S. enterica Serovar Infantis, Israel | CDC EID

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Volume 16, Number 11–November 2010
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Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Infantis, Israel

Ohad Gal-Mor, Comments to Author Lea Valinsky, Miriam Weinberger, Sara Guy, Joseph Jaffe, Yosef Ilan Schorr, Abraham Raisfeld, Vered Agmon, and Israel Nissan
Author affiliations: Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel (O. Gal-Mor); Ministry of Health Laboratories, Jerusalem, Israel (L. Valinsky, S. Guy, J. Jaffe, Y.I. Schorr, A. Raisfeld, V. Agmon, I. Nissan); and Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel (M. Weinberger)

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Abstract
To determine whether rapid emergence of Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis in Israel resulted from an increase in different biotypes or spread of 1 clone, we characterized 87 serovar Infantis isolates on the genotypic and phenotypic levels. The emerging strain comprised 1 genetic clone with a distinct pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profile and a common antimicrobial drug resistance pattern.

Nontyphoid Salmonella enterica (NTS) is a common cause of foodborne illnesses worldwide. In industrialized countries, S. enterica serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium are responsible for most NTS infections (1). In Israel, the distribution of NTS infections differs from the global epidemiology for NTS by having a larger representation of serogroups C1 and C2 (serovars Virchow, Hadar, and Infantis) in addition to serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium (2,3).

Analysis of annual trends of NTS infections in Israel during 1995–2009 shows a steady decrease in the incidence of these infections, from 86.9 cases/100,000 persons in 1995 to 31.4/100,000 in 2005. During this period, the predominant serovars were Enteritidis, Typhimurium, Virchow, and Hadar, followed by Infantis. Since 2006, annual incidence of NTS has started to increase, rising to 44.0 cases/100,000 persons in 2009. This trend coincided with a sharp increase in incidence of serovar. Infantis from 1.2 cases/100,000 persons in 2001 to 14.7/100,000 in 2009, a 12-fold rise (Figure 1, panel A). The proportion of serovar Infantis increased from <10% of NTS in 1995–2005 to 34% in 2009 (Figure 1, panel B). Furthermore, this steep increase in serovar Infantis from clinical (human) sources correlated with an elevated frequency of serovar Infantis from poultry that became apparent after 2006. Serovar Infantis became the predominant serotype in poultry during 2007–2009, while the prevalences of serovars Enteritidis, Typhimurium, Virchow, Bredeney, Newport, and Paratyphi B var. Java decreased (Figure 1, panel C).

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S. enterica Serovar Infantis, Israel | CDC EID

Suggested Citation for this Article

Gal-Mor O, Valinsky L, Weinberger M, Guy S, Jaffe J, Ilan Y, et al. Multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis, Israel. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2010 Nov [date cited]. http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/16/11/1754.htm

DOI: 10.3201/eid1611.100100