Infections caused by Salmonella: epidemiological investigation in Rho Hospital

Infections caused by Salmonella account for a considerable part of the infective pathology, which keeps on a steady level due to the changes in the food production and preservation methods and to the frequent international trips leading to food toxic infections. Therefore, they represent an important sanitary problem both for clinicians and the Public Health Service. The study has provided significant information about the epidemiological situation in our local health unit. In the biennium May 2007- May 2009 59 strains were isolated, with a remarkably frequent isolation of the S.typhimurrium serotype (21 strains), definitely more frequent than the S.enteritidis serotype (10 strains), in line with the data of our area and of the whole of Italy in the years 2000-2004. Moreover it should be noted that we isolated 14 strains of the S.O.4,5:i:-serotype, which stands out as an emerging serotype, 1 strain of S.typhi, whose last typification in our area was in 1997, and 2 strains of S.choleraesuis in blood, which causes serious bacteremia.