Outbreak of Salmonellosis Linked to Live Poultry from a Mail-Order Hatchery

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 366; no. 22; pp. 2065 - 2073
• Main Authors: Gaffga, Nicholas H, Behravesh, Casey Barton, Ettestad, Paul J, Smelser, Chad B, Rhorer, Andrew R, Cronquist, Alicia B, Comstock, Nicole A, Bidol, Sally A, Patel, Nehal J, Gerner-Smidt, Peter, Keene, William E, Gomez, Thomas M, Hopkins, Brett A, Sotir, Mark J, Angulo, Frederick J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Waltham, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 31.05.2012
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Animal Husbandry; Animals; Bacteria; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial diseases of the digestive system and abdomen; Biological and medical sciences; Chickens - microbiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Diarrhea; Disease Outbreaks; Disease transmission; Ducks - microbiology; Female; Gel electrophoresis; General aspects; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infant; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Mortality; Outbreaks; Postal & delivery services; Postal Service; Poultry; Poultry Diseases - transmission; Public health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis; Salmonella; Salmonella Infections - epidemiology; Salmonella Infections - transmission; Salmonellosis; Shipping industry; United States - epidemiology; Young Adult; United States; United States > US; Infection; Epidemic; Medicine; Poultry; Written communication; Bacteriosis; Salmonellosis; Public health
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1111818

Molecular epidemiologic methods allow identification of outbreaks that appear spatially and temporally disparate. The CDC PulseNet system has identified an outbreak of salmonellosis associated with a mail-order hatchery that has persisted for 8 years and been detected in 43 states. Nontyphoidal salmonella infections are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality in the United States, with an estimated 1 million illnesses, 19,000 hospitalizations, and 370 deaths occurring annually. 1 Although the majority of these infections are foodborne, salmonellosis can also be acquired through contact with animals, including live poultry (e.g., chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys). 2 – 8 Poultry can become infected with salmonella through comingling with infected birds from different sources, vertical transmission from infected hens, or contaminated feed. 9 Live poultry infected with salmonella typically appear healthy but can shed bacteria intermittently, making the sampling of individual birds an unreliable way to determine . . .