SALMONELLA
What You Need To Know
Eric Klaphake, DVM and Martin Orr, DVM
Salmonella is the second most common cause of bacterial diarrhea in humans in the US. Approximately 40,000 cases are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), though this it is estimated to be only 1-5% of all cases.
Salmonella is transmitted through ingestion of the organisms in undercooked meat, contact with uncooked food items, person-to-person contact (Typhoid Mary), and contact with animals (dogs, cats, birds, livestock, reptiles) infected with Salmonella sp.
There are more than 2300 serotypes of Salmonella sp. classified into six subspecies. It is very important for your human doctor and veterinarian to coordinate efforts to determine if one of your pets was the source, not to simply assume it was, or you may not be taking care of the problem.
With reptiles, assume that they have Salmonella sp. as a normal bacteria in their intestinal tract. Just because a reptile has Salmonella sp. in its intestines, does not mean it has the disease. Testing is of questionable value. because if a reptile is positive we do not treat, if it is negative it may not have been shedding at that sampling. We do not treat for it, because that would increase the cases of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella sp., and it is a normal inhabitant of the intestines, as E.coli is in us. And as the Jack-In-The-Box incident from the early 1990,s showed, E.coli can be bad news too.
Animals can be infected with Salmonella sp., often developing the same symptoms seen in humans and are medically managed the same way.
Reptiles get the organism from ingestion of feces from other reptiles most commonly, and this can often be a normal situation, with young iguanas needing to ingest feces from the adults to develop their own necessary bacteria population. It can be transmitted from mother across the egg barrier to the young also.
To Prevent this from becoming a problem in you and your family, the CDC recommends:
1. Individuals at risk (pregnant women, children under 5 years, and immunocompromised individuals) avoid contact with reptiles and probably not keep reptiles in that household.
2. Do not keep reptiles in child-care centers.
3. Reptile owners need to keep themselves well educated on Salmonells sp. from veterinarians.
4. Do not allow reptiles into areas of food preparation, and do not clean anything associated with reptiles in those areas, nor in those areas associated with bathing (eps.infant-related areas).
5. Separate cleaning supplies should be used for the reptiles only.
6. Do not allow reptiles to roam the house.
7. Discourage direct contact of reptiles in public situations. If allowed, encourage them to follow rule #8.
8. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THOROUGH HAND-WASHING WITH SOAP AND WATER AND THOROUGH DRYING MUST OCCUR IMMEDIATELY AFTER EVERY REPTILE OR REPTILE-ASSOCIATED MATERIAL IS CONTACTED!!!!!!!
