Salmonella outbreak affecting people in 19 states has been traced back to the dry dog food. Officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that salmonella infected dry dog food may be an under-recognized source of illness in people, especially young children.
Salmonella comes from undercooked meats and eggs, but the officials are not still sure how it got into the dog food. There have been previous cases of people contracting Salmonella infection from contaminated pet treats, but this is the first time ever that such an outbreak has been linked to dog food.
“They are a number of possible ways that that could happen,” said Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, a CDC epidemiologist, who co-authored a report on the finding. “That’s something we are still trying to figure out.”
According to a latest CDC report, Pennsylvania reported the largest number of cases with 29 reports of infection, New York reported 9 cases, and Ohio reported of 7 cases of infection. Almost 40 percent of infected individuals were infants. The report also notes that dogs were not affected by the Salmonella.
The first three cases of infection were reported in May 2006 in Pennsylvania. By October 2007, CDC had received a total of 70 human cases of the outbreak strain.
An intense study into the matter as well as cultured specimens of dog stool and bags of dry dog food, pointed towards a manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania, which produces approximately 25 different brands of dry pet food.
An inspection of the plant was carried out and one isolate of the outbreak strain was found on an environmental surface and two isolates in two brands of dry dog food.
The manufacturer ordered a limited recall of these two brands which was restricted only to the sized bags from which the bacteria were isolated. The operations at the plant were also suspended between July and November for cleaning and disinfection.
The limited recall by the manufacturer means that contaminated dry pet food is almost certainly still present in many homes, notes the CDC in its report.
In order to avoid infection, the owners must wash their hands right after they handle any dry dog food, any other pet food, pet treats, even supplements or vitamins. Also infants and other young children should be kept away from pet food, because kids tend to want to see what their dogs are eating and grab at the pet food and play with it or even put it in their mouth.
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