Progression of Salmonella enteritidis phage type 4 strains in São Paulo State, Brazil

ABSTRACT

A total of 574 S. Enteritidis strains (383 from human sources and 191 from non-human sources) isolated between 1975-95, in São Paulo State, Brazil, were phagetyped. Among the strains isolated during the period of 1975-92, 80.9 of them belonged to phage type 8 (PT-8), but in 1993 strains of PT-4 accounted for 65.2 of all the S. Enteritidis isolates. In the following years, PT-4 strains accounted for 99.7 and 98.4 of phagetyped S. Enteritidis strains. The results obtained suggested that the current epidemic of S. Enteritidis in São Paulo State is clearly associated with the progression of PT-4 strains.