S. Meleagridis¶

At a Glance


Antigenic Formula	`3,{10}{15}{15,34}:e,h:l,w`
Serogroup	O:3,10 (E1)
NCBI Pathogen Detection	View isolates

Background Information¶

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Meleagridis (antigenic formula 3,{10}{15}{15,34}:e,h:l,w) is a serovar of the O:3,10 (E₁) serogroup. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report stated that, from 1981 to 1982, infections caused by serovar Meleagridis increased dramatically in US, climbing from 32 to 151-a 372% rise. An Iraqistudy found that among 700 animal feed samples tested, 4.5% (32 samples) contained Salmonella, and serovar Meleagridis was the predominant serotype identified. In Yucatan, Mexico, serovar Meleagridis (11.6% of isolates) was the second most prevalent Salmonella serotype isolated from asymptomatic children. By collecting fecal samples from representative cows in 97 dairy herds across 21 states in US, Blau et al. found that serovar Meleagridis (24.1%) was the most frequently recovered serotypes.

Genetic Characteristics¶

Serovar Meleagridis has been found to be polyphyletic with one lineage identified and one stand-alone singleton that does not cluster with any other Salmonella Meleagridis isolates. Zhang et al. analyzed a total of 61 Chinese Meleagridis isolates from various sources (primarily from pigs and pig-related products) and revealed that those isolates were clustered into two groups by using CRISPR typing. Using cgMLST, the Chinese isolates were grouped into a unique Cluster C. They also found that spacer SoeB5 served as the sole marker distinguishing MCT1 and MCT2 isolates within Cluster I. An AMR IncR plasmid was present in 70.5% of the Chinese Meleagridis isolates.

Animal Reservoir¶

Pig is the reservoir for serovar Meleagridis. This serovar was frequently isolated from cattleas well.

Geographical Distribution¶

Serovar Meleagridis has been reported worldwide occasionally, but primarily in US. Among a total of 1,128 serovar Meleagridis isolates available in NCBI PD (accessed 04/24/2025), 813 were collected in US.

Human/Animal Outbreaks¶

Year	Location	Associated source	Number of cases
NA	US: MA	Not identified	NA

Border Rejections¶

Year	Exporting country	Importing country	Associated source	Product category
2025	China	Finland	Cumin powder	Herbs and spices

Recalls¶

Year	Location	Recalled food	Type
2016	US	Dry nonfat milk powder and buttermilk powder¹	Milk and milk products
2010	US	Dog chew²	Pet food

¹The milk products, worth almost $4 million, were manufactured by Valley Milk Products LLC, based in Strasburg, Virginia.

² Tejas Industries Inc., the Hereford, TX-based pet treat manufacturer issued a recall of its Merrick Beef Filet Squares.