Salmonella Muenchen

Background: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Muenchen (antigenic formula 6,8:d:1,2) is a serovar of the O:8 (C₂-C₃) serogroup.

In the U.S., Salmonella Muenchen is a common serovar that is reported among the top ten serovars isolated from humans. Strains of S. Muenchen with multidrug resistant phenotypes have been reported; one of these reports described an strain of S. Muenchen resistant to up to 12 antibiotics (i.e., ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, kanamycin, gentamicin, cephalothin, and ceftriaxone). S. Muenchen was identified in rural areas of South Georgia in watersheds and wild animals; importantly, same PFGE patterns were idientified in human salmonellosis cases.

S. Muenchen have been reported among the most common serovars in multiple locations; including the U.S., Australia, and Europe. In addition, microbiological identifications of S. Muenchen have benn reported in some countries in Africa (South Africa and Ethiopia), Asia (Singapore and Malaysia), and South America (Brazil). This serovar was identified in rural areas of Georgia, US.

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

Genetic characteristics:

Animal reservoir: Swine, cattle, and poultry are reservoirs for serovar Muenchen. This serovar was also isolated from other animals such as raccoons and reptile.

Geographical distribution: Serovar Muenchen has been found worldwide.

Human outbreaks: Multiple human outbreaks have been linked to serovar Muenchen. Below are some examples.

Year	Location	Associated source	Number of cases
2024-2025	US: multistate	Geckos	8
2023	Denmark	Unknown	31
2020	Germany	Coconut pieces or flakes	161
2016	US: multistate	Alfalfa sprouts	26¹
2014	Germany	Raw pork sausage	247
2013	Germany	Raw pork	203
2003	US: multistate	Cantaloupe, honeydew melon	58
2001	Germany	Pork	198
1999	US: multistate	Alfalfa sprouts	At least 157
1999	US: multistate, Canada	Orange juice	298
1997	Australia	Corn beef	24
1980	London	Nosocomial in pediatric hospital	30

1 Twenty-six people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Muenchen (25 people) or Salmonella Kentucky (1 person) were reported from 12 states.

Border rejections:

Year	Exporting country	Importing country	Associated source	Product category
2023	South Africa	Germany	Dog chews (ostrich meat)	Pet food
2021	Brazil	Germany	Black pepper¹	Herbs and spices
2020	Brazil	Germany	Black pepper²	Herbs and spices
2020	Brazil	Germany	Black pepper³	Herbs and spices

¹ Salmonella Saintpaul, Muenchen, Matadi, and Newport were found.

² Salmonella Muenchen and Javiana were found.

³ Salmonella Muenchen and Rubislaw were found.

Recalls:

Year	Location	Recalled food	Type
2016	US: multistate	Alfalfa sprouts¹	Fruits and vegetables
2013	US: CO	Beef bully sticks²	Pet food
1999	US: multistate	Unpasteurized orange juice³	Non-alcoholic beverages

¹ Sweetwater Farms LLC in Inman, KS, issued a recall of a single lot of its fresh alfalfa sprouts. This recall was resulted by a multistate outbreak described above.

² A total of 14 different Salmonella serovars including Salmonella Anatum, Mbandaka, Senftenberg, Typhimurium, Agona, Muenchen, Irumu, Tennessee, Montevideo, Infantis, Muenster, Derby, O rough;d;e,n,x, and London were found. Kasel issued a recall of four lots of their products.

³ Sun Orchard issued a recall of its unpasteurized orange juice products. This recall was resulted by a multistate outbreak described above.

Relevant links:

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Salmonella Muenchen