Gastrointestinal infections and outbreaks in England: 2024 to 2026
Updated 25 June 2026
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2026
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The quarterly trends of laboratory reports for Campylobacter species (spp.) and non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars for the period Q1 2024 to Q1 2026 are shown in Table 1, these data include infections acquired overseas. Table 2 presents outbreaks reported to national surveillance in 2025 caused by the bacterial gastrointestinal infections (GI) Campylobacter spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella serovars and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and protozoal Cryptosporidium spp.
The data is accurate as of 15 May 2026 and was extracted from live surveillance systems. The data is reported as provisional and may be subject to change due to late notifications and de-duplication; therefore previously published totals may differ slightly.
Key points
The total number of Campylobacter spp. laboratory reports in 2025 was comparable to the number in 2024, at 69,479 and 70,377 respectively (down 1.3%) (Table 1). Comparison of the number of Campylobacter spp. laboratory reports in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024 and Q1 2025 indicated a rise in the number of reports of 23.4%, from 12,985 to 16,028 reports respectively. Subsequently, in Q1 2026 there has been a decrease in the number of laboratory reports compared to Q1 in 2025, down 6.3% to 15,012.
Similarly, the total number of confirmed non-typhoidal Salmonella serovar laboratory reports were comparable in 2024 and 2025, with 10,379 and 10,388 reports respectively (Table 1). The number of confirmed non-typhoidal Salmonella serovar laboratory reports in Q1 2024 slightly increased from 1,541 to 1,588 reports in Q1 2025 (a rise of 3.0%), then there has been a large increase of 27.2%, to 2,020 in Q1 2026.
In 2025, there were 7 Campylobacter outbreaks reported to UKHSA, 3 unspeciated and 4 caused by C. jejuni (Table 2). In 2025, the total number of people affected was 30 with 20 laboratory confirmed cases which is less than in 2024, however the proportion of laboratory confirmed cases was notably higher in 2025. The source of the outbreak was only known for 3 of the Campylobacter outbreaks reported in 2025, they were associated with the consumption of chicken and lamb liver which are known to be high risk foods for Campylobacter infection. This finding is consistent with the outbreak data from 2024.
There were 29 outbreaks of Cryptosporidium reported to national surveillance in 2025 (2 C. hominis, 18 C. parvum and 9 unspeciated), comprising 194 known cases of which 178 were laboratory confirmed and at least 7 were hospitalised, there were no reported deaths (Table 2). The number of outbreaks reported in 2025 was comparable to 2024, but fewer cases were reported in 2025.
As in previous years, the majority of reported Cryptosporidium outbreaks were associated with farm settings (n=18; 62.1%), with 15 C. parvum and 3 unspeciated outbreaks reported. Seven outbreaks were reported in nursery and education settings (24.1%), of which 1 was C. hominis, 2 were C. parvum and 4 were where the species were not reported. Three outbreaks were associated with swimming pools (10.3%; 1 C. parvum and 2 unspeciated).
There were 4 Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks (comprising 2 or more linked cases) of listeriosis investigated in England in 2025 (Table 2), 2 of which also included cases in Wales. The total number of laboratory confirmed cases was 33, which includes case numbers for outbreaks that span more than one year. Investigations identified the source of all 4 outbreaks and included smoked fish and prepacked sandwiches - both considered to be high-risk foods for listeriosis in vulnerable groups.
Thirteen outbreaks of Salmonella were reported to national surveillance in 2025, comprising 269 cases of which 258 cases were laboratory confirmed. These outbreaks were associated with the consumption of multiple different food vehicles including shelled eggs, dairy, poultry and raw onions.
In England, there were 2 national STEC outbreaks in 2025 comprised of 16 cases, all laboratory confirmed. Both outbreaks were caused by STEC non-O157 serotypes, and investigations did not identify the food source of the outbreaks.
Table 1. Campylobacter species (spp.) and non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars quarterly confirmed laboratory reports (all specimen types) in England by laboratory report date, Q1 2024 to Q1 2026 (provisional data)
| Pathogen | Q1 2024 | Q2 2024 | Q3 2024 | Q4 2024 | Total 2024 | Q1 2025 | Q2 2025 | Q3 2025 | Q4 2025 | Total 2025 | Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campylobacter spp. | 12,985 | 19,370 | 20,717 | 17,305 | 70,377 | 16,028 | 18,905 | 19,096 | 15,450 | 69,479 | 15,012 |
| Salmonella spp. | 1,541 | 2,386 | 3,744 | 2,708 | 10,379 | 1,588 | 2,347 | 3,794 | 2,659 | 10,388 | 2,020 |
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Table 2. Outbreaks reported in England in 2025 [note 1]
| Agent | Total affected | Laboratory confirmed | Hospital admissions [Note 2] | Deaths [Note 2] | Setting | Food description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campylobacter spp. | 5 | 2 | 2 | Unknown | Pub | Lamb liver |
| Campylobacter spp. | 4 | 2 | 0 | Unknown | Restaurant | Chicken |
| C. jejuni | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Self-catered event | Unknown |
| C. jejuni | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | Hospital | Unknown |
| C. jejuni | 4 | 4 | 1 | Unknown | Other | Unknown |
| Campylobacter spp. | 6 | 1 | Unknown | Unknown | Care home | Unknown |
| C. jejuni | 3 | 3 | Unknown | Unknown | National | Chicken |
| Cryptosporidium spp. | 2 | 2 | Unknown | Unknown | School | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 2 | 2 | Unknown | Unknown | Farm vending machine | Pasteurised milk |
| C. parvum | 24 | 19 | Unknown | Unknown | Open farm | Not applicable |
| Cryptosporidium spp. | 2 | 2 | Unknown | Unknown | Nursery | Not applicable |
| Cryptosporidium spp. | 4 | 4 | Unknown | Unknown | Open farm | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 3 | 3 | Unknown | Unknown | University veterinary school | Not applicable |
| Cryptosporidium spp. | 6 | 6 | Unknown | Unknown | Open farm | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 22 | 22 | Unknown | Unknown | Open farm – lamb contact event | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 6 | 6 | Unknown | Unknown | Working farm - lamb contact event | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 8 | 8 | Unknown | Unknown | Farm shop - lamb contact event | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 18 | 16 | Unknown | Unknown | Heritage site - lamb contact event | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 3 | 3 | Unknown | Unknown | Working farm/farm shop - lamb contact event | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 11 | 11 | 3 | Unknown | Working farm/plant nursery and tearoom – lamb contact event | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 4 | 4 | 4 | Unknown | Working farm with restricted public visitors | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 13 | 10 | Unknown | Unknown | Open farm - lamb contact event | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 5 | 5 | Unknown | Unknown | Open farm - lamb contact event | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 5 | 5 | Unknown | Unknown | Working farm - lamb contact event | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 2 | 2 | Unknown | Unknown | Open farm | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 5 | 5 | Unknown | Unknown | Swimming pool | Not applicable |
| Cryptosporidium spp. | 3 | 2 | Unknown | Unknown | Nursery | Not applicable |
| C. hominis [Note 3] | 9 | 8 | Unknown | Unknown | Nursery | Not applicable |
| C. hominis [Note 3] | 14 | 12 | Unknown | Unknown | Community cases – unknown exposure | Not applicable |
| Cryptosporidium spp. | 4 | 2 | Unknown | Unknown | Swimming pool - holiday park | Not applicable |
| Cryptosporidium spp. | 5 | 5 | Unknown | Unknown | Swimming pool - holiday park | Not applicable |
| Cryptosporidium spp. | 3 | 3 | Unknown | Unknown | Nursery | Not applicable |
| Cryptosporidium spp. | 4 | 4 | Unknown | Unknown | Agricultural college | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 2 | 2 | Unknown | Unknown | Nursery | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 3 | 3 | Unknown | Unknown | Commercial farm | Not applicable |
| C. parvum | 2 | 2 | Unknown | Unknown | School | Not applicable |
| L. monocytogenes [Note 4] | 21 | 21 | 20 | 2 | Smokehouse - supplying UK retailers | Smoked fish |
| L. monocytogenes [Note 4] | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | Multiple UK hospitals | Chocolate and vanilla mousse; strawberry and vanilla mousse |
| L. monocytogenes | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Ready meal supplier | Ready meals |
| L. monocytogenes [Note 4] | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | Unknown | Prepacked cooked chicken and prepacked sandwiches |
| S. Enteritidis | 122 | 122 | 12 | 0 | National | Imported eggs |
| S. Typhimurium | 31 | 31 | 7 | 0 | National | Not identified |
| S. Enteritidis | 25 | 25 | 0 | 0 | Small retailer | Shelled eggs and imported poultry |
| S. Saintpaul | 23 | 23 | 2 | 0 | National | Watermelon |
| S. Typhimurium | 18 | 16 | 3 | 0 | Restaurant | Dairy ice cream |
| S. Typhimurium | 17 | 17 | 5 | 0 | National | Not identified |
| S. Newport | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Takeaway restaurant | Raw onions |
| S. Enteritidis | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Restaurant | Not identified |
| S. Montevideo | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | Nursery | Not identified |
| Salmonella spp. | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Prison | Not identified |
| S. Typhimurium | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Restaurant | Poultry |
| S. Coeln | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Restaurant | Poultry |
| S. Kentucky | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Hospital | Not identified |
| STEC O145 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Not applicable | Vehicle not identified - associated in previous outbreaks with Apollo leaf lettuce |
| STEC O26 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | Not applicable | Vehicle not identified |
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STEC = Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli.
Note 1: Number of cases affected and number laboratory confirmed are for cases resident in England, with the exception of the Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks which include Wales cases. For outbreaks that spanned more than one year, only the number of cases reported in 2025 is included in the table, with the exception of L. monocytogenes for which all cases linked to an outbreak are included.
Note 2: Clinical outcome is not known for all cases and the data reported represents cases who were admitted to hospital or deaths reported to national surveillance.
Note 3: Nursery and community case outbreaks are linked but without strong epidemiological links.
Note 4: At least one case admitted to hospital prior to symptom onset for listeriosis and therefore not counted as a hospital admission for this outbreak.
Data sources
Data for this report was extracted on 15 May 2026 from the UKHSA live laboratory reporting databases and therefore the totals are subject to change: the Second Generation Surveillance System (SGSS) for the Campylobacter spp. and non-typhoidal Salmonella serovar data; the Gastrointestinal Infections, Food Safety and One Health (GIFSOH) Division’s Electronic Foodborne and non-foodborne Outbreak Surveillance System (eFOSS) for the outbreak data.
Data caveats
As data was extracted from SGSS, a live laboratory reporting system, the data is subject to change and historical totals may differ slightly.
Data cleaning
Regional classification in this report was based on ONS regional boundaries using patient residence postcode where available. Where patient residence or GP postcodes were not available, the referring laboratory postcode was used as a proxy. Previous reports used Nomenclature of Territorial Units for country and regional boundaries; therefore historical totals in previous publications may differ slightly. Updated regional totals were calculated for 2024 and 2025 for accurate comparison with 2026 data. These changes were made to ensure the same regional assignment methodology is used across all Campylobacter and non-typhoidal Salmonella surveillance outputs.