Chowdhury, BhaswatiEhsan, RakibWeller, DanielKummer, AmberNguyen, HanComer, C. CozetteHoch, JacksonCheng, Rachel2025-05-222025-05-222025-05https://hdl.handle.net/10919/134192This proposed project aims to conduct a first-of-its-kind scoping review to investigate how natural surface bodies of water in the U.S. (e.g., rivers, lakes) may act as reservoirs for Salmonella driving foodborne/waterborne salmonellosis outbreaks.Salmonella enterica is a leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States. Emerging evidence suggests that surface water may act as an environmental reservoir, contributing to its persistence and transmission. However, no comprehensive synthesis of the available literature exists to evaluate the strength of this evidence or to identify patterns in Salmonella occurrence in surface water sources from different regions in the United States. To address this gap, this protocol describes the methodology for conducting a scoping review, developed in accordance with PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines by trained reviewers in collaboration with evidence synthesis librarians, to assess the prevalence of Salmonella contamination in surface water in the US and evaluate its potential role in transmission, including links to agricultural runoff and wildlife activity. In brief, the descriptor terms for the pathogen of interest, i.e., “Salmonella” and surface water bodies (e.g., river, stream, wetland) were identified. These terms were then tailored to the syntax requirements of nine selected databases, based on scope and topical fit, and used to develop search strategies incorporating Boolean and proximity operators to enhance the retrieval of relevant records. Controlled vocabularies, such as MeSH and CAB Thesaurus terms, were also incorporated, and the search was restricted to studies conducted within the United States. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined a priori to guide the screening of retrieved records through title, abstract, and full-text review. Finally, data extraction items were identified to (i) synthesize evidence on risks associated with surface water used for irrigation in small and large produce operations and (ii) identify key knowledge gaps to inform future research on surface water as an environmental reservoir for Salmonella.application/pdfenCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 InternationalProtocol