In a previous study, our lab explored the use of municipal wastewater (MW) for surveillance of salmonellosis incidence in a community, and found that Salmonella enterica loads in MW (log transformed concentration and weekly flux) correlated with clinical salmonellosis cases. Among the Salmonella isolates obtained from MW, Salmonella serovar Derby was the most abundant pulsotype, but Derby was not commonly detected in clinics over the same period of time in the community. In this study, we aim to understand the underlining mechanisms for S. Derby clinical underreporting using comparative genomic tools. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) for 62 of the S. Derby isolates has been conducted, and a comprehensive bioinformatics pipeline has been developed. Phylogenetic structure, genetic diversity, presence of virulence genes, and mutations in promoter regions will be explored and compared to clinical isolates for S. Derby and other common clinical Salmonella strains. This will shed light on community-level variation of enteric disease from microbial pathogens, and will demonstrate how MW can provide community infectious disease information which is otherwise inaccessible.

Determining diversity of community salmonellosis cases using municipal wastewater surveillance

2019 Fall National Meeting

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