An Update on Salmonella in Louisiana

Over 2000 serotypes of Salmonella are pathogenic for both animals and humans. The primary habitat of these gram negative Enterobacteriaceae is the intestinal tract of mammals (cattle, swine, dogs, cats, and rodents), birds, reptiles, and amphibians. From the intestinal tract of animals, the bacteria are dispersed into soil, dust, sewage, rivers, seawater, and drinking water.1 Although Salmonella are widely distributed throughout the environment, up to 95% of infections in the United States are food borne.2 The most commonly implicated foods are poultry, eggs, meat, and dairy products; however, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and bakery goods have also been sources of infection.3 Less frequent modes of transmission include person-toperson, direct contact with infected animals, and ingestion of contaminated water. Person-to-person transmission is most likely to occur in an institutionalized setting such as a hospital, nursery, or long-term care facility or in a home between infected parents and their infants. The clinical spectrum of non-typhi Salmonella infection includes asymptomatic carriage, gastroenteritis, enterocolitis, and bacteremia with or without focal infection.1