A food borne outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Brandenburg as a hint to compare human, animal and food isolates identified in the years 2005-2009 in Italy

Introduction. There are only a few reported cases of Salmonella enterica serotype Brandenburg foodborne outbreaks in the literature. In Italy Brandenburg is consistently present among the top-ten serotypes from human source, but at low prevalences. Methods. Fifty-five S. Brandenburg isolates from human, animal, environmental and food sources, including twelve isolates from a foodborne outbreak, were genotyped by PFGE. Results and Discussion. Eight pulsogroups and 19 pulsotypes were detected, with a unique pulsotype being attributed to the outbreak strains. Molecular subtyping can reliably complement the epidemiological investigations. Moreover, mapping molecular types of Salmonella isolates from human and non-human source may greatly contribute to risk assessment, by tracking possible animal sources, so improving cost-effectiveness of the prevention and control strategies.