5. Conclusions
The high proportion of S. enterica serovars that were isolated
from surface water (40%) and that are also among
those most commonly reported as having caused salmonellosis
in Canadians suggests that there is a link among
S. enterica serovars isolated from humans, animals, and the
environment, and that water is a good indicator of the
levels of specific serovars in both humans and animals.
S. enterica isolation rates among agricultural and reference
sites in the South Nation River watershed were nearly the
same suggesting that sites within this watershed are
receiving inputs from humans, domestic animals, and
wildlife.
The temporal and spatial trends observed with certain
S. enterica serovars (e.g., Rubislaw and Kentucky) suggest
that there are unique sources of surface water contamination
where these serovars were isolated; such information
could be valuable to the implementation of risk management
strategies.
While certain S. enterica serovars were detected in water
and were among the most prevalent clinically significant
serovars for a given year, there were also years when
certain serovars were among those most commonly
implicated as causing illness in humans but were not isolated
from water during the same time-frame.