S. Javiana¶

At a Glance


Antigenic Formula	`1,9,12:l,z28:1,5`
Serogroup	O:9 (D1)
NCBI Pathogen Detection	View isolates

Background Information¶

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Javiana (antigenic formula 1,9,12:l,z₂₈:1,5) is a serovar of the O:9 (D₁) serogroup. Serovar Javiana remains one of the top five most common serotypes of Salmonella linked fresh-cut produce, with an average of 11 clusters per year (2008 to 2012) identified by the PulseNet Network. Between 1996 and 2007, serovar Javiana ranked as the fifth most common Salmonella serovars reported to the CDC, but it rose to fourth place in 2008 representing 5% of overall salmonellosis cases in the US.

Genetic Characteristics¶

Serovar Javiana has been found to be monophyletic. Mezal et al. found a total of 34 distinct patterns grouped into five clusters at a 90% similarity threshold using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis. Among the 50 Javiana isolates studied, all carried seven virulence genes, including cdtB. Additionally, the Javiana isolates exhibited substantial genetic diversity, indicating a heterogeneous clonal population across clinical, food, and environmental samples. Antimicrobial resistance in serovar Javiana was relatively low. Among the 140 isolates analyzed in 2013, only four (6.6%) exhibited resistance to nalidixic acid, while all remained susceptible to ceftriaxone. Notably, none of the isolates were classified as multidrug-resistant (MDR). In addition, serovar Javiana is primarily regarded as pansusceptible to clinically relevant antibiotics. According to the U.S. National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) surveillance dashboard, none of the 3,047 serovar Javiana isolates tested between 1996-2024 showed phenotypic resistance to 20 clinically relevant antibiotics. Sanad et al. analyzed a total of 409 Javiana isolates and found that a high proportion (89%, n=364) of isolates demonstrated resistance to sulfisoxazole alone. Resistance to other agents (gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, ceftiofur) was rare (3%, n=11). PFGE resolved the population into nine major clusters, and isolates sharing XbaI/AvrII profiles were epidemiologically linked to prolonged human circulation. Plasmid analysis of resistant strains (n=19) revealed diverse plasmid sizes (<3–165 kb), while virulence screening confirmed the universal presence of 14 genes, including pagC, cdtB, and iroN. Interestingly, serovar Javiana is known to produce the typhoid toxin. Miller et al. revealed that deletion of the genes encoding the binding subunit (pltB) and a bacteriophage-derived muramidase, predicted to facilitate toxin export (ttsA), does not eliminate toxin activity in Javiana strains harboring the S-CDT operon.

Animal Reservoir¶

According to CDC, serovar Javiana is mainly associated with amphibians. This serovar has also been rarely found in other animals such as chicken, cattle, and dogs.

Geographical Distribution¶

Serovar Javiana has been reported worldwide including the US, Australia, and Germany.

Human/Animal Outbreaks¶

Multiple human outbreaks of serovar Javiana have been associated with fresh produce. Here are some examples.

Year	Location	Associated source	Number of cases
2021	US: multistate	Pre-cut cantaloupe	70
2019-2020	US: multistate	Fresh cut fruit	165
2002	US: Florida	Tomatoes	141
2001	US: Mississippi	Amphibian	55
1993	Germany	Paprika & paprika-powdered potato chips¹	Estimated 1000

¹Salmonella Saintpaul and Rubislaw were also involved.

Border Rejections¶

Multiple border rejections have been linked to serovar Javiana. They are all associated with black pepper imported from Brazil to Germany. Here are some examples.

Year	Exporting country	Importing country	Associated source	Product category
2022	Brazil	Germany	Black pepper¹	Herbs and spices
2022	Brazil	Germany	Black pepper	Herbs and spices
2021	Brazil	Germany	Black pepper²	Herbs and spices
2020	Brazil	Germany	Black pepper³	Herbs and spices

¹ Salmonella Javiana and Salmonella Poona were both found.

² Salmonella Javiana, Salmonella Newport and Salmonella Infantis were found.

³ Salmonella Saintpaul and Salmonella Javiana were both found.

Recalls¶

Year	Location	Recalled food	Type
2023	US: multistate	Black fungus¹	Other food product / mixed
2019	US	Fresh fruit²	Fruit and vegetables

¹ Salmonella Javiana, Salmonella Mgulani and Salmonella Weltevreden were found.

² Tailor Cut Produce recalled its fruit luau, cut honeydew, cut cantaloupe and cut pineapple products. This recall was resulted by a multistate outbreak mentioned above.