Effects of Environment and Socioeconomics on Salmonella Infections

Abstract

Objectives: Salmonella is a major public health concern particularly in areas of low socio-economic status (SES) and high temperature. In this chapter, we examined several socio-economic and environmental factors that may increase the spread of Salmonella in the southern states of the USA. Methods: In our recent studies, relevant US-southern states data of foodborne illnesses, from 2002 to 2011, were collected and used in various analytical models. The associations among low socioeconomic status, climatic variables and Salmonella infections were deter-mined using several software packages. Results: Our studies showed a significant increase in Salmonella outbreaks in Mississippi during the observed periods with regional and district variations. Regression and neural network models revealed a moderate correlation between Salmonella infection rates and low socioeconomic factors. A seasonal trend was observed for Salmonella infections. In one of our study, an increase of 1°F (0.556°C) was shown to result in four new cases of Salmonella infection in Mississippi. Conclusions: Geographic location besides socioeconomic status may contribute to the high rates of Salmonella outbreaks. There are consistent evidence that gastrointestinal infections with bacterial pathogens are positively correlated with ambient temperature. Warming trends in the USA may further increase rates of Salmonella infections.