Page History

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. This serovar was first isolated from cattle in Ghana in 1952. Serovar Agona is among the 15^th 10th 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 in the U.S. and Europe have occurred. Multi Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) has identified only four sequence types. Genome sequencing of 73 strains from multiple countries and sources was recently reported by Zhou et al., 2013.  nontyphoidal Salmonella serotype isolated from human infections in China and is also among the top 20 most frequently reported Salmonella serotypes in the United States.

NCBI PD link for serovar Agona: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pathogens/isolates/#(taxgroup_name:%22Salmonella%20enterica%22)%20AND%20computed_types:(%22serotype=Agona%22)

Genetic characteristics: Whole genome sequences for 74 strains of S. Agona have been deposited at GenBank as of October, 2013. Genomic characteristics of the sequenced S. Agona include (i) a genome size ranging from 4.70 to 4.95 Mb, (ii) a mol G+C% of approx. 52, and (iii) 4,658 to 4,934 predicted genes. Comparative genomics of 73 of the sequenced strains identified three lineages of S. Agona that emerged approx. 80 years ago.  S. Agona has an accessory genome of approx. 1.3 Mb; this accessory genome includes (i) multiple prophages (P2-like, Fels-like, Lambda-like), (ii) antibiotic resistance plasmids (e.g., IncI1 plasmids), (iii) genomic islands, (iv) transposons, and (v) chromosomal integrons.

Phylogenetic and pan-genomic analyses that included one of the sequenced S. Agona strains and other Salmonella serovars concluded that S. Agona belongs to clade A, according to den Bakker et al. (2011) classification and it contains 133 gene families unique to this serovar.  

Animal reservoir: Different Multiple animal species, including turkey, swine and cattle are reservoirs of S. serovar 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 10^th most common serovarshas been reported worldwide such as the US, the UK, and China.

Human outbreaks: Outbreaks Numerous outbreaks linked to Salmonella Agona have been associated with different a variety of foods, including cereal, meat and fruits. Here we selected some as examples. 

Border Rejections: Multiple border rejections associated with serovar Agona have been reported. Here we selected two as examples.

Recalls:  Multiple recalls associated with serovar Agona have been reported. Here we selected two as examples.

¹ This recall was caused by an outbreak of Salmonella enterica serovar Agona associated with infant formula products manufactured by the Lactalis Nutrition Santé group in France.

...

Relevant links and references:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13902866/
2. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/fpd.2010.0827?casa_token=r5_H4WYgMn0AAAAA%3A5MU6aDnk2JmPoDATaXDvLO7TXqqWkEc57PaWFHA6ef0LkN2mJecTbfXy73ZKQ06d-5LnTu3a6w
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3739514/
4. https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/aem.00591-19#:~:text=Agona%20is%20ranked%20among%20the,and%20different%20animal%2Dbased%20foods.
5. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2022/12/cucumbers-linked-to-multi-country-salmonella-outbreak/
6. https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/salmonella/2011/papayas-8-29-2011.html
7. https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/salmonella/2008/rice-wheat-puff-cereal-5-13-2008.html
8. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23228196_A_multi-country_outbreak_of_Salmonella_Agona_February_-_August_2008
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17259878/
10. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3371796/
11. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00053368.htm
12. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/722223
13. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/559290
14. https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/22-december-2017-salmonella-agona-infections-france-en
15. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00053368.htm#:~:text=Malt%2DO%2DMeal%20has%20issued,Center%20for%20Infectious%20Diseases%2C%20CDC.
16. http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/agona-papayas/index.html
17. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20950515
18. http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=18956
19. http://genomea.asm.org/content/1/1/e00203-12.full
20. http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.1003471