Cornell University has just published a study on the impact of cytolethal distending toxin, or S-CDT, a toxin carried by some Salmonella bacteria, showing Salmonella damages DNA in some instances. The research identified the strong correlation between S-CDT and the presence of DNA damage in human cells grown in the lab. According to Martin Wiedmann, the Gellert Family Professor in Food Safety, the presence of these toxin in Salmonella has been linked to hallmark signatures that indicate the presence of DNA damage. But as Rachel Miller, a doctoral candidate in food science, pointed out, not all Salmonella carry the S-CDT toxin (there are about 2500 strains of Salmonella – about 100 of which cause the vast majority of food borne illness). In this research project, S-CDT was identified in serotype Typhi (which causes typhoid fever) but also, and significantly, in non-typhoidal Salmonella strains including Salmonella Javiana, Salmonella Montevideo, Salmonella Oranienburg and Salmonella Mississippi (often new strains are named after the location where they are first encountered).
While the parameters of the study need to be investigated further, the researchers believe there could be a link between these strains of Salmonella and other long-term health problems. Right now, as Miller explained, “we don’t really know right now the true permanent damage from these salmonella infections.” Weidman added: “A person’s damaged DNA from salmonella could lead to long-term health consequences after the infection subsides, such as longer bouts with food-borne illness.” Previous research has found that Salmonella can lead to long-term IBS, IDB and reactive arthritis.
The research noted that every year about 1.2 million persons in the United States contract Food Poisoning from eating food contaminated with Salmonella bacteria – the Salmonella is introduced into the food source through contamination with feces of an infected person or animal. Of those 1.2 million victims, approximately 450 die annually. In recent years, Salmonella outbreaks have been linked to many food items, including Sushi, hamburger, and cucumbers. Some of the more publicized outbreaks include:
- Peanut butter: In one of the scariest outbreaks on record, Peanut Corp. of America produced peanut better that was sold under various labels, including King Nut Peanut Butter. The infamous 2009 outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium, killed 9 people and was confirmed in 714 people.
- Eggs: In 2010, Wright County Eggs was forced to recall over 380 eggs, while Hillandale Farms recalled 170 million eggs in a massive Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that sickened at least 1608 victims in 23 states. In 2016, there was a multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Oranienburg traced back to Good Earth Egg Company, with 8 confirmed illnesses in 3 states. The actual numbers are likely much, much higher as the CDC estimates 35 to 40 victims for each one identified.
- Pork: A major outbreak of a very rare form of Salmonella was found in people who had eaten whole-roasted pig across Washington state, raised and distributed by Kapowsin Meats.
The research showing Salmonella damages DNA was entitled “The Cytolethal Distending Toxin Produced by Nontyphoidal Salmonella Serotypes Javiana, Montevideo, Oranienburg, and Mississippi Induces DNA Damage in a Manner Similar to That of Serotype Typhi,” and was published in the Winter volume of the 2016 journal mBio, a publication by the American Society of Microbiology. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided funding. For more information on teh link between Salmonella and long-term illness, call 1-888-335-4901.
