Salmonella

Salmonellosis is one of the most important zoonotic diseases. The major factor in the success of Salmonella spp as virtually universal pathogens is their ability to adapt to almost any kind of host. Salmonella-contaminated food products are a major source of human infection. Control programs based on serological monitoring and isolation of Salmonella aim not only toward the reduction of infection prevalence, but also could serve as valuable tools to change routines to decrease food contamination.

The great majority of clinical disease in swine is caused by S. cholerasuis in the U.S. and by S. typhimurium in Europe. S. typhimurium is mostly a latent disease in pigs, and causes diseases only in conjunction with other cofactors. The primary host and main reservoir of S. cholerasuis is swine. While infections with S. cholerasuis can cause severe clinical disease in swine, it is of minor importance in food safety. Human infections with S. cholerasuis are rare because of a limited number of infected swine at the abattoir.