Distribution trends of Salmonella serovars in India (2001–2005)

A total of 3079 samples were received and identified at the National Salmonella and Escherichia Centre (NSEC), Central Research Institute, Kasauli, India during 2001-2005. Out of these, 2098 samples were from humans, 250 from animals, and 726 from meat, vegetables, seafood and the environment. The Salmonella strains isolated were distributed among 35 different Salmonella serovars. The most common serovars from humans were Salmonella Typhi (73%) and Salmonella Paratyphi A (24%) among typhoidal serovars, and Salmonella Worthington (28.2%) and Salmonella Typhimurium (22.5%) among non-typhoidal serovars. The other frequently isolated serovars from different sources were Salmonella Gallinarum, Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Dublin. Analysis of the prevalence of the 10 most common serovars in 18 states indicated that different serovars are distributed in different parts of India. The results from this study may be helpful in formulating preventive strategies to control the spread of infection in the country.