Salmonella enterica

Daniel E. Salmon first reported the isolation of Salmonella from a pig in 1885 and named the organism Bacterium choleraesuis (currently known as Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis). Salmonella causes gastroenteritis and typhoid fever and is one of the major foodborne pathogens of significant public health concern in both developed and developing countries. Worldwide there are 16 million annual cases of typhoid fever, 1.3 billion cases of gastroenteritis, and 3 million deaths due to Salmonella. In the US annually there are 2-4 million cases with a death rate of 500-1,000, and an economic loss of about 3 billion dollars. A recent CDC report indicates that the incidence of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium decreased significantly (42% decline) from 1996-1998 to 2005; however, the incidence of other serotypes are on the rise such as S. enterica serovar Enteritidis and S. enterica serovar Heidelberg, each of which increased by 25%, and S. enterica serovar Javiana increased by 82%.