Salmonella infection is the leading cause of human death due to foodborne illness in theUnited States. Although human salmonellosis is usually associated with the consumption ofcontaminated food, pets can be another source of infection. Dogs and cats are not commonlythought of as carriers of Salmonella, but Salmonella infection is well-recognized in these pets.Risk factors for Salmonella infection in dogs and cats include consumption of raw meat dietsand contaminated treats such as pig ears. There have also been outbreaks of Salmonellainfection in pets fed dry commercial diets. People can be exposed to Salmonella when handlingcontaminated pet food and treats. Despite recognition of these cases and the potential risk ofsalmonellosis in dogs and cats, Salmonella culture is not routinely performed in these species.We propose to study Salmonella shedding in dogs and cats because 1) Salmonella infection iswell-recognized in dogs and cats; 2) dogs and cats live in close association with people,particularly children; 3) contamination of pet foods and treats is well-recognized and has causedcases of human salmonellosis; and 4) dogs and cats are not routinely screened for Salmonellashedding despite recognition of the risk of Salmonella infection in dogs and cats. We willmeasure the prevalence of Salmonella shedding in symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs andcats through fecal culture.
Salmonella infection is the leading cause of human death due to foodborne illness in the United States. Although human salmonellosis is usually associated with the consumption of contaminated food, pets can be another source of infection. Dogs and cats are not commonly thought of as carriers of Salmonella, but Salmonella infection is well-recognized in these pets. Recently, human Salmonella outbreaks have been associated with handling of contaminated dry pet food and treats such as pig ears. Despite recognition of these human cases, Salmonella culture is not routinely performed in dogs and cats. Given the risk of salmonellosis in dogs and cats, the importance of dogs and cats as pets, the close contact between dogs, cats, and people, particularly children, and the number of pet food recalls due to contamination with Salmonella, it is important to determine the prevalence of Salmonella shedding in dogs and cats as a potential source of human Salmonella exposure.
