An investigation into outbreaks of salmonella poisoning by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has prompted U.S. health officials to warn the public to take care when handling mice, rats and hamsters after human cases of salmonella have been linked to pet rodents.
Salmonella poisoning usually occurs as a result of eating contaminated food, such as eggs or meat, but a number of cases were reported in people infected through contact with animals, usually snakes or turtles and now pet chicks, ducklings, kittens and hedgehogs have also been linked to human outbreaks.
Now according to the CDC rodents have joined the list. The agency said on Thursday that 15 people in 10 states had contracted Salmonella Typhimurium in 2003 and 2004 after direct exposure to various types of rodents purchased from pet stores.
Salmonella Typhimurium is a strain of the bacteria that is resistant to some antibiotics and causes abdominal cramping, diarrhoea and high fever. About half of those recently infected by the pet rodents were hospitalized.
The CDC recommends that people keeping rodents as pets wash their hands after handling these animals or their cages and holding containers.
Dr. Stephen Swanson, a CDC epidemiologist who helped investigate the outbreaks, said parents should monitor their children's exposure to rodents and other such pets and ensure they wash their hands after contact.