Salmonella Hvittingfoss

Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Hvittingfoss (antigenic formula 16:b:e,n,x) is a serovar of the O:16 (I) serogroup. Found in wild and domesticated reptiles and amphibians, and in food-producing mammals, this is a rare serovar, though it has been linked to human foodborne outbreaks. Infection with serovar Hvittingfoss can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness, and other related conditions. The first-ever reported case of acute gastroenteritis caused by serovar Hvittingfoss in India was described in a case report.

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

Genetic characteristics: Serovar Hvittingfoss has been found to be polyphyletic with four lineages identified and one stand-alone singleton that does not cluster with any other Salmonella Hvittingfoss isolates. ST446 was identified as the primary lineage among documented Hvittingfoss isolates in China. ST446 was also the outbreak strain linked to consumption of sprouted seeds in Norway. Fang et al. revealed the concurrent emergence of an outbreak-associated Hvittingfoss clone in regions of England. In Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) from Roebuck Bay in Northwestern Australia, all Hvittingfoss isolates collected were found to carry the aminoglycoside resistance gene aac(6’)-Iaa, a gene conserved across all Salmonella serovars but typically not expressed.

Animal reservoir: Serovar Hvittingfoss has been mainly recovered from amphibians (both those raised as pets and for food items) and reptiles.

Geographical distribution: Serovar Hvittingfoss has been reported worldwide such in Australia, Europe and the US.

Human outbreaks: 

¹ Multiple serovars were involved in this prolonged outbreak. Here, the case number is only associated with infection by the serovar Hvittingfoss. 

² Travel-associated

Border rejections:

Recalls:

1 This recall was related to the prolonged cross-border multi-serovar Salmonella outbreak linked to consumption of sprouted seed described above.

² The Northern Territory based company “Red Dirt” issued a trade level recall. This recall was caused by the outbreak described above. 

Relevant links:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3833829/
2. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0087933
3. https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(22)00071-8/fulltext
4. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1547190/full
5. https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/aem.01312-20
6. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11675239/
7. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/zph.12286
8. https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(22)00071-8/fulltext
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32737126/#:~:text=IMPORTANCESalmonella%20is%20a%20zoonotic%20pathogen,shorebirds;%20wildlife;%20zoonotic%20potential.
10. https://marlerclark.com/news_events/illinois-subway-salmonella-hvittingfoss-outbreak
11. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/434036
12. https://www.food-safety.com/articles/10195-salmonella-outbreak-linked-to-sprouts-sickened-509-people-over-two-years-in-ten-european-countries
13. https://www.wslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/News/2016/Avoid-recalled-rockmelon-after-Salmonella-outbreak--NSW-Health