Invasive Salmonella infections in Africa
Efforts to address invasive Salmonella infections in the region face a range of challenges
Abstract
Although Salmonella enterica is a leading cause of community-acquired bloodstream infection in Africa, these infections are frequently neglected as a target for public health intervention. The typhoidal Salmonella, serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A, cause enteric fever. Areas with high levels of endemic and epidemic typhoid fever are increasingly reported in Africa, and paratyphoid fever is described in some locations. Furthermore, in many sub-Saharan African countries, non-typhoidal Salmonella, primarily serovars Typhimurium and Enteritidis, cause bloodstream infections with incidence levels rarely seen elsewhere in the world. Efforts to control other important invasive bacterial infections such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type b and Neisseria meningitidis with conjugate vaccines are likely to leave S. enterica as a prominent next target for prevention. However, efforts to address invasive Salmonella infections in the region face a range of challenges.
This is a publication arising from the Zoonoses and Emerging Livestock Systems (ZELS) programme.
Citation
Crump J, Heyderman R (2014). Invasive Salmonella infections in Africa. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 108(11):673-5.