Forget chicks; water frogs sicken 217 with salmonella since 2009

The U.S. Centres for Disease Control reports that as of April 5, 2011, a total of 217 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 41 states since April 1, 2009. These infections are associated with contact with water frogs, specifically, African dwarf frogs.

A single water frog breeder in California has been identified as the source of African dwarf frogs associated with human infections. This breeding facility was first identified as the source of African dwarf frogs associated with human infections in 2010. Past information about this investigation in 2009-2010 can be found on the CDC Salmonella page.

In late March 2011, local health department staff visited the frog breeder and collected environmental samples. These samples were tested in CDC laboratories and were found to be positive for Salmonella bacteria; additional testing is ongoing to determine if this Salmonella strain is the outbreak strain.

The complete writeup is available at:
http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/water-frogs-0411/040711/index.html