Reptiles and Salmonella is about as far from a new story as anything on this blog, but talking about it is still worthwhile, because it’s still making people ill. I’ll package two similar stories into one post here.
Salmonella
Extensively Drug Resistant (XDR) Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Raw Pet Diets and Cattle Contact, Canada
I’m supposed to be in Rome for an antimicrobial resistance (AMR) meeting but a positive COVID test but a kink in my travel plans. So, I’ll take some unexpected time to catch up on some blog material. We’ll start with a pair of pet-food-linked Salmonella outbreaks, starting with a Canadian outbreak.
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Dry Pet Food, USA
The US CDC is reporting an outbreak of salmonellosis linked to dry dog food. It’s a small outbreak in terms of the number of diagnosed infections (7) but, as always, the diagnosed infections are presumably just the tip of the iceberg, especially since they have been found in seven different US states (see map below).…
Human Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Linked to Raw Pet Diets
Avian flu caused an uptick in discussion about health risks associated with feeding dogs and cats raw meat, based on the possible (and still pretty tenuous) link between raw poultry and a large number of H5N1 infections in cats in Poland.
The link between raw diets and flu infections is new, and something…
Reptile- and Feeder Rodent-Associated Salmonellosis: Alberta
Alberta Health Services is reporting a cluster of Salmonella infections linked to pet reptiles. In many ways, this isn’t really remarkable (unless you’re one of the people who’s infected). Reptile contact is a very well-known risk factor for acquiring Salmonella, especially in kids.
So far, 12 infections have been reported. Reported cases are always…
Raw Diets and Shedding of Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria in Dogs
Freeze Dried vs Fresh vs Frozen Raw Pet Foods
I got a question about an old post on this topic, so I decided to add a bit of information and re-post it. Not much has changed since it was written in 2018, apart from more reports of people and pets getting sick from raw pet food and raw treats.
Backyard Poultry Salmonella Update
It was surprising to see what things sold out early in the pandemic: toilet paper, yeast, exercise equipment…. and chicken coops.
Yes, there was a run on chicken coops.
It seems like a lot of people decided to get backyard chickens in response to all the COVID-19 restrictions.
Any human-to-animal contact has a mixture of…
Fostering Chicks and Ducklings: It’s All Fun and Games Until…
We all know that backyard chickens are becoming increasingly popular – despite some of their associated infectious disease hazards, which we’ve discussed many times before. The latest “pandemic pastime” takes the trend to a whole new level, with scores of people fostering chicks or ducklings as a family activity, aka something…