Individual Salmonella Serotypes Reports

Information on this page is related to An Atlas of Salmonella in the United States, 1968–2011.

An Atlas of Salmonella in the United States, 1968-2011 pdf icon[PDF – 248 pages] summarizes 42 years of laboratory-confirmed surveillance data on Salmonella isolates (pure strains separated from specimens with more than one bacteria) from humans and includes analyses by age, sex, geography, and season of the year.

On this page you will find reports of 32 Salmonella serotypes featured in the Atlas that includes:

  • Explanation of figures
  • Data limitations
  • Multiple figures representing age-standardized rate by county and by year

Anyone concerned with public health—such as regulators, industry, academia, policy, and the public–can directly access this information.

We hope that information in the Atlas will help users to understand Salmonella data and trends and to develop more informed solutions for reducing Salmonella contamination along the farm to table chain.

Did you know that Salmonella Agona is an international traveler? Learn more surprising facts about Agona and four other Salmonella serotypes.

How to Use This Report

Shows the 3-month moving average rate of reported isolates (per 100,000 population) by month and year.

Shows the distribution of human isolates by specimen source. The graph has 6 different types or groups of sources. For each source type, the data graphed are the percentage of the total number of isolates reported for each source. Note that the Y-axis scale varies from serotype to sero-type.

Shows the distribution of isolates by month of specimen collection for each of 3 age groups: 0-4 years old, 5-29 years old, and 30+ years old. For each age group, the percentage of isolates reported in each month of the year is plotted.

Shows the rate of isolates (per 100,000 population) by year for each of 3 age groups: 0-4 years old, 5-29 years old, and 30+ years old. Note that the Y-axis scale varies from serotype to serotype.

Shows the median ages of persons whose specimens yielded isolates, by sex, for each month of the year.

Shows the median ages of persons whose specimens yielded isolates, by sex, for each year of specimen collection. Note that over this period the average age of the US population increased.

Shows the distribution by age group and sex of persons whose specimens yielded isolates. Age-groups are <1 , 1-4, 5-9, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79 and 80+ years old. For each age group the graph shows the percentage of the total number of isolates reported for each sex. These percentages are not adjusted for the unequal age group intervals. Note that the Y-axis scale varies from serotype to serotype.

Summarizes data from NVSL for non-human sources from 1968 to 2011. Samples originating from non-human sources are tested for Salmonella for a variety of purposes; sampling is neither complete nor representative, and any interpretation of these data should consider these limitations.

Show age-standardized rates of isolates per 100,000 population, by county, in 6 maps. Eight-year intervals were used for the analysis, except for the last two intervals, which are 7 and 6 years, respectively. Maps represent US state and county designations on August 1, 2012.

A limitation of the data in the Atlas is that many cases of salmonellosis are not diagnosed and reported to the state health department; this may occur because the ill person does not seek medical care, the health care provider does not obtain a stool culture, or the culture results are not reported to public health officials. These factors lead to underreporting.

  • It is estimated that 29.3 cases of salmonellosis occur for every one that is laboratory-confirmed and reported.
  • Overall, 7.6% of specimens are reported with missing or incomplete serotype, which adds another source of potential bias to the data descriptions.

Enhancing public health laboratory testing and disease reporting for Salmonella and other pathogens will more quickly identify outbreaks and their causes and allow more complete analysis of disease trends.

Read more about the report, how data was collected and an explanation of figures pdf icon[PDF – 248 pages]