hi all, i noticed a conversation on salmonella in another topic and thought you might be interested in the article below, i used to hand it out to my customers when i had the shop.
Boring reading for some, but valuable info !
Salmonella & reptiles: the facts!
In the last six months or so there has been an upsurge of interest in the press with regard to reptile-associated zoonoses ( human diseases contracted from reptiles), particularly salmonella. Various press releases and announcements by various, ill-informed, organizations, have appeared in national papers and magazines.
Several reptile events have been cancelled due to local councils being bombarded with misinformation over the potential risks of salmonella. The following information should be of interest.
The Public Health Laboratory service (PHLS) and the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC) have provided the following information
1. In 1999, over 17,250 cases of human salmonellosis were reported, and of these only seven cases were confirmed as being contracted from a reptile scorce. A similar low number of reptile-associated cases were reported the previous year.
2. In 1997 (the latest year for which the PHLS/CDSC have provided the complete figures) there were far more cases of confirmed zoonotic diseases from domestic animals and their food by-products than from reptile sources.
Hyatid disease (echinococcus granulosus) – an intermediate tapeworm that
forms cysts in the liver. Contracted from dog/fox faeces = 14 cases.
Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii) – a protozoan parasite that can cause
abortion in pregnant women and congenital deformity in surviving babies.
Contracted mainly from domestic/feral cat faeces = 297 cases.
Q fever (coxiella burnetii) – a bacterial infection most commonly contracted
by abattoir workers from infected animals = 69 cases.
Psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci) – a bacterial disease contracted from infected
birds that can cause pneumonia and death = 322 cases.
Toxocariasis (Toxocara sp) – A roundworm parasite that can cause
blindness,particularly in children.
contracted by the ingestion of dog or cat faeces = 20 cases.
Leptospirosis (leptospia spp) – A bacterial septicaemia that can cause
meningitis and renal failure. Contracted from the ingestion of water
contaminated with urine from infected animals, esp. rats = 39 cases
Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) – a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks
= 170 cases.
In addition, a scientific paper was recently presented by Dorrestein et al at the recent conference of the European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians in Paris (June 2000) . The authors stated that the major Salmonella serotypes that cause human disease are S.enteritidis and S.typhimurium. Indeed, information provided by our own PHLS and CDSC confirmed that of the 17,250+ human cases reported in 1999, 75% were due to these two isolates alone. Dorrestien and co-workers reported S.enteritidis and S.typhimurium a total of 35 times out of a total number of 1156 salmonella isolates.
In my own small study of Salmonella and reptiles, over 46 different Salmonellae were isolated from reptiles but S.enteritidis and S.typhimurium were never recovered.
While all salmonellae should be considered potentially zoonotic, the facts remain that
S.enteritidis and S.typhimurium are rare in reptiles and reptile associated salmonellosis is also, on published accounts, currently rare. It is also possible that where reptiles do possess S.enteritidis and S.typhimurium that such infections are most likely acquired through contact with humans or domestic animals, particularly poultry.
Salmonellosis is an intestinal disease that is contracted through the ingestion of faecal (or faecal contaminated) material. It is essential to stress the importance of basic hygiene to avoid disease from ANY animal. There do-not, however, appear to be any inherently greater risks associated with the keeping of reptiles than any other pets.
To prevent problems I would recommend:
Simple hand washing, using soap and water, after handling or cleaning out
Keeping of reptiles, their furnishings and associated equipment well away from human food preparation areas.
Those persons at particularly high risk, such as young children, the elderly and the immunocompromised should consider taking additional precautions and consider carefully the benefits versus the risks of keeping ANY animal.
We consider the benefits of properly keeping reptile pets far outweighs the potential risks involved. With the current information to hand, it appears that you are 2,500 times more likely to contract Salmonella from food than reptiles.
References:
Bradley, T. and Angulo, F.J (199
Salmonella and Reptiles: Veterinary Guidelines.
Bulletin of the association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinrians 8(2):14
Divers, S.J (1992) An investigation of salmonella in a population of 73 snakes (family Boidae & Colubridae) in the United Kingdom. IFAW funded research project.
Dorrestien, G.M. , Buitelaar, M.N , Kik, M. , Van der Hage, M. and Van Leeuwen, W.J , (2000). Salmonella spp in reptiles and evaluation of isolates over the period 1971-1998. Proceedings of the European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians, Paris. Pp261-281.
Stephen J. Divers : B.Sc(Hons); B.Vet.Med;D.Zoo.Med(Reptilan);C.Biol;M.R.C.V.S. President of the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterrinarians.
Martin P.C Lawton : B.Vet.Med;Cert.V.Opthal;Cert.L.A.S.D.;Zoo.Med(Rept ilian);C.Biol;M.I.Biol;F.R.C.V.S President of the British Veterinary Zoological Society.
