MINI REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Food Microbiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1631550
This article is part of the Research TopicCritical- and High-Priority Pathogens in the Food ChainView all 6 articles
Virulence Gene Landscapes of Salmonella in Eastern and Southern Africa
Provisionally accepted
Mohamed Yousif Ibrahim Mohamed*
Ihab Habib- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Food and Agriculture, United Arab Emirates University, AlAin, United Arab Emirates
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Salmonellosis is one of the main foodborne diseases in Eastern and Southern Africa, however its different forms are not fully understood. Based on studies conducted over twenty years, the review discusses how invA, the spv operon, the cdtB-pltAB typhoid toxin cassette, the adhesion factor bapA, and loci related to stress responses (pagC, mgtB) affect pathogenic strains isolated from livestock, wildlife, produce, and humans from various countries. Findings reveal pronounced ecological and geographic variation, S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis in Ethiopia's dairy chain and Tanzanian backyard poultry carry spv at rates exceeding 80 %, while whole-genome studies from South Africa document the continent's most extensive accessory-gene repertoires and identify fully virulent strains in reptiles and market vegetables. Human outbreaks mirror this diversity, Nairobi paediatric isolates harbour universal hilA/sopB and Stn; Ugandan epidemics rely on chromosomal factors despite minimal spvB; Rwandan Moero serovars uniquely possess the cytolethal-distending-toxin cassette. Altogether, the data suggests a significant need for syncing genomic disease surveillance with the One-Health approach, this will allow for early detection of hybrid and migrating bacteria, shielding children, serious disease sufferers, and those serving the food sector against more spread of dangerous pathogens.
Keywords: Salmonella, virulence genes, Food Chain, foodborne infection, East and southern africa
Received: 19 May 2025; Accepted: 20 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mohamed and Habib. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mohamed Yousif Ibrahim Mohamed, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Food and Agriculture, United Arab Emirates University, AlAin, United Arab Emirates
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