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The Department of Food Science and Nutrition at Illinois Tech presents its fall 2025 seminar series featuring guest speaker Renato Orsi, senior research associate at Cornell University, who will present “REPJFX01, a Persisting Multi-Drug-Resistant Salmonella Infantis Strain.” This seminar will take place on Thursday, October 30, 2025, from 12:45–1:45 p.m. over Zoom.

Abstract

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Infantis REPJFX01 was designated as a reoccurring, emerging, and persistent (REP) strain by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention due to its persistence within the U.S. since 2012. The spread of REPJFX01 to humans has been attributed to consumption of contaminated chicken and international travel, specifically to the Dominican Republic or Peru. Additionally, between 2018–2022, 73 percent of the REPJFX01 human clinical isolates harbored AMR genes that rendered the recommended antibiotic treatment ineffective. Evolutionary analysis of Salmonella Infantis and comparative genomics involving REPJFX01 and closely related strains reveal populational and genetic characteristics that help explain the rapid spread of REPJFX01 in the U.S.

Biography

Renato Orsi has more than 20 years of experience working with L. monocytogenes and Salmonella, specifically studying the evolution, virulence, and population genetics of these pathogens. Orsi is also a member of the New York Food Safety Center of Excellence where he develops WGS-related training to epidemiologists, laboratorians, and environmental health professionals working in departments of health across the U.S.