Repeated isolation of Salmonella enterica Goverdhan, a very rare serovar, from Danish poultry surveillance samples

- Salmonella Goverdhan was found in environmental samples from Danish poultry.
- This is the first description of it in samples from poultry.
- Intensive investigations failed to reveal the source.
- There are indications that suggest it may have been a pseudo-outbreak.

We report here the appearance of a very rare serovar of Salmonella, S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar Goverdhan, in routine Salmonella surveillance samples from Danish poultry production. S. Goverdhan was found on nine occasions: in one broiler breeder farm in October 2010, four broiler farms and one broiler breeder farm in June-September 2012, two broiler breeder flocks simultaneously in June 2013, and one layer flock in July 2013. The five isolates from 2012 and the three isolates from 2013 had identical pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles, whereas the profile of the isolate from 2010 deviated in a single band. It is the first time this serovar has been described in samples from poultry. The origin of the bacterium is still unknown, but it is suggested that it may have been a pseudo-outbreak caused by contaminated sampling material.