Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Berta (antigenic formula 1,9,12:[f],g,[t]:–) is a serovar of the group O:9 (D1) serogroup. This serovar is considered rare and is scarcely associated with human cases. It typically causes gastrointestinal food poisoning; however, serious infections such as myocarditis and meningitis due to this organism have been reported as well. The symptoms of splenic abscesses are usually non-specific and include fever, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.

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

Genetic characteristics: Serovar Berta has been found to be monophyletic. Olsen et al. concluded that strains of serovar Berta collected over a period of 6 years from a well documented natural outbreak in Denmark exhibited moderate to low virulence, with log VC10 values ranging from 3.0 to 4.4 after intraperitoneal challenge in mice. Additionally, following an oral challenge, the maximum CFU in the internal organs of day-old chicks varied between 2 and 4 log10 units.

Animal reservoir: Serovar Berta was found in cattle, chickens, turkeys, wild boars, dogs, horses, and deer, albeit at a very low frequency.

Geographical distribution: Serovar Berta has only been described in the UK, Denmark, the US and Canada.

Human outbreaks: 

Year

Location

Associated source

Number of cases

2023US: WAUnknown source6
2002US: WACantaloupe, grapes, or watermelon29
1994CanadaSoft cheese product82

Border rejections: There have been no recent border rejections linked to this serovar.

Recalls: There have been no recent recalls linked to this serovar.

Relevant links:

  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26730299/
  2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25263727/
  3. https://casereports.bmj.com/content/13/4/e235318.long
  4. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1547190/full
  5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2271432/
  6. https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.13174
  7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1572428/
  8. https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/disease-illness/foodborne-illness-outbreaks/2023-july-10-unknown-source#:~:text=Since%20April%2014%2C%202023%2C%20six,stool%2C%20fever%2C%20and%20chills.
  9. https://outbreakdatabase.com/outbreaks/2002-outbreak-of-salmonella-berta-linked-to-fruit-washington
  10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9528815/



  • No labels