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P1-22 Epidemiological Study of Salmonella spp. Strains Isolated in Lombardia from 2012-2016

Wednesday, 29 March 2017
The Square
Guido Finazzi, IZSLER, Brescia, Italy
Marina Nadia Losio, IZSLER-National Reference Centre for Emerging Risks in Food Safety, Brescia, Italy
Barbara Bertasi, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
Cristina Panteghini, IZSLER, Brescia, Italy
Enrico Pavoni, IZSLER, Brescia, Italy
Mario D'Incau, IZSLER, Brescia, Italy
Annalisa Bonomini, ASST Garda Manerbio Hospital, Manerbio, Italy
Palmiro Pedroni, ASST Garda Manerbio Hospital, Manerbio, Italy
Introduction:   In cases of foodborne illness, the biggest challenge is to identify the offending food. Symptoms could appear after a few hours, but, sometimes four to five days after ingestion of a contaminated food. As a consequence, it is difficult to have a complete medical history of the potentially responsible foods; and in most cases, they are not available for diagnostic confirmation because they have been completely consumed or thrown away.

Purpose:  The objects of this study were to analyze the data obtained from molecular characterization of Salmonella strains, isolated from food and environmental farm samples, rather than from humans; to evaluate the possible correlations; and to speculate on possible reservoirs for Salmonella that can cause human illness.

Methods: A total of 1809 Salmonella spp. strains were isolated from food (1169), farm (464), and the Lombardia environment (176), along with 148 human strains made available by Hospitals from the same region were serotyped according to ISO 6579-3:2014 and molecular typed by PFGE as per the CDC (Atlanta) Pulsnet System. The data obtained were elaborated and compared using BioNumerics software (Applied Maths).

Results: Among human strains monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium was the serotype mowt frequently isolated (42%), followed by Salmonella Typhimurium (7.4%), and Salmonella Enteritidis (4.7%). Monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium was, also, the serotype most isolated from other sources (25.4% of strains considered); Salmonella Derby and Salmonella Infantis, (16.4% and 11.2%, respectively), were the other prevalent serotypes. Molecular comparison was able to point out some situation of close affinity between strains isolated from human and food.

Significance: This work demonstrates a good approach for obtaining a picture of circulating strains of Salmonella in Lombardia. The approach could be used to create a system of epidemiological surveillance and to schedule monitoring plans for production chains that represent the greatest potential as reservoirs for human infections.

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