Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Agona (antigenic formula 1,4,[5],12:f,g,s:[1,2]) is a serovar of the O:4 (B) serogroup. S. Agona is among the 15th most common serovars in the U.S., and the 4th most common in clinical non-humans. This serovar was first isolated from cattle in Ghana in 1952, since then numerous outbreaks in the U.S. and Europe have occurred. Multi Locus Sequence Typing has identified four Sequence Types, indicating that this serovar is monomorphic. Genome sequencing of 72 strains from multiple countries and sources was recently conducted by Zhou et al., 2013.
Animal reservoir: different animal species, including turkey, swine and cattle.
Geographical distribution: serovar Agona is among the most common serovars in the North and South America, Europe, and Asia (in China is among the 10th most common).
Outbreaks: Outbreaks linked to Salmonella Agona have been associated with different foods, including cereal, meat and fruits.
Year |
Location |
Associated source |
Number of cases |
2011 |
US-multistate |
Imported Papayas |
106 |
2008 |
US-multistate |
Rice & Wheat Puff Cereal |
28 |
2008 |
Europe (6 countries) |
Meat, cocked sandwich |
148 |
2008 |
Europe |
Meat |
119 |
2004 |
France |
Infant formula |
141 |
2002 |
Germany |
Tea, aniseed herbal |
42 |
1998 |
US-multistate |
Toasted Oats Cereal |
209 |
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