By Scott Weese on Posted in Reptiles,SalmonellaA recent case report in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology (Cooke et al. 2009) described isolation of Salmonella Apapa from the feces of a 67-year-old woman with abdominal pain. The patient had a history of various medical disorders but no clear evidence of a compromised immune system. She was hospitalized, and Salmonella Apapa was identified from… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Reptiles,SalmonellaIn response to recent posts about Salmonella and turtles, a reader posed these questions: Okay, so turtles and tortoises can carry salmonella. Does that mean that all do? Not all, but a lot of them do. Aquatic turtles are probably a greater risk than tortoises. If a vet analyzes a poop sample from my Russian… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animals,SalmonellaFollowing a report on black market turtle sales in Maryland, a letter to the Baltimore Sun by Maryland veterinarian Dr. Jeffery Rhody wanted to "set the record straight". "All reptiles carry salmonella as part of the normal bacterial population in their body." Not really true, however Salmonella can commonly be found in healthy reptiles, so… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Reptiles,SalmonellaThere is apparently a thriving black market for baby red-eared slider turtles in Baltimore. The sale (and possession) of small turtles is illegal in Maryland, like many other regions, largely because of public health concerns regarding Salmonella. Over 100 hatchling turtles have been seized in the past 2 weeks. Baby turtles offer a good profit… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Birds,Cats,SalmonellaAs is common this time of year, outbreaks of Salmonella infection in wild birds have been widely reported in parts of the US. Salmonella circulates regularly at low levels in the wild bird population, and sporadic outbreaks involving large numbers of sick and dead birds are periodically encountered. These are often noticed in urban areas… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Pocket pets,Reptiles,SalmonellaOne more post about illogical and dangerous activities associated with animals and young children and I’ll hopefully get off the subject for awhile. I came across this daycare’s website today. Keep in mind (again) that the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children less than 5 years of age not have contact… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in SalmonellaJust last week I blogged about concerns regarding young children handling baby chicks in classrooms. Baby chicks are high-risk animals because of the potential for transmission of Salmonella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children less than 5 years of age not have contact with baby chicks for this reason. Unfortunately,… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Birds,SalmonellaAn annual "ritual" in some schools is hatching chicken eggs in the classroom. This can be a great educational experience for children as they learn about eggs and incubation, watch them hatch and see the baby chicks. It can also be a great source of infection for children if certain precautions are neglected. The picture… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Cats,Dogs,Other diseases,Reptiles,SalmonellaThe latest edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)‘s publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports consists of the revised Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents. Among the highlights relevant to pets: HIV-infected patients should be advised to wash their hands after handling pets or other… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Birds,SalmonellaAs you undoubtedly know, a large Salmonella outbreak has occurred in the US, associated with contaminated peanuts. The scope of this outbreak continues to expand in unexpected areas, including pets. The latest development is a voluntary recall of bird seed. The recall affects 20-pound packages of Wild Birds Unlimited Wildlife Blend bird food (produced by… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Cats,Dogs,Other diseases,SalmonellaI used the think the New York Times was a reputable newspaper and source of reasonable information. However, considering some of the articles I’ve seen, I no longer have a good opinion of this newspaper. One example from a few years ago came across my desk recently. The article is basically an infomercial for an unqualified… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Birds,SalmonellaMy oldest daughter is in Grade 2, and last year her class hatched chicken eggs in the classroom. As a parent, I was somewhat torn about the idea. My main concern was the risk of exposure to Salmonella. A recent article in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports described outbreaks of salmonellosis associated with contact with live… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Dogs,SalmonellaMaybe the only thing surprising about this is that it’s taken this long, but there has now been a dog infection reported in association with the massive peanut butter recall due to Salmonella contamination. This outbreak has made hundreds of people sick, and caused a few deaths so far. Pets that eat contaminated "people food" or… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Reptiles,SalmonellaA Las Vegas woman reportedly agreed to babysit a friend’s pet python. She brought the 18-foot snake into her house, where her three-year-old son also lived. Bad move, for many reasons. At one point, the woman returned from the bathroom to find the snake wrapped around her son, who was turning blue. The mother stabbed… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Cats,Dogs,SalmonellaI’m sure you’ve heard about the large outbreak of salmonellosis in people in the US associated (again!) with contaminated peanut butter. Based on the extent of the outbreak, it probably should not come as a surprise that pet treats are now caught up in the recall. The FDA has announced that the recall now includes… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Reptiles,SalmonellaBarfBlog is a food safety blog run by Dr. Doug Powell, who used to be at the University of Guelph, before moving to Kansas State. (I played hockey with him and can confidently state that he is one of the better hockey goalies working in food safety in Kansas). Doug and his group have put… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Reptiles,SalmonellaA recent report in the Daily Gleaner discusses the book Iguanas for Dummies. In this book, the author recommends frequent bathing of iguanas because they normally soak in the wild. Bathing iguanas in the tub is also recommended on various websites. Letting iguanas soak in water is a good recommendation for their health, but there… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Cats,Dogs,SalmonellaPeople are increasingly concerned about exposure to infectious agents, both for themselves and their pets. This has led to marketing of various products to reduce the risk of disease transmission. Some are good, some might be useful but are unproven, and some are just horrible. Many in this last category manipulate scientific data to try… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Cats,Dogs,SalmonellaI frequently get e-mails from people who are proponents of feeding raw meat to pets. The e-mails often start by calling me an idiot, and they generally go downhill from there. Some, however, go into detail about why they think there are no health concerns for themselves or their pets associated with feeding raw meat.… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in Birds,Other animals,Pocket pets,Reptiles,SalmonellaA report about the health risks in children associated with nontraditional pets was recently published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The report also discusses diseases associated with animals in public settings such as petting zoos and pet stores. Although contact with pets and animals can be beneficial to growth… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Dogs,SalmonellaHartz Mountain Corporation has voluntarily recalled one lot of its chicken-basted rawhide chews for dogs because of potential contamination with Salmonella. Rawhide treats, as the name suggests, are raw treats that are literally made from the hide of typically cattle or pigs. The finding of Salmonella in rawhide treats is not particularly surprising, since Salmonella… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Reptiles,SalmonellaYet another reminder of the risks associated with handling turtles (and other reptiles) comes to us from a report published earlier this year regarding an outbreak of salmonellosis in people tied to contact with turtles. In this case, more than 100 people in 33 US states were affected. The report sparked additional public education efforts… Continue Reading
