Background information: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Umbilo (antigenic formula 28:z10:e,n,x) is a serovar of the O:28 (M) serogroup. Serovar Umbilo is typically rare, with the ECDC recording 20 to 32 cases annually in the European Union/European Economic Area (including the United Kingdom until 2019) over the past decade (2014−2023). Public Health England found this serovar in curry leaves. In 2001, serovar Umbilo was found in organic rocket salad and pre-packaged ready-to-eat salads from an Italian producer in the UK, though it was not associated with any human infections.
NCBI PD link for serovar Umbilo: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pathogens/isolates/#(taxgroup_name:%22Salmonella%20enterica%22)%20AND%20computed_types:(%22serotype=Umbilo%22)
Genetic characteristics: Through investigating the ongoing Umbilo outbreak which was described below, Rosner et al. found that clinical isolates from Denmark, Germany, and Austria were genetically similar, with a maximum pairwise distance of 4 allelic difference (AD) and a maximum distance of 2 AD from the reference sequence. Umbilo isolates that had a difference of more than 5 AD from the reference strain of the outbreak were not associated with the outbreak.
Animal reservoir: Serovar Umbilo was found in sheep, field lizards, and badgers.
Geographical distribution: Serovar Umbilo has been reported in Turkey, the US, South Africa, Kenya and Europe such as Denmark, Austria, Croatia, and Germany.
Human outbreaks:
| Year | Location | Associated source | Number of cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Europe: multi-country | Rocket salad (also known as arugula or rucola) from Italy | 1581 |
1158 cases of serovar Umbilo have been reported across 3 EU/EEA countries. The cases were distributed as follows: Germany (117), Denmark (22), and Austria (19). Through EpiPulse, six other European countries each reported between one and 20 cases of serovar Umbilo.
Border rejections:
Year | Exporting country | Importing country | Associated source | Product category |
| Italy | Germany | Organic leaf spinach | Fruits and vegetables |
Recalls: There have been no recent recalls linked to this serovar.
Relevant links: