Abstract:

The bacterial contamination of water with Salmonella has been a public health concern for more than 100 years. Much of the history of water bacteriology evolved around methods to isolate and identify the typhoid bacillus Salmonellaenterica subspecies enterica serotype Typhimurium (Salmonella ser. Typhimurium), and the corresponding efforts to reduce the incidence of waterborne typhoid fever. Waterborne outbreaks of typhoid fever and salmonellosis are still being reported in both developing and industrialized countries. From 1972 through 1994, 18 Salmonella outbreaks (most were nontyphoidal) associated with drinking water in the United States were reported to CDC. Surveillance data on Salmonella isolates in the United States since 1995 are available.¹