Epidemiological and molecular investigation of a Salmonella Agona-associated foodborne outbreak in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China, 2022

In this investigation of a food poisoning outbreak caused by S. Agona, we employed two key molecular techniques: Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). PFGE provided initial high-resolution DNA fingerprinting to identify bacterial strains and establish their clonal relatedness, offering preliminary but crucial insights into understanding the microbial causes of the epidemic. Subsequently, WGS delivered comprehensive genetic information with unparalleled precision, confirming that the pathogen was S. Agona and revealing its genomic characteristics. The integration of PFGE and WGS results provided strong evidence proving the epidemic was related to S. Agona. This comprehensive approach not only confirmed the etiology of the food poisoning event but also highlighted the power of molecular and genomic tools in modern epidemiological investigations. Our findings emphasize the importance of these techniques in rapidly and accurately identifying pathogens, thereby enabling timely public health interventions and reinforcing food safety measures to prevent similar outbreaks in the future.