An estimated 1.2 million Salmonella-related illnesses occur each year in the United States.

Approximately 400 people die.

While Salmonella is most often associated with poultry products, outbreaks are linked to a wide variety of sources including contaminated ground beef, fruits and vegetables, dog food, turtles and hedge hogs.

Scientists first identified Salmonella as a human pathogen in the late 19th century. While monitoring and tracking methods have improved, the bacteria continues to cause significant issues and foodborne disease outbreaks.

There are more than 2,000 strains of Salmonella. The different strains of Salmonella are categorized based on the specific antigen set of each. Antigens are substances that stimulate the body to fight pathogens. These antigen-based subsets are call serotypes.

Here is a list of the five most common serotypes in order of prevalence in relation to foodborne illnesses.

Salmonella enteritidis

Enteritidis is the most common strain of Salmonella in our food supply. The increased prevalence in poultry products made Salmonella enteritidis a food safety issue in the 1970s.

Salmonella E. infects the gastrointestinal tract of poultry. Salmonella is passed from bird to bird in several ways. Most common is through fecal matter. Poultry have the tendency to scratch through dirt and manure. When they do this they can become infected if the manure has live Salmonella bacteria in it.

When poultry are slaughtered, Salmonella is spread from the intestinal tract onto the meat.

Salmonella is also found in the ovaries of laying hens, and thus passed on through shell eggs.

Enteritidis is the serotype most often associated with poultry. There are several testing programs in place to detect and reduce the threat of this strain in the poultry meat and shell egg supply.

Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevent data, enteritidis outbreaks since 2010 were linked to shell eggs, alfalfa sprouts, pine nuts and ground beef.

Salmonella typhimurium

Typhimurium is the second most common serotype associated with foodborne illness and the third most frequently identified with chicken. The serotype is also linked to ground beef, pork and other poultry products. Beef researchers state that Salmonella typhimurium in ground beef could be the biggest food safety issue facing the beef industry today.

Typhimurium has proven to be antibiotic resistant. This makes eliminating the pathogen from food products very challenging. Beef researchers are looking into interventions such as vaccinations and probiotics to reduce typhimurium in cattle. Unlike other serotypes that populated the intestinal tract of animals, typhimurium might be in the lymph system of cattle.

Research is ongoing.

The CDC list of outbreaks associated with typhimurium since 2006 list the following as sources: ground beef, hedge hogs, cantaloupes, peanut butter, tomatoes, and African dwarf and water frogs.

Salmonella Newport

Newport is currently the third most common Salmonella serotype associated with foodborne illness. This strain is most often associated with turkey products. It, like typhimurium has been determined to be antibiotic resistant.

Last fall, Salmonella Newport and typhimurium were found in cantaloupe. The
outbreak led to three deaths and more than 250 illnesses in 24 states. 

Besides cantaloupe, live poultry and alfalfa sprouts were linked to Newport outbreaks since 2010.

Salmonella Javiana

Javiana is the fourth most common serotype associated with foodborne illness. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the food safety arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, report on Salmonella serotypes indicated this strain is not often associated with products regulated by the agency.

This serotype is associated with exposure to amphibians in the Southeast United States. It has also been linked to contaminated mozzarella cheese, watermelon, bass, poultry, lettuce and tomatoes.

The CDC does not indicate a multistate outbreak associated with Javiana since 2006. But in January 2011, there was a death at a retirement home in Maine that was attributed to Javiana in a food product.

Salmonella Heidelberg

Heidelberg is the fifth most common Salmonella serotype associated with foodborne illness and the second most frequently associated with human health issues and poultry, stated a recent report from FSIS.

Salmonella Heidelberg has caused recent poultry recalls and foodborne illness outbreaks. In March, 128 illnesses in 13 states were linked to Heidelberg in chicken meat. It is also found in shell eggs.

However, current Food and Drug Administration guidelines are designed to limit Salmonella enteritidis and do not specifically address Heidelberg.

“Heidelberg [in eggs] is a new threat for the CDC and FDA to deal with,” said Paul Patterson, professor of poultry science at Pennsylvania State University. “Testing isn’t specifically designed for this strain, but if a farm is testing and has knowledge it is present they are obligated to act.”

John Sheehan, director for the Division of Plant and Dairy Food Safety with FDA, said that Heidelberg is not a new issue for the agency. He noted it was mentioned in 2004 as a major challenge. While the new egg safety rule that went into effect in 2010 primarily addresses enteritidis, he said that inspectors are trained to look for Heidelberg as well.

“The egg safety rule is all about Salmonella enteritidis and our goal is to eliminate Salmonella enteritidis as a source of foodborne illness,” said Sheehan. “But if we learn that Heidelberg is present we cannot ignore it. There is transference potential and it can’t be ignored in an egg  production environment.”

Sheehan noted that the FDA sent a warning letter to an egg producer whose facilities tested positive for Heidelberg in the fall of 2012. The letter went to Centrum Valley Farms in Iowa.

Centrum just happens to be the new owner of Wright Country Egg and Hillandale Farms, the sources of more than 500 million enteritidis-contaminated eggs involved in the largest egg recall in U.S. history.

FDA officials noted that two of Centrum Valley’s hen houses tested positive for Heidelberg during an inspection. Eggs were tested and came back negative for Heidelberg. No eggs were distrusted until the negative results were received and the farm received the go-ahead from FDA.

The above is based on data from the Food Safety and Inspection Service and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.