[Salmonellosis in 1998].

Gradual decrease of salmonellosis is observed in Poland since 1988. In 1998, 26,739 cases of salmonellosis were noted, incidence rate = 69.2 per 100,000 population. Above 80% of cases were laboratory confirmed by isolation Salmonella strains (57 serotypes). Laboratory-based surveillance led to the identification 82 serotypes among examined persons; the most frequent serotype was Enteritidis: 90% of cases and 70% of Salmonella infected healthy persons. Serotypes: Typhimurium, Virchow, Hadar and Infantis caused 6% Salmonella infections. Nearly 53% of patients were hospitalized. Like in the previous years, the most affected age group were children under five (361/100,000). The extraintestinal Salmonella infections were observed in 64 patients for whom at least 1 nonfecal specimen was culture-positive for non-typhoidal Salmonella. Twenty eight patients had positive blood cultures (26--Enteritidis, 2--Typhimurium). The other positive specimens included subdural fluid (3), pleural fluid (3), joint fluid (2), urine (11) and pus (15). Half of the patients had immunocompromising conditions. Other diseases contributed to infection, especially in older patients, who had hematologic and nonhematologic malignancy, lupus erythematosus, diabetes, cirrhosis. There were 11 deaths (17%).