Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype Havana (antigenic formula: 1,13,23:f,g,[s]:-) is a serovar of the O:13 (G) serogroup. Serovar Havana was first identified in 1937 after being isolated from spinal fluid during a meningitis outbreak at a hospital in Havana, Cuba, which led to the deaths of 21 newborns.

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

Genetic characteristics: Serovar Havana has been found to be polyphyletic with seven lineages identified. The strain (Havana ST1524) exhibited high virulence in the Galleria mellonella larvae infection model. Additionally, this strain was identified as carrying the mcr-9.1 gene, which, when cloned, confers a significant 16-fold increase in colistin resistance. The outbreak strains originating in pediatric wards of two hospitals in Shiraz, Iran demonstrated high resistance to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, gentamicin, ampicillin, kanamycin, and cephalothin except trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Among them, only 14 (32%) were susceptible to cephalothin, and 6 (14%) to gentamicin, with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 1.6 µg/mL and >3.1 µg/mL, respectively.

Animal reservoir: Chicken might be a potential reservoir of serovar Havana. It has also been found in sea lions, cattle, horses, and swine.

Geographical distribution: Serovar Havana has been reported worldwide but mainly in Europe and the US.

Human outbreaks: There are multiple human outbreaks associated with serovar Havana. Here are some examples: 

YearLocationAssociated sourceNumber of cases
2019CanadaTahini and halva from Syria2
2018AustraliaAlfalfa sprouts31
1998US: CA & AZAlfalfa sprouts18
1987US: GAChicken73

Border rejections: Multiple border rejections linked to serovar Havana have been reported. Here are some examples:

Year

Exporting country

Importing country

Associated source

Product category

2021ItalySwitzerlandSoybean meal1Feed materials
2021GermanyAustriaLinseed meal extracted with soapstockFeed materials
2020PolandCzech RepublicChilled chicken legsPoultry meat and poultry meat products

1 Heat treatment was further implemented. 

Recalls: Multiple recalls linked to serovar Havana have been reported. Here are some examples:

YearLocationRecalled foodType
2025NorwayAlfalfa seeds from ItalyNuts, nut products and seeds
2024GermanyHelva with pistachios from TürkiyeNuts, nut products and seeds
2023ItalyFarina di pesce from EstoniaFeed materials
2021USHummusPrepared dishes and snacks

Relevant links:

  1. https://academic.oup.com/jid/article-abstract/68/2/125/899111
  2. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1547190/full
  3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0882401024007216
  4. https://academic.oup.com/tropej/article-abstract/28/1/14/1661403?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false
  5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26449943/#:~:text=Isolation%20and%20serotyping%20of%20Salmonella,and%20thereby%20prevent%20human%20infections.
  6. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/10/u-s-and-canada-part-of-salmonella-outbreak-linked-to-tahini-and-halva/
  7. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2019/11/first-australian-salmonella-havana-outbreak-traced-to-alfalfa-sprouts/
  8. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1308574/
  9. https://outbreakdatabase.com/outbreaks/georgia-chicken-1987
  10. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/485130
  11. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/465026
  12. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/433870
  13. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/750386
  14. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/661565
  15. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/638769
  16. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/12/fda-sends-warning-to-food-firms-over-import-violations-and-salmonella-in-retail-sampling/
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