Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Infantis (antigenic formula 6,7,14:r:1,5) is a serovar of the O:7 (C1) serogroup. S. Infantis is commonly found in chickens and  broiler flocks. In addition, outbreaks caused by S. Infantis have been associated with pet food and treats. In European countries, a multidrug-resistant (MDR) strain of S. Infantis was disseminated; this strain emerged from broilers in Hungary (Hungarian clone of S. Infantis). Resistant pattern of this Hungarian clone included resistance to: nalidixic acid, streptomycin, sulphonamide, and tetracycline. In Italy, an MDR strain of S. Infantis that showed resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulphonamide, tetracycline, kanamycin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole emerged in 2005-06.

Animal reservoir: The main animal reservoirs of serovar Infantis are poultry and swine. In Europe, layer and broiler farms are the major sources of S. Infantis.

Geographical distribution: S. Infantis is widely distributed and a common serovar in a number of countries. In the U.S. and Europe, it ranks among the top ten serovars. S. Infantis has been reported in North America (U.S. and Canada), South America (Argentina, Brazil), Oceania (Australia and New Zealand), Europe (The Netherlands, Finland, Hungary, and Russia), and Asia (Japan).

Outbreaks: Outbreaks linked to poultry and pet food have been reported in the U.S. and Canada.

Year

Location

Associated source

Number of cases

2019US-multistateRaw chicken129
2017US-multistatePapaya4*

2013

US-multistate

Live poultry

125

2012

US-multistate

Dry dog food

49

2012

US-multistate

Live poultry

195

1999

Canada

Pig ear dog treats

35

*This outbreak included multiple serovars

Border Rejections and Recalls:

Year
Exporting Country (if applicable)
Country Issuing Recall/Rejection
Food
2019PolandLithuaniaChicken Wings

Relevant links and references:

  1. http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/dog-food-05-12/
  2. http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/live-poultry-04-13/index.html
  3. http://lohmann-information.com/content/l_i_45_artikel15.pdf
  4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22564450
  5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21821397
  6. http://analytics.foodtrack.net/cgi-bin/read?rid=MjAxOTAyMjExMzQ0Rk9PRFRSQ0tCVUxMRVRTXzAyMjExOUw0MjY=&style=html&source=email