Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Cerro (antigenic formula 6,14,18:z4,z23:1,5) is a serovar of the O:18 (K) serogroup. This serovar emerged in cattle in the United States. According to the CDC report of 2011, this serovar ranked third among clinical-nonhuman sources. Hardly reported in human salmonellosis cases, but highly reported among dairy cattle; S. Cerro appears to be adapted to cattle. Subtyping by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) had identified a single predominant PFGE type on dairy farms in New York and Pennsylvania. Genomic characteristics associated with the adaptation of S. Cerro to cattle are currently under study at the Cornell Food Safety Laboratory and Dr. Cummings' lab at Texas A&M University.
Animal reservoir: Salmonella Cerro has as reservoir dairy cattle. Some endemic regions include New York and Pennsylvania.
Geographical distribution: S. Cerro has been reported mainly in the U.S. (from bovine samples). In addition, in southern Italy, this serovar was described as endemic in the year 2000.
Outbreaks: Multiple outbreaks of human salmonellosis due to serovar Cerro have been reported. Below are a few examples.
Year | Location | Associated source | Number of cases |
1985 | US: New Mexico | Beef jerky | 29 |
2012 | US: Arkansas | Eggs, chicken salad, person-to-person | 6a |
2024 | US: Multi-state | Backyard poultry | 409b |
a The total case count was n=597, and a total of 60 and 106 Salmonella isolates were cultured from 56 (Prison A) and 99 patients (Prison B), respectively. Salmonella Cerro was isolated from 6 patients that were co-infected with other serovars, and 8 isolates were obtained from the egg samples.
b Multiple serovars, including Salmonella Altona, Cerro, Enteritidis, Indiana, Infantis, Johannesburg, Mbandaka, and Typhimurium, were linked to this outbreak. The case number represents the total number of cases associated with the outbreak and does not specifically indicate the number of people infected by Salmonella Cerro.
Border rejections:
Year | Exporting country | Importing country | Associated source | Product category |
| 2021 | Ethiopia | Germany | Organic sesame seeds | Nuts, nut products and seeds |
| 2020 | Brazil | Germany | Black pepper1 | Herbs and spices |
| 2020 | Brazil | Germany | Black pepper2 | Herbs and spices |
1 Salmonella Abaetetuba and Salmonella Cerro were both found.
2 Salmonella Oranienburg and Salmonella Cerro were both found.
Recalls:
| Year | Location | Recalled food | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | US: multistate | Pig ear pet treats1 | Pet food |
| 1985 | US: New Mexico | Carne Seca2 | Dried food |
1 Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:-, Cerro, Derby, Infantis, London, Newport, and Rissen were found.
2 This recall was caused by an outbreak involving 29 cases.
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