Outbreak of salmonellosis in cattle caused by the unusual Salmonella serotype Stockholm

Salmonellosis in livestock is not only a problem for farmers due to economic losses but is also a human health concern because of its zoonotic nature. In Europe, bovine enteric salmonellosis is known to be caused by a limited number of serotypes, that is, Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica ( S. ) serotypes Typhimurium and Dublin. Here, we describe an outbreak of salmonellosis in a Swiss cattle herd caused by S. Stockholm. To the authors’ knowledge, in cattle, this serotype has hitherto only been described once: isolated from beef cattle in a slaughterhouse in India. On the other hand, S. Stockholm has been isolated at least once from the stool of a patient suffering from gastroenteritis (Kantele 2011). This outbreak demonstrates that all known non-typhoidal S enterica subspecies enterica serotypes, despite their rare detection, have to be considered pathogenic and potentially zoonotic agents.