Salmonella Poona

Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Poona (antigenic formula 1,13,22:z:1,6) is a serovar of the O:13 (G) serogroup. This serovar has been isolated from found animal and produce sources.

Animal reservoir: Serovar Poona has been found in turtles, and has been associated with salmonellosis outbreaks in pet turtles.

Geographical distribution: Serovar Poona has been found in the United States,

Human Outbreaks: Several outbreaks have been associated with serovar Poona.

Year	Location	Associated Source	Number of Cases
2019	Europe: multi-country¹	Infant formula	32
2019	Finland	Watermelon	9
2015-2016	US-multistate	Pet turtles	70
2015-2016	US-multistate	Cucumbers from Mexico	907
2015	US-multistate	Pet turtles	25
2000-2002	US-multistate	Cantaloupe	155²

¹France, Belgium, and Luxembourg

²Three outbreaks of serovar Poona linked to cantaloupe occurred in 2000-2002. This is the total case number for all three outbreaks.

Border Rejections: Numerous border rejections linked to Salmonella Poona have been reported. A majority of these border rejections were associated with black pepper and identified multiple Salmonella serovars including serovar Poona. A few examples are listed below:

Year	Exporting country	Importing country	Associated source	Product category
2024	Greenland	Germany	Frozen prawns	Crustaceans and products thereof
2021	Brazil	Germany	Black pepper¹	Herbs and spices
2020	Brazil	Germany	Black pepper	Herbs and spices

¹Both Salmonella Poona and Morehead were identified

Recalls:

Year	Location	Recalled food	Type
2019	Europe: multi-county¹	Infant formula	Other food product
2015	US-multistate	Cucumbers	Produce

¹France and Luxembourg

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Salmonella Poona