Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Java is also known as Paratyphi B variant L(+) tartrate(+). Salmonella Paratyphi B and Java are biovars of common serotype 1,4,[5], 12:b:1,2 causing human paratyphoid fever and gastroenteritis, respectively. Different from ‘classical’ S. Paratyphi B, S. Java has an animal reservoir and leads to substantive outbreaks as a result of the contamination of food products.
Animal reservoir: In particular, Salmonella Java is commonly found in poultry, especially chickens and ducks. It can be found in snakes and fish as well.
Geographical distribution: Serovar Java has been found in Europe, the UK, Australia, and America.
Outbreaks: Outbreaks have been associated with S. Java.
| Year | Location | Associated Source | Number of Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | US: NJ | Smoked whitefish | 12 |
| 1999 | Canada | Alfalfa sprouts | 51 |
| 2003 | France | Goat’s milk cheese | 273 |
| 2007 | Multinational | Baby spinach | 354 |
| 2010 | US: OK | Not identified | 17 |
| 2015 | US: Multi-state | Nut butters | 13 |
| 2015 | US: Multi-state | Raw Tuna | 62 |
| 2017 | US: Multi-state | Ball python exposure | 5 |
Relevant links and references:
- https://about-salmonella.com/salmonella_outbreaks/salmonella-java-outbreak-oklahoma-iowa-nebraska
- https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2015/12/cdc-multistate-salmonella-outbreak-may-be-linked-to-recalled-nut-butters/
- https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2015/07/frozen-raw-tuna-likely-source-of-60-salmonella-infections-in-11-states/#.Vl-QE2QrJFY
- https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6719a7.htm
- https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.58.1.114
- https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/esw.12.51.03332-en
- https://www.foodsafetynews.com/files/2016/02/Sprout-associated-outbreaks-2-24-16-1.pdf
- https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/paratyphi-b-12-15/index.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3294332/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7258445/