Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Saintpaul (antigenic formula 1,4,[5],12:e,h:1,2) is a serovar of the O:4 (B) serogroup. Serovar Saintpaul is a common Salmonella serovar with global distribution. Recently, S. Saintpaul has been increasingly reported from several countries and studies have shown that turkeys and ground turkey are important sources of this serovar. In several countries, S. Saintpaul had caused large outbreaks associated with produce. A clonal line with a multidrug resistant phenotype was found to be predominant in turkeys and human feces in Germany. This strain showed resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, aminoglycosides, nalidixic acid, and sulfamethoxazole, along with intermediate resistance to ciprofloxacin and third-generation cephalosporins.
Animal reservoir: S. Saintpaul is found in turkeys and swine.
Geographical distribution: This serovar is widely distributed. In the U.S. it ranks among the top 15 serovars causing human salmonellosis. In Oceania, this serovar is the fourth most common serovar in humans. In addition, S. Saintpaul is commonly reported in Europe and outbreaks have been linked to internationally imported food (e.g., from Mexico).
Outbreaks: Several outbreaks have been linked to S. Saintpaul; many of these outbreaks have caused disease in a very large number of patients. Sources of these outbreaks include different produce and water.
Year |
Location |
Associated source |
Number of cases |
2013 |
US-multistate |
Imported cucumber |
84 |
2009 |
US-multistate |
Raw alfalfa sprouts |
235 |
2008 |
US-multistate & Canada |
Raw produce (jalapeño and serrano peppers from Mexico) |
1442 |
2005 |
Australia |
Tap water |
26 |
2006 |
Australia |
Cantaloupe |
115 |
1999 |
Australia |
Drinking water |
28 |
1993 |
Germany |
Paprika & paprika-powdered potato chips |
1000 |
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