17 people exposed abroad, 16 had eaten tomatoes.

Five patients exposed in Germany reported buying tomatoes from the same supermarket chain. Supply chain tracing by authorities showed Italian tomatoes were on sale there during the period in question.

The traceback reached a specific origin. Italian authorities detected Salmonella Strathcona in the irrigation water of a tomato producer in Sicily. An isolate obtained in April 2025 matched the outbreak cluster. Investigators concluded that the production environment — irrigation water in particular — may have played a role in contaminating the tomatoes.

A recurring European problem

The 2025-2026 season extends a documented outbreak series spanning 2011 to 2024, during which more than 600 cases were recorded across 17 European countries. The tomato sector has previously questioned the link between the outbreaks and its product, but the convergence of genomic evidence, patient interviews, retail supply chain tracing and environmental sampling from Sicily now points to a persistent contamination pathway rather than isolated incidents.

With 39 new cases already recorded since June 2026 and the implicated producer's irrigation water identified as a likely vector, the key question for European food safety authorities is whether controls at the source will finally interrupt a transmission chain that has now recurred for well over a decade.