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 humans the U.S., and the 4th most common serovar in clinical non-human sources. 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 (MLST) has identified only four sequence types. Genome sequencing of 72 strains from multiple countries and sources was recently reported by Zhou et al., 2013.
Animal reservoir: Different animal species, including turkey, swine and cattle are reservoirs of S. Agona.
Geographical distribution: Serovar Agona is among the most common serovars in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. In China, it is among the 10th most common serovars.
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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