2024-01-27 22:35:00
Local public health investigators visited every store where people bought their pets. /Getty.
Foto: Getty Images – Getty Images
In June 2022, authorities in Canada noted two cases of a rare type of Salmonella (Salmonella enterica serovar Vitkin, Salmonella Vitkin) reported by a local public health unit. Both cases were related and the onset dates were 4 weeks apart, suggesting a common exposure. No cases of Salmonella Vitkin had been reported in Ontario or anywhere else in Canada for at least 14 years before these 2 cases. Given this rarity, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) began investigating. What they found is very interesting.
The scientists contacted colleagues in the United States (CDC) to explore whether any recent cases of Salmonella Vitkin had been identified in that country, as they later confirmed. Both agencies got to work. Canadian patients had reported purchasing bearded dragons from 2 different pet stores in Ontario, and US patients reported purchases from 4 different US pet stores and one online source. Bearded dragons, belonging to the genus Pogona, are lizards native to Australia that have gained great popularity as exotic pets. Their common name is derived from the spiny projections on their throat that they deploy when they feel threatened, forming a kind of “beard.” Its skin is adorned with scales and thorns.
They are known for being relatively docile and can be tamed to interact with their owners. They can show interesting behaviors, such as making a “wave” with their paw, and are active observers. They are considered relatively easy pets to handle and care for, especially compared to other reptile species. Their calm demeanor and moderate size make them attractive. What does this have to do with Salmonella cases? Both Ontario pet stores where patients purchased their pets were supplied by a single common intermediary supplier, which imported bearded dragons from several suppliers, including one located in Southeast Asia. (You can see: Sailing without a captain: the INVIMA crisis)
This intermediary supplier reported that it did not ship bearded dragons to or from the United States and had stopped importing reptiles from the international supplier at the end of 2021. US pet stores were supplied by 1 of 3 common intermediary suppliers, 1 of which he purchased bearded dragons from the same international supplier. Contact with bearded dragons was the origin of this outbreak, which disproportionately affected babies and led to severe illness: nearly 40% of patients reported hospitalization. “Many infants were likely indirectly exposed to infection through caregivers’ contaminated clothing or hands or through contact with contaminated environmental surfaces within the home,” health agencies say in a study.
Reptiles can carry Salmonella spp. in their gastrointestinal tract without showing signs of illness and can intermittently shed bacteria in their stool. People can become ill with Salmonella infections if they have direct or indirect contact with reptiles or their environment, particularly if they do not wash their hands after handling or caring for their reptiles or if they do not clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces. Interestingly, captive bearded dragons have higher rates of Salmonella carriage compared to those found in the wild.
This is so, the scientists explain, because stress can increase the frequency of Salmonella shedding. “Awareness and consideration of measures bearded dragon owners and breeders can take to reduce stressors (such as avoiding overcrowding during transport and providing adequate space and enrichment items within enclosures) could, in theory, reduce Salmonella shedding and subsequent human exposure,” the scientists write. And they warn: “If owners are not aware that their reptiles can carry and shed Salmonella spp. “They may not take appropriate preventive measures, increasing the risk of illness among household members, including those who do not have direct contact with the reptiles.” (You can see: Contraband alcohol seized in a warehouse in Cali)
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