Increasing Incidence of Salmonella in Australia, 2000-2013

Abstract

Salmonella is a key cause of foodborne gastroenteritis in Australia and case numbers are increasing. We used negative binomial regression to analyze national surveillance data for 2000–2013, for Salmonella Typhimurium and non-Typhimurium Salmonella serovars. We estimated incidence rate ratios adjusted for sex and age to show trends over time. Almost all states and territories had significantly increasing trends of reported infection for S. Typhimurium, with states and territories reporting annual increases as high as 12% (95% confidence interval 10–14%) for S. Typhimurium in the Australian Capital Territory and 6% (95% CI 5–7%) for non-Typhimurium Salmonella in Victoria. S. Typhimurium notification rates were higher than non-Typhimurium Salmonella rates in most age groups in the south eastern states of Australia, while non-Typhimurium rates were higher in most age groups elsewhere. The S. Typhimurium notification rate peaked at 12–23 months of age and the non-Typhimurium Salmonella notification rate peaked at 0–11 months of age. The age-specific pattern of S. Typhimurium cases suggests a foodborne origin, while the age and geographic pattern for non-Typhimurium may indicate that other transmission routes play a key role for these serovars.

The Epidemiology of Salmonella enterica Outbreaks in Australia, 2001–2016

“…Without this evidence, it is difficult to compare whether the food vehicles that cause outbreaks identified in this study are the same as those that cause sporadic illness. Also, while individual risk factors, such as age and sex, have been identified to be important risk factors for sporadic illness in Australia (Ford et al, 2016), in this study, there was little difference in demographic characteristics of cases in foodborne or suspected foodborne S. Typhimurium and non-Typhimurium Salmonella outbreaks. This suggests that the individual risk factors of age and sex are not as important in outbreaks as they are with sporadic illness.…”

“…The increasing trend of outbreaks in Australia, together with comparatively high and increasing Salmonella spp. notification rates (Ford et al, 2016), emphasizes the continued importance of identifying food vehicles in outbreaks and implementing control strategies throughout the food chain to prevent illness.…”

Salmonellasource attribution in a subtropical state of Australia: capturing environmental reservoirs of infection

“…The northern states of Australia consistently report higher rates of salmonellosis than the national average [3]. A case-control study of young children in tropical Australia found widespread Salmonella contamination in households, with environmental transmission identified as the most likely cause of illness [10].…”

Analysis of Salmonella enterica Enteritidis isolates from chicken and chicken meat products using PFGE, and MLST

“…The continuous emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of non-typhoidal Salmonella constitutes a serious health hazard globally. In recent years, enteric Salmonella enterica associated with gastrointestinal infection in humans has been reported with increasing frequency worldwide [1].…”