Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Rubislaw (antigenic formula 11:r:e,n,x) is a serovar of the O:11 (F) serogroup. Serovar Rubislaw was first described in 1934 from a case report of human infection. This serovar has been frequently isolated from farm and natural environmental reservoirs, including water. S. Rubislaw has also been isolated from several types of fresh produce, including papaya, as well as spices such as ground black pepper.

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

Genetic characteristics: Serovar Rubislaw has been found to be polyphyletic with two lineages identified. Serovar Rubislaw is typically not associated with multidrug-resistant (MDR) clinical infections in humans. However, in a survey of equine clinical isolates submitted to veterinary hospital in the Southern U.S., 4 out of 12 S. Rubislaw isolates examined in the study showed phenotypic resistance to several antibiotics routinely surveilled by the U.S. National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS), including ampicillin, cetiofur, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, sulfisoxazole, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

Animal reservoir: S. Rubislaw has been isolated from various non-clinical non-human zoonotic reservoirs including reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Several human clinical infections of S. Rubislaw have been associated with contact with reptiles, including a human infection of S. Rubislaw in the U.S. that was linked to contact with iguanas.

Geographical distribution: Serovar Rubislaw is widely distributed and has been found worldwide. 

Outbreaks: There have been no reported outbreaks linked to S. Rubislaw.

Border Rejections: Numerous border rejections associated with black pepper exported from Brazil were issued by Germany during 2020-2021. Some examples are list below: 

YearExporting CountryImporting CountryAssociated sourceProduct category
2021BrazilGermanyBlack pepperHerbs and spices
2020BrazilGermanyBlack pepperHerbs and spices

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

Relevant Links: 

  1. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022172400027698
  2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-023-03121-3
  3. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0128937
  4. https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.000895
  5. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2010.tb03743.x
  6. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1547190/full
  7. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0164402
  8. https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.12018
  9. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/482948
  10. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/426452
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