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. 2016 Jul;22(7):1298-1302.
doi: 10.3201/eid2207.141678.

Around the World in 1,475 Salmonella Geo-serotypes

Céline M Gossner, Simon Le Hello, Birgitta de Jong, Per Rolfhamre, Daniel Faensen, François-Xavier Weill, Johan Giesecke

Around the World in 1,475 Salmonella Geo-serotypes

Céline M Gossner et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 Jul.

Abstract

It's easy to remember Salmonella serotypes names, isn't it? Surely, this is because the naming system of Salmonella serotypes is by far the most scientist friendly. Traditionally, most Salmonella serotypes have been named after geographic locations. We decided to explore the geographic locations to which Salmonella serotypes refer and describe some unexpected twists in the naming scheme. We found that 93% (n = 1,475) of the 1,585 serotypes could be categorized as geo-serotypes; that is, the name refers to a geographic location. The 3 countries with the most geo-serotypes are Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Other serotype names refer to the name of a person, animal, tribe, or food item or are a composite of symptoms and host. The Salmonella serotypes naming scheme has had a valuable effect on public health microbiology, and in the current era of fast development of whole-genome sequencing, it should remain a reference.

Keywords: Salmonella serotypes; White-Kauffmann-Le Minor scheme; bacteria; enteric infections; geo-serotype; geographic locations; naming; salmonellae; serovars.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Top 30 countries with the highest number of associated Salmonella geo-serotypes (n = 1,259). DRC, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Worldwide geographic distribution of Salmonella geo-serotypes (n = 1,472). The geo-serotypes Africana, Orientalis, and Westafrica were excluded. Administrative boundaries copyright by Eurographics and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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