S. Altona¶

At a Glance


Antigenic Formula	`8,20:r,[i]:z6`
Serogroup	O:8 (C2-C3)
NCBI Pathogen Detection	View isolates

Background Information¶

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Altona (antigenic formula: 8,20:r,[i]:z₆) is a serovar of the O:8 (C₂-C₃) serogroup. This serovar was first isolated from fish meal in Germany in 1958.

Genetic Characteristics¶

Serovar Altona has been found to be polyphyletic with three lineages identified.

Animal Reservoir¶

Serovar Altona was mainly found inchickens but was also present in cattle, pigs, and horses.

Geographical Distribution¶

Serovar Altona has been reported worldwide such as the US and the UK.

Human/Animal Outbreaks¶

Year	Location	Associated source	Number of cases
2024	US: multistate	Backyard poultry	470¹
2019	US: multistate	Backyard poultry	1,134²
2011	US: multistate	Chicks and ducklings	96³

¹ The outbreak was initially associated with five Salmonella serovars: Altona, Indiana, Infantis, Mbandaka, and Typhimurium. The CDC indicated that two more-Cerro and Johannesburg-have been implicated in the illnesses.

² Multiple Salmonella serovars were found including: Agona, Alachua, Altona, Anatum, Braenderup, Enteritidis, Infantis, Manhattan, Montevideo, Muenchen, Newport, and Oranienburg.

³A cluster of 28 cases caused by serovar Johannesburg and a cluster of 68 cases caused by serovar Altona were identified in 24 states.

Border Rejections¶

Year	Exporting country	Importing country	Associated source	Product category
2023	Germany	Finland	Rape seed meal	Feed materials

Recalls¶

There have been no recent recalls linked to this serovar.