*{+}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 15{^}th^ most common serovars in humans the U.S., and the 4{^}th^ most common serovar in clinical non-human sources. This serovar was first isolated from cattle in Ghana in 1952, since then numerous [outbreaks|http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/agona-papayas/index.html] in the U.S. and [Europe|http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20950515] 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|http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.1003471]. |
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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