ABSTRACT
Objective To study the distribution of Salmonella in food and diarrhea cases in Taizhou City. Methods 339 samples of commercially available food, 201 samples of meat production process and 1 606 stool samples of diarrhea cases were collected. Salmonella was identified and serologically classified according to national food safety standards. Results The detection rate of Salmonella in 9 types of foods form 2015 to 2017 was 4.4% (15/339), and the detection rates of raw poultry, raw meat and raw aquatic products were 27.5%, 7.5% and 2.5%, respectively. Among the samples collected during the meat production process, the total detection rate of Salmonella was 6.5% (13/201), and the detection rates of raw materials and intermediate products were 35.7% and 28.6%, respectively. From 2015 to 2017, the average detection rate of Salmonella in stool samples collected from 3 medical institutions was 4.9% (79/1 606). The detection rate of children under 5 years old (7.3%) was higher than other age groups ( 2=20.63, P<0.01). Among the suspected food items for diarrhea, the top three were poultry and livestock (28.6%), dairy products (25.0%) and fruits (25.0%). A total of 21 Salmonella serotypes were identified from commercially available food and patient samples. Conclusions There is a high pollution rate of Salmonella in commercial food and a high detection rate in diarrhea cases in Taizhou City. Food monitoring, supervision and publicity education should be strengthened.