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Created by
Juliana Raymonde Najjar, last updated by Brad Yang on Apr 29, 2025
2 minute read
Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Muenster (antigenic formula 3,{10}{15}{15,34}:e,h:1,5) is a serovar of the O:3,10 (E1) serogroup. The serovars previously known as Newhaw and Arkansas are now classified as variants of serovar Muenster. Newhaw is designated as Muenster var. 15+ (converted by phage ε15), while Arkansas is Muenster var. 15+,34+ (converted by phages ε15 and ε34). These variants occupy the same serological position as group O:4 (B) strains, which express factor 1 upon conversion but had not been assigned new names. According to the 1996 USDA prevalence study, serovar Muenster ranked as the seventh most frequent serotype, representing 4.7% of all Salmonella spp. isolates in US dairy operations.
NCBI PD link for serovar Muenster: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pathogens/isolates/#(taxgroup_name:%22Salmonella%20enterica%22)%20AND%20computed_types:(%22serotype=Muenster%22)
Genetic characteristics:
Animal reservoir: Dairy cattle is the reservoir for serovar Muenster. This serovar was also isolated from other animals such as pet bearded dragons, and birds (Tympanuchus cupido, Antigone canadensis).
Geographical distribution: According to the metadata from NCBI PD, serovar Muenster has been reported globally but primarily in US. Among a total of 2,659 serovar Muenster isolates available in NCBI PD (accessed 04/29/2025), there were 2,040 isolates collected in US.
Human outbreaks:
| Year | Location | Associated source | Number of cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | US: multistate | Pet bearded dragons | 18 |
| 2008 | France | Goat's cheese | 25 |
| 2016 | US: multistate | Live poultry | 25 |
| 1980 | Saudi Arabia | Roast beef | 12 |
Border rejections:
Year | Exporting country | Importing country | Associated source | Product category |
| 2024 | Nigeria | Italy | Sesame seeds | Nuts, nut products and seeds |
| 2020 | Brazil | Germany | Black pepper | Herbs and spices |
| 2020 | Poland | Bulgaria | Frozen chicken leg quarters1 | Poultry meat and poultry meat products |
1 Salmonella Infantis and Muenster were found.
Recalls:
Year | Location | Associated source | Type |
| 2024 | Germany, Ireland | Tahini from Lebanon | Nuts, nut products and seeds |
Relevant links:
- https://www.pasteur.fr/sites/default/files/veng_0.pdf
- https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/dairy96_is_ecoli_salm.pdf
- https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/salmonella/muenster-10-20/index.html
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26722284_Outbreak_of_Salmonella_Enterica_serotype_Muenster_infections_associated_with_goat's_cheese_France_March_2008
- https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/salmonella/live-poultry-05-16/index.html
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362028X23011390/pdf?md5=582b240cc5805df00a53b1edbd704a5d&pid=1-s2.0-S0362028X23011390-main.pdf
- https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/695422
- https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/433763
- https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/420010
- https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/710185