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Created by
Brad Yang, last updated on Apr 14, 2025
2 minute read
Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Litchfield (antigenic formula 6,8:l,v:1,2) is a serovar of the O:8 (C2-C3) serogroup. An outbreak linked to poultry (no further details were included in the paper, so this is not described in the human outbreaks section below), caused by serovar Litchfield, showed the highest proportion of positive isolates in urine samples (17%, or 3 out of 18 cases). Serovar Litchfield has also been reported to cause an outbreak in a herd of cattle with sparrows considered as the most likely vehicle of infection.
NCBI PD link for serovar Litchfield: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pathogens/isolates/#(taxgroup_name:%22Salmonella%20enterica%22)%20AND%20computed_types:(%22serotype=Litchfield%22)
Genetic characteristics: Medalla et al. reported that Litchfield (2.9%) has the second highest proportion of isolates resistant to ciprofloxacin in their study.
Animal reservoir: Poultry and turtles may be potential hosts.
Geographical distribution: Based on the metadata from NCBI PD, serovar Litchfield has been reported worldwide but mainly in US.
Human outbreaks:
| Year | Location | Associated Source | Number of Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | US: multistate | Raw salmon | 39 |
| 2019 | Canada | Italian Style mild, dry, cured sausage | 13 |
| 2009 | Australia | Barramundi fillets (suspected) | 76 |
| 2009 | Spain | Pet turtles1 | 6 |
| 2008 | Canada & US: multistate | Cantaloupe | At least 50 |
| 2006-2007 | Australia | Papaya | 26 |
| NA | Australia | Cucumbers (suspected) | 4 |
| NA | Australia | Waterborne (suspected)2 | NA |
1 Both Salmonella Paratyphi B and Litchfield were involved. The case number does not reflect the number of infections linked to Salmonella Litchfield only.
2 OzFoodNet Outbreak Register. Unpublished data.
Border rejections: There have been no recent border rejections linked to this serovar.
Recalls:
| Year | Location | Recalled food | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | US: multistate | Raw salmon1 | Fish and fish products |
| 2019 | Canada | Italian Style mild, dry, cured sausage2 | Meat and meat products (other than poultry) |
1 Mariscos Bahia, Inc., based in Pico Rivera, CA, has voluntarily issued a recall. The affected products consist of fresh, raw salmon, as well as all other fresh fish processed in the same facility, including fresh, raw halibut, Chilean seabass, tuna, and swordfish.
2 Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a recall for Filicetti brand Italian Style mild, dry, cured sausage.
Relevant links:
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10793259/
- https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.5555/20013036586
- https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/fpd.2012.1336
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336241077_Onsite_investigation_at_a_mail-order_hatchery_following_a_multistate_Salmonella_illness_outbreak_linked_to_live_poultry-United_States_2018
- https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/yoken/72/1/72_JJID.2018.140/_article
- https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-seafood-october-2022
- https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/public-health-notices/2019/outbreak-salmonella-sausages.html
- https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-cdi3402g.htm
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22795887/
- https://about-salmonella.com/salmonella_outbreaks/cantaloupe-salmonella-litchfield-outbreak
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19517740/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20080603015502/http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-pubs-cdi-2003-cdi2704-htm-cdi2704k.htm