Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Strathcona (antigenic formula 6,7:l,z13 ,z28:1,7) is a serovar of the O:7 (C1) serogroup. Other than being derived from animal samples described below, serovar Strathcona was also isolated from sludge, river water, bivalve mussels, and composite food (spelt with tomatoes and pesto).

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

Genetic characteristics: According to the EU One Health Zoonoses Report, in 2019, out of 22 Strathcona isolates, only one exhibited high-level resistance to ciprofloxacin, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≥ 4 mg/L. Strathcona sequence type (ST) 2559 has been linked to a prolonged multi-country outbreak associated with the consumption of tomatoes in the European Union, European Economic Area, and the UK. 

Animal reservoir: Serovar Strathcona has been found in wild boar, cattle, dogs, and laying hens

Geographical distribution: Serovar Strathcona has been reported in European countries, such as Denmark, Germany, the UK, and Italy, as well as in the US.

Outbreaks: 

Year

Location

Associated source

Number of cases

2023-2024

Europe: multi-country & UK

Tomatoes

2321

2011

Europe: multi-country

Datterino tomatoes

712

1 A total of 232 confirmed cases of serovar Strathcona ST2559 have been reported across 16 European countries. The cases were distributed as follows: Austria (33), Croatia (3), Czechia (10), Denmark (9), Estonia (1), Germany (62), Finland (3), France (23), Ireland (1), Italy (67), Luxembourg (2), the Netherlands (2), Norway (3), Slovakia (5), Slovenia (2), and Sweden (6). Additionally, 29 cases were reported in the United Kingdom.

2 Denmark reported 43 cases, while an additional 28 cases were documented across Germany, Italy, Austria, and Belgium.

Border rejections: There have been no border rejections linked to this serovar.

Recalls: There have been no recalls linked to this serovar.

Relevant links and references:

  1. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/?s=Strathcona
  2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26846608/#:~:text=The%20results%20of%20the%20investigation,2%C2%B76%2D302).
  3. https://atlas.ecdc.europa.eu/public/index.aspx?Dataset=27&HealthTopic=46&Indicator=891382&GeoResolution=2&TimeResolution=Year&StartTime=2006&EndTime=2022&CurrentTime=2022&Distribution=891719&DistributionRepresentation=B&TimeSeries=region&TimeSeriesRepresentation=T
  4. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/joint-ecdc-efsa-rapid-outbreak-assessment-prolonged-multi-country-outbreak
  5. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/salmonella-strathcona-ST2559-tomatoes-rapid-outbreak-assessment-november-2024.pdf
  6. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/ECDC-EFSA-joint-FWD-AMR.pdf
  7. https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/sp.efsa.2024.EN-9107?mi=3e59oqw&af=R&SeriesKey=23978325&content=articlesChapters&sortBy=Earliest&target=default