Salmonella Infantis

Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Infantis (antigenic formula 6,7,14:r:1,5) is a serovar of the O:7 (C₁) serogroup. S. Infantis is commonly found in chickens and broiler flocks. In addition, outbreaks caused by S. Infantis have been associated with pet food and treats. In European countries, a multidrug-resistant (MDR) strain of S. Infantis was disseminated; this strain emerged from broilers in Hungary (Hungarian clone of S. Infantis). Resistant pattern of this Hungarian clone included resistance to: nalidixic acid, streptomycin, sulphonamide, and tetracycline. In Italy, an MDR strain of S. Infantis that showed resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulphonamide, tetracycline, kanamycin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole emerged in 2005-06.

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

Animal reservoir: The main animal reservoirs of serovar Infantis are poultry and swine. In Europe, layer and broiler farms are the major sources of S. Infantis. It has also been found in dogs.

Geographical distribution: S. Infantis is widely distributed and a common serovar in a number of countries. In the U.S. and Europe, it ranks among the top ten serovars. S. Infantis has been reported in North America (U.S. and Canada), South America (Argentina, Brazil), Oceania (Australia and New Zealand), Europe (The Netherlands, Finland, Hungary, and Russia), and Asia (Japan).

Outbreaks: Outbreaks linked to poultry and pet food have been reported in the U.S. and Canada.

Year	Location	Associated source	Number of cases
2024	US-multistate	Backyard poultry	409^a
2019	US-multistate	Raw chicken	129
2017	US-multistate	Papaya	4*
2013	US-multistate	Live poultry	125
2012	US-multistate	Dry dog food	49
2012	US-multistate	Live poultry	195
1999	Canada	Pig ear dog treats	35

*This outbreak included multiple serovars

^a Multiple serovars, including Salmonella Altona, Cerro, Enteritidis, Indiana, Infantis, Johannesburg, Mbandaka, and Typhimurium, were linked to this outbreak. The case number represents the total number of cases associated with the outbreak and does not specifically indicate the number of people infected by Salmonella Infantis.

Border rejections: Multiple border rejections linked to serovar Infantis have been reported. Majority of them are associated with poultry. Here are some examples.

Year	Exporting country	Importing country	Associated source	Product category
2024	Poland	Italy	Frozen chicken meat¹	Poultry meat and poultry meat products
2023	Poland	Germany	Dog chews	Pet food
2020	Brazil	Germany	Black pepper²	Herbs and spices
2020	Russia	Finland	Maize	Feed materials

¹ Salmonella Enteritidis and Infantis were both found.

² Salmonella Infantis and Panama were both found.

Recalls: Multiple recalls linked to serovar Infantis have been reported. Majority of them are associated with poultry. Here are some examples.

Year	Location	Recalled food	Type

2023	Czech Republic	Chicken breast from Ukraine	Poultry meat and poultry meat products
2021	US: WA	Uncured antipasto products	Meat and meat products (other than poultry)
2021	Norway	Frozen fish (Gourami) from Vietnam	Fish and fish products

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Salmonella Infantis