title: The distribution of Salmonella enterica serovars and subtypes in surface water from five agricultural regions across Canada.
abstract: Serovar prevalence of the zoonotic pathogen, Salmonella enterica, was compared among 1624 surface water samples collected previously from five different Canadian agricultural watersheds over multiple years. Phagetyping, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and antimicrobial resistance subtyping assays were performed on serovars Enteritidis, Typhimurium, and Heidelberg. Serovars and subtypes from surface water were compared with those from animal feces, human sewage, and serovars reported to cause salmonellosis in Canadians. Sixty-five different serovars were identified in surface water; only 32% of these were isolated from multiple watersheds. Eleven of the 13 serovars most commonly reported to cause salmonellosis in Canadians were identified in surface water; isolates of these serovars constituted >40% of the total isolates. Common phagetypes and PFGE subtypes of serovars associated with illness in humans such as S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium were also isolated from surface water and animal feces. Antimicrobial resistance was generally low, but was highest among S. Typhimurium. Monitoring of these rivers helps to identify vulnerable areas of a watershed and, despite a relatively low prevalence of S. enterica overall, serovars observed in surface water are an indication of the levels of specific S. enterica serovars present in humans and animals.
authors: Public Health Agency of Canada, Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Irrigation and Farm Water Division, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: cassandra.jokinen@gov.ab.ca.
authors: C C
authors: CC
authors: Jokinen
authors: Public Health Agency of Canada, Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada; University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada. Electronic address: jkoot@uvic.ca.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Koot
authors: Public Health Agency of Canada, Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: linda.cole@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Cole
authors: Public Health Agency of Canada, Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: andrea.desruisseau@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Desruisseau
authors: Environment Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: tom.edge@ec.gc.ca.
authors: T A
authors: TA
authors: Edge
authors: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: izhar.khan@agr.gc.ca.
authors: I U H
authors: IU
authors: Khan
authors: Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: wendell.koning@gov.ab.ca.
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Koning
authors: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: david.lapen@agr.gc.ca.
authors: D R
authors: DR
authors: Lapen
authors: FoodNet Canada, Centre for Foodborne Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: katarina.pintar@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
authors: K D M
authors: KD
authors: Pintar
authors: Public Health Agency of Canada, Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: richard.reid-smith@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Reid-Smith
authors: Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: janis.thomas@ontario.ca.
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Thomas
authors: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: ed.topp@agr.gc.ca.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Topp
authors: Public Health Agency of Canada, Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: ruth.wang@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
authors: L Y
authors: LY
authors: Wang
authors: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: graham.wilkes@agr.gc.ca.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Wilkes
authors: Public Health Agency of Canada, Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: kim.ziebell@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Ziebell
authors: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Quebec, QC, Canada. Electronic address: eric.vanbochove@agr.gc.ca.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: van Bochove
authors: Public Health Agency of Canada, Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: vic.gannon@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
authors: V P J
authors: VP
authors: Gannon
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D019779:Salmonella enterica / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012477:Salmonella enteritidis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D065288:Serogroup; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage
keywords: AMR; Fecal; PFGE; Phagetype; Surface water