S. Ouakam¶

At a Glance


Antigenic Formula	`9,46:z29:-`
Serogroup	O:9,46 (D2)
NCBI Pathogen Detection	View isolates

Background Information¶

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Ouakam (antigenic formula: 9,46:z₂₉:-) is a serovar of the O:9,46 (D₂) serogroup. In Sweden, serovar Ouakam was reported in feed mills and humans. In China, serovar Ouakam was isolated from healthy food workers. A Chinese study investigating the prevalence of Salmonella in neck skin and bone of chickens found that the majority of the farm isolates belonged to Salmonella Kentucky and Ouakam.

Genetic Characteristics¶

Serovar Ouakam has been found to be polyphyletic with three lineages identified. Overall, there have only been few reports about resistance in serovar Ouakam. According to a study by Canadian Health Departments, bla_CTX-M-1 genes which confer resistance to extended-spectrum β-lactams have been found in serovar Ouakam isolated from animal or meat sources. Serovar Ouakam isolates collected from humans in Africa that were examined by Saba et al. were found to be susceptible to all tested antimicrobials. Two other studies have reported (i) one MDR strain of serovar Ouakam and (ii) three MDR strains of serovar Ouakam. Both studies attributed the resistance patterns to the presence of a 100 kb plasmid. Similarly, Peng et al. revealed that all nine serovar Ouakam isolates obtained from healthy individuals exhibited multidrug resistance (MDR) conferring resistance to aminoglycosides, sulfonamides, lincosamides, tetracyclines, beta-lactams, chloramphenicol, quinolones, and rifamycins. These isolates carried the IncHI2/IncHI2A plasmid. Additionally, the astA gene, encoding the EAST1 toxin, was present in one of serovar Ouakam isolate (Sa17631).

Animal Reservoir¶

Unknown, but according to the metadata from NCBI PD (accessed 05/14/2025), poultry (particularly turkey and chicken) may serve as potential reservoirs, as 175 of 365 serovar Ouakam isolates were obtained from these sources.

Geographical Distribution¶

According to the metadata from NCBI PD (accessed 05/14/2025), serovar Ouakam has only been found in a few countries including (Brazil, US, Canada, UK, China, Thailand, Lebanon, Ghana).

Human/Animal Outbreaks¶

No recent outbreaks have been associated with serovar Ouakam.

Border Rejections¶

No recent border rejections have been associated with serovar Ouakam.

Recalls¶

Year	Location	Recalled food	Type
2021	Germany	Rapeseed meal	Feed materials