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Updated: Aug 10, 2026
Quasi-metagenomic Analysis of Salmonella from Food and Environmental Samples
Published on: October 25, 2018
A spatiotemporal analysis of Salmonella bacteraemia in Queensland, 2010-2019
Naveen Manchal1, Megan K Young2,3,4, Maria Eugenia Castellanos1,5
1Public Health and Tropical Medicine, College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Background:
Salmonellosis contributes to a significant burden on global healthcare systems. The impact of this foodborne bacterium is more pronounced when the infection is invasive, leading to bacteraemia and sepsis. Studies on invasive salmonellosis are few, and there is an urgent need to understand the spatial distribution of bacteraemia and the different contributing serotypes.
Aims:
To describe the spatial and temporal distribution of Salmonella bacteraemia in Queensland from 2010 to 2019 and identify high-risk areas and demographic groups.
Methods:
A retrospective population-based spatiotemporal analysis was conducted using laboratory-confirmed Salmonella bacteraemia notifications. Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) were estimated at the postcode level using indirect standardisation with age and sex as stratification variables. A Besag-York-Mollè (BYM) Poisson model was used to estimate posterior mean relative risks (RRs), assess spatial clustering and identify hotspots.
Results:
The highest risk was observed in children aged 0-10 years (RR = 2.36, 95% CI: 2.00-2.78), and males had a 24% higher risk than females (RR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.10-1.40). Across the study period, approximately 39% of postcode areas exceeded RR > 1.5. The three most common Salmonella serotypes also exhibited notable spatial heterogeneity. We found that Tropical North QLD (RR ranges from 1.6 to 5.39) and the outback areas of Central QLD (RR ranges from 1.8 to 6.19) were high-risk areas for bacteraemia.
Conclusions:
Salmonella bacteraemia in QLD shows substantial spatial and demographic heterogeneity, with clear hotspots in remote and tropical regions, supporting targeted, serotype-informed surveillance and prevention strategies, particularly for children and males in high-risk areas.
