Salmonella infections

Salmonella bacteria are one of the most common causes of foodborne infections; outbreaks from contaminated foods and other sources continue to be a regular challenge to public health globally. Salmonella strains can cause disease ranging from mild or inapparent infection to febrile diarrheal illness to severe, invasive, and even fatal infections. Salmonella can spread from a variety of host species to humans via foodborne and waterborne routes, direct contact with animals, and person-to-person transmission. The general prevention strategy for Salmonella in foods considers the path from farm to consumption as a system, assesses how contamination can occur, and determines the specific control points where contamination can be reduced or eliminated. The recent introduction of WGS-based surveillance in many countries offers new opportunities to define prevention targets more precisely, reduce contamination of foods, and decrease the substantial disease burden.