What makes a Salmonella strain epidemic? An expert opinion workshop

Brouwer, A., Hill, A. and Woodward, M. J. (2011) What makes a Salmonella strain epidemic? An expert opinion workshop. Veterinary Record, 168 (4). 98. ISSN 2042-7670 doi: 10.1136/vr.c5429

Abstract/Summary

An expert opinion workshop was held on the subject of the cause, identification and control of new and emerging Salmonella strains. Experts were invited to complete questionnaires, contribute to structured discussions and take part in cluster group tasks. Outputs of the workshop included that, with current surveillance methods, it might take up to 2.5 years from the first introduction of a new strain into the UK livestock population to its identification as a human epidemic strain. In order to reduce the time to detection and provide more effective control options, several recommendations were made, including better back-tracing of human cases to their source, which would require more effective communication between those responsible for human and veterinary surveillance.