Salmonella Minnesota

Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Minnesota (antigenic formula 21:b:e,n,x) is a serovar of the O:21 (L) serogroup. Serovar Minnesota was first isolated in 1936 in a Minnesota turkey farm (US). A strikingly high prevalence (86.6%) of serovar Minnesota was detected across multiple poultry farms in Brazil's Center-West region around 2010.

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

Genetic characteristics: Serovar Minnesota has been found to be monophyletic. Mukhtar et al. reported the draft genomes of two serovar Minnesota isolates (SA49317 and SA49319) obtained from chicken meat in Saudi Arabia belonging to ST 548 and carrying the colistin resistance gene mcr-1.1. de Melo et al. analyzed 20 serovar Minnesota isolates and revealed that all isolates exhibited varying gene frequencies, with avrA (apoptosis), sodC (oxidative stress), and invA (invasion) present in 100% (20/20) of isolates, while agfA (adhesion), lpfA (biofilm potential), and luxS (quorum sensing) were detected in 95% (19/20), 75% (15/20), and 80% (16/20), respectively; none (0/20) formed biofilms at 4°C. By including a total of 107 worldwide serovar Minnesota whole genomes, Kipper et al. identified two poultry-associated lineages in Brazil: S. Minnesota Poultry Lineages I (SM-PLI) and II (SM-PLII). Their phylodynamic analysis revealed that SM-PLI emerged around 1915, while SM-PLII arose in 1971, with the latter showing a larger number of isolates and a recent population expansion (particularly from 2009–2012). Both lineages carried plasmids (IncA/C2 and ColRNA), antimicrobial resistance genes (aph(3′)-Ia, bla_CMY-2, qnrB19, sul2, tet(A)), and a virulence cluster (including the yersiniabactin operon). Huang et al. identified the emergence of four serovar Minnesota clones, three of which were genetically mixed with global strains. They claimed that these clones displayed enhanced antimicrobial resistance and virulence, driven primarily by the acquisition of multiple plasmids—especially IncC plasmids—harboring resistance (i.e., tet(A), aadA, and sul) and virulence genes (i.e., ybt, irp, and fyu). Notably, IncC plasmids showed genomic rearrangements, resulting in diverse configurations of resistance determinants.

Animal reservoir: Chicken is the reservoir for serovar Minnesota. This serovar was also isolated from other animals such as cattle and pigs.

Geographical distribution: Serovar Minnesota has been found worldwide.

Human outbreaks: There have been no recent human outbreaks linked to serovar Minnesota.

Border rejections:

Year	Exporting country	Importing country	Associated source	Product category
2024	Brazil	Germany	Poultry meat preparation - poultry breast, halved, salted	Poultry meat and poultry meat products
2024	Brazil	Germany	Poultry meat preparation - chicken breast, salted¹	Poultry meat and poultry meat products
2021	Brazil	Germany	Black pepper²	Herbs and spices
2020	Brazil	Germany	Black pepper	Herbs and spices

¹Salmonella Newport and Minnesota were found.

² Salmonella Gaminara, Minnesota, Javiana, Saintpaul, and Rubislaw were found.

Recalls:

Year	Location	Recalled food	Type
2023	Czech Republic, Denmark	Frozen chicken breast, boneless, skinless from Brazil	Poultry meat and poultry meat products
2023	Czech Republic	Frozen chicken half breast fillets from Brazil, via Ireland	Poultry meat and poultry meat products
2023	Czech Republic	Frozen chicken half breast fillets from Brazil	Poultry meat and poultry meat products
2022	Czech Republic	Frozen chicken breast filet from Brazil via Belgium	Poultry meat and poultry meat products

Relevant links:

Page tree

Salmonella Minnesota