Salmonella Typhimurium is one variant of the Salmonella bacterium which causes illness in humans. As a mother in Greece, New York, found recently, it can be caught from some unexpected sources. Virginia Ortiz's four-month-old son became sick, and she had to wonder why.
According to the NYS Health Department, the illness was caused by Salmonella and it came from water frogs kept as pets. Her son, Willie, joined over 200 people sickened from the same source in the United States since April 1, 2009. New York has seen at least seven of these cases. The states of Washington and California lead in numbers of cases of water frog Salmonella with 22 and 17 respectively.
The Centers for Disease Control have been tracking this outbreak. All of the cases appear to have originated with a frog breeder in California. The outer skins of reptiles and amphibians, because of the way they live, often are contaminated with their own or other animals feces. Salmonella Typhimurium is carried by these animals without making them ill. Humans come in contact with the bacteria by handling the frog, turtle, lizard or snake and then not properly washing their hands before doing anything else. Surfaces that the animal touched are also contaminated and should be properly sanitized.
The CDC describes the illness as:
diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.
About one third of the patients in this outbreak have had to be hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. The CDC strongly suggests that pet stores that sell these animals post signage warning about the risks of illness. Along with regular hand washing, proper habitat cleaning can reduce the chances of an infection.
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