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S. Oranienburg

At a Glance
Antigenic Formula 6,7,14:m,t:[z57]
Serogroup O:7 (C1)
NCBI Pathogen Detection View isolates

Background Information

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Oranienburg (antigenic formula 6,7,14:m,t:[z57]) is a serovar of the O:7 (C1) serogroup. Serovar Oranienburg was first isolated from a child with gastroenteritis, a resident of a Children's Home in Oranienburg near Berlin, Germany in 1930. Serovar Oranienburg ranked as the 10th and 15th most Salmonella prevalent serovar in North and Latin America, respectively. In 2003, serovar Oranienburg was the nineth most common Salmonella serovar causing human salmonellosis. Serovar Oranienburg was reported to cause haemorrhagic cystitis (urinary symptoms including haematuria and dysuria) in an immunocompetent young male in Australia. In Japan, this serovar was documented to be bacteremia-related. Cummings et al. suggested that transmission of serovar Oranienburg can be also nosocomial or on-farm transmission.

Genetic Characteristics

Serovar Oranienburg has been found to be polyphyletic with ten lineages identified and two stand-alone singletons that do not cluster with any other Salmonella Oranienburg isolates. Jure et al. obtained 60 serovar Oranienburg isolates from children suffering from gastroenteritis and/or extraintestinal complications in a pediatric hospital in Tucumán, Argentina. All isolates in this study showed resistance to ampicillin, cefotaxime, cefepime, and aztreonam, while displaying partial susceptibility to ceftazidime. This resistance profile aligns with the typical resistance phenotype, CTX-M-type beta-lactamase-producing. Aguirre-Sanchez et al. analyzed 53 serovar Oranienburg genomes from different environmental sources in Mexica and identified a dominant clonal group consisting of ST23 and three additional STs. These isolates exhibited a maximum genetic divergence of 202 SNPs. Virulence factors for host invasion and colonization—including rpoS, type 1 fimbriae, and the type III secretion system (T3SS)—were conserved across all isolates in their research.

Another Mexican study included 66 Salmonella Oranienburg genomes, revealing three subclades. Despite their conserved genetic content, these subclades appear to employ different adaptation strategies for persistence. This study also identified nine antimicrobial resistance genes: aac(6′)-Iy, H-NS, golS, marA, mdsABC, mdtK, and sdiA, along with a parC mutation (p.T57S) conferring resistance. Additionally, virulence gene analysis identified 92 pathogenicity-related genes [e.g., faeC (adherence E. coli), mig-14 (inducible macrophage), mgtBC (magnesium uptake), iroBCN (ABC transporter)], as well as SPI-1 to SPI-5 and centisomes 54 and 63 with more than 80% sequence identity.

Animal Reservoir

Chicken may be a potential reservoir for serovar Oranienburg. This serovar was also isolated from other animals including bovine, equine, porcine, canine, and wild animals.

Geographical Distribution

While Serovar Oranienburg has been reported globally, it occurs most frequently in North and Latin America.

Human/Animal Outbreaks

Multiple human outbreaks linked to serovar Oranienburg have been reported. They were associated with a variety of food. Below are examples.

Year Location Associated source Number of cases
2023 Canada and US: multistate Cantaloupe1 509
2021 US: multistate and Puerto Rico Onions 1040
2016 US: multistate Shell eggs 8
2006 Canada and US: multistate Fruit salad 41
2005 Australia Alfalfa sprouts 125
2001 Europe: multi-country Chocolate2 439
1999 Japan Semi-dry squid 1560
1998 Canada Cantaloupe 22
1998 Australia Gelato 102
1981-1982 Norway Black pepper 126

1 There were 407, 190 cases reported in US and Canada, respectively. Salmonella Soahanina, Sundsvall, Oranienburg, and Newport were involved.

2 While the total case number was not reported, 439 confirmed cases were documented in Germany.

Animal outbreaks:

Year Location Breed Number of cases
2003-2005 US: MI Dairy calves1 168

1 The herd size was 604 (Salmonella Oranienburg prevalence: 27.8%).

Border Rejections

Multiple border rejections linked to serovar Oranienburg have been reported. The majority of them were linked to black pepper imported from Brazil to Germany. Below are examples.

Year Exporting country Importing country Associated source Product category
2022 Brazil Germany Black pepper Herbs and spices
2021 Brazil Germany Black pepper1 Herbs and spices
2020 US Greece Fish meal Feed materials
2020 Brazil Germany Black pepper2 Herbs and spices

1 Salmonella Oranienburg and Javiana were found.

2 Salmonella Morehead and Oranienburg were found.

Recalls

Multiple recalls linked to serovar Oranienburg have been reported. Below are some examples.

Year Location Recalled product Type
2024 Finland Eggs1 Eggs and egg products
2023 Canada, US: multistate Cantaloupe2 Fruits and vegetables
2021 US: multistate Whole, fresh onions3 Fruits and vegetables
2001 Germany Chocolate4 Confectionery

1 Root cause analysis identified possible cross-contamination from a positive Salmonella sample as the source of error.

2 This recall was caused by a national outbreak described above. Whole melons from Crown Jewels Produce were recalled.

3 This recall was caused by a multistate outbreak described above. ProSource Produce, LLC and Keeler Family Farms of Deming issued recalls.

4 This recall was caused by an international outbreak described above.

References

  1. https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/jb.32.3.259-263.1936
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20050520232026/http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/phlisdata/salmtab/2003/SalmonellaTable1_2003.pdf
  3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5610707/
  4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9846185/
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  6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20464138/
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  10. https://militaryhealth.bmj.com/content/112/4/211
  11. https://www.eggindustrycenter.org/soranienburg#:~:text=Specific%20animal%20species%20that%20can,salad%20and%20most%20recently%20eggs.
  12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21492021/
  13. https://marlerclark.com/salmonella-cantaloupe-outbreak-hits-43-in-15-states
  14. https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-oranienburg-whole-fresh-onions-october-2021
  15. https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/salmonella/oranienburg-10-16/index.html
  16. https://www.cdc.gov/mmWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5639a3.htm
  17. https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-cdi3002f.htm
  18. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6934802_Outbreak_of_Salmonella_oranienburg_infection_in_Japan
  19. https://web.archive.org/web/20090710153211/https://www.fda.gov/Food/ScienceResearch/ResearchAreas/SafePracticesforFoodProcesses/ucm091270.htm
  20. https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-pubs-cdi-1998-cdi2208-cdi2208d.htm
  21. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001205.htm
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  23. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/524928
  24. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/524019
  25. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/418605
  26. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/notification/416416
  27. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2024/07/lab-error-behind-false-salmonella-finding-in-finland/
  28. https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/more-cantaloupe-recalled-due-to-salmonella-oranienburg-and-sundsvall-outbreak/
  29. https://www.fda.gov/safety/major-product-recalls/2021-recalls-food-products-associated-onions-prosource-produce-llc-and-keeler-family-farms-due
  30. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC552305/