Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gaminara (antigenic formula 16:d:1,7) is a serovar of the O:16 (I) serogroup. This serovar was commonly isolated from unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juices.

Animal reservoir: Salmonella Gaminara was found in chicken and bearded dragons.

Geographical distribution: Serovar Gaminara has been found in Africa, Singapore, and the U.S.

Human outbreaks: Outbreaks have been associated with S. Gaminara. 

YearLocationAssociated sourceNumber of cases
1995US: FLUnpasteurized orange juice621
2017US: Multi-stateMaradol papayas2202

1: Salmonella Hartford was also associated with the outbreak. 

2: A total of 220 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Thompson (144), Salmonella Kiambu (54), Salmonella Agona (12), Salmonella Gaminara (7), or Salmonella Senftenberg (3) were reported from 23 states. 

Border rejections: Multiple border rejections associated with serovar Gaminara have been reported and they are all linked to black pepper from Brazil. Here are some examples.

Year

Exporting country

Importing country

Associated source

Product category

2021BrazilGermanyBlack pepper1Herbs and spices
2021BrazilGermanyBlack pepper2Herbs and spices
2021BrazilGermanyBlack pepper3Herbs and spices

1 Salmonella Gaminara, Matadi and Poona were found. 

2 Salmonella Gaminara, Saintpaul, and Javiana were found.

3 Salmonella Gaminara, Minnesota, and Newport were found.

Recalls:

YearLocationRecalled foodType
2020USFlax seed produces1Nuts, nut products and seeds

1 FDA found Salmonella Gaminara, Kentucky, and Oranienburg serovars in product samples. Salud Natural Entrepreneur, Inc issued the recall. 

Relevant links and references:

  1. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/469498
  2. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/466524
  3. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/464612
  4. https://listserv.state.nv.us/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind2001&L=FOODSAFEPARTNER&D=0&H=A&P=937
  5. https://journals.lww.com/infectdis/fulltext/2007/09000/salmonella_gaminara_osteomyelitis_and_septic.13.aspx
  6. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/kiambu-07-17/index.html
  7. https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/cornwell_claudia_m_200112_ms.pdf
  8. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.31.22270114v2.full
  9. https://www.reliasmedia.com/articles/39857-more-bad-news-even-orange-juice-is-a-risk-for-i-salmonellosis-i
  10. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/265456/PMC2537894.pdf?sequence=1
  11. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363935706_Salmonella_spp_in_Chicken_Prevalence_Antimicrobial_Resistance_and_Detection_Methods