The infectious and multi-resistant cattle disease Salmonella Dublin can be fatal to both humans and animals and causes significant losses for farmers. Although Denmark has attempted to eradicate the disease since 2008, it has not yet succeeded. A study from the University of Copenhagen points to possible reasons - and the necessary solutions.
While we've all heard of salmonella in chickens, salmonella in cows is likely unknown to many. Nevertheless, Salmonella Dublin is a disease that has been present in cattle herds for decades - in Denmark as well as many other countries. And it is on the rise globally. It causes pneumonia, blood poisoning and abortions and kills many thousands of calves and cows every year.
Although Salmonella Dublin infects humans far less frequently than the more regular salmonella, there is every reason to take it seriously: it is significantly more dangerous and kills up to 12% of those who become infected. At the same time, it is often resistant to antibiotics. Infection can occur through contact with animals as well as through unpasteurised dairy products and undercooked meat.
Still, Denmark has not managed to eradicate the disease - despite a national eradication plan launched in 2008, which set out to completely eliminate the disease. Today, the infection rate is estimated to be around 5% of Danish cattle herds, down from 20-25% in 2008. In contrast, the infection has increased in recent years to about 18% of herds in the United States and as much as 60% in the United Kingdom.
"Salmonella Dublin is not just a serious threat in the barn. Globally, it is a potential public health risk that is likely to grow as antibiotic resistance spreads. This is a bacterium that kills people every year, and it is high time we do more to combat it," says Dagim Belay, Assistant Professor at the Department of Food and Resource Economics.
- Salmonella Dublin is an infectious and multidrug-resistant variant of the Salmonella bacterium, adapted to cattle but capable of infecting humans and other animals.
- For cattle, Salmonella Dublin can cause pneumonia, blood poisoning, abortions and death. In humans - especially the elderly, children, and immunocompromised individuals - it often leads to blood poisoning, hospitalisation, and has a fatality rate of up to 12%.
- According to the Statens Serum Institut, 20-30 human cases are recorded annually in Denmark.
- There are documented cases of infection from contact with cattle, manure and equipment - even in people who have not eaten untreated food.
