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By Serena Gordon HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, May 30 (HealthDay News) — Few things are harderfor a youngster to resist touching than a cuddly baby chick. But anew U.S. government study has bad news for parents — thoseadorable little chicks may harbor salmonella bacteria. The study found that 316 people, primarily young children, from 43U.S. states had been infected with salmonella after handling younglive poultry. "This was an eight-year investigation into an outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo that was linked primarily to one mail-order hatchery in theU.S.," said study co-author Casey Barton Behravesh, aveterinary epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Controland Prevention. "We were able to work with the hatchery, andafter the intervention, the number of human infections declined.This is a success story," she added. The study's findings are published in the May 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine . Salmonella causes more than 42,000 reported infections each year,according to the CDC. But, because many people never report milderinfections with the bacteria, the CDC estimates that the actualnumber of infections may be as much as 29 times higher than that.About 370 people die each year because of salmonella, according tobackground information in the study. Children, especially those younger than 5 years, are at greatestrisk of salmonella infection. The elderly, pregnant women and thosewith compromised immune systems also have a higher risk of gettingsick from salmonella, according to the CDC. Diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramping are common signs ofsalmonella infection. Most people get better on their own, but somepeople develop a more serious infection and need to behospitalized. Live poultry infected with salmonella generally appear healthy, butcan still spread the bacteria to their offspring. About 50 millionlive poultry (chicks, goslings and ducks) are sold through mailorder in the United States each year. These animals can usually bepurchased for $5 or less at agricultural feed stores or through themail. Barton Behravesh said people who keep chickens in their yards athome can be exposed when collecting eggs or cleaning up the chickencoop. Children in schools that hatch baby chicks as part of theircurriculum may also be exposed. The CDC was alerted to this outbreak in 2005 by the state ofColorado. It had three infections with the same unusual strain ofsalmonella, called Salmonella Montevideo . All three reported exposure to baby chicks and ducks. The CDC eventually found a total of 316 people — half of themunder 4 years old — who had been infected with thisparticular strain. Twenty-three percent of those the CDC was ableto interview were hospitalized. No deaths were reported. Seventy-seven percent reported they'd had contact with liveyoung poultry in the week before the illness. The researchers thentraced the poultry back to their source, which turned out to be asingle mail-order hatchery for most of those infected. The owners of the hatchery implicated in many of the infectionsvoluntarily replaced old equipment and implemented new cleaning andvaccination procedures, and began testing for salmonella. Afterinitial success, Barton Behravesh said a lapse in the newprocedures led to increased salmonella at the hatchery. But, shesaid, the hatchery is now back on track. Because this wasn't the only hatchery linked to salmonellaoutbreaks in the nation, the CDC recommends that children under 5not handle live poultry. Dr. Lorry Rubin, director of pediatric infectious diseases at CohenChildren's Medical Center of New York, in New Hyde Park,agreed with that recommendation. "The younger the child, themore difficult it is to ensure compliance with hand-washing,"Rubin said. "It's reasonable to have a prohibition onhandling live poultry in children under 5 or 6. Older children andadults should be educated in proper hand-washing hygiene." Small turtles are also known to harbor salmonella, and their salewas banned three decades ago in the United States, but some peoplestill have them as pets. In February, the CDC reported on amultistate salmonella outbreak involving turtles in 2010-2011. Dwarf frogs, iguanas and other reptiles can carry salmonella, too. "It's important for parents to be aware of the risks.There is so much education and enrichment that comes frominteracting with animals. But animals can carry germs that can makechildren sick," said Barton Behravesh. Both experts said if you or your children do touch animals orreptiles, wash your hands thoroughly after doing so. If youcan't get to a sink, use an alcohol-based sanitizer until youhave an opportunity to wash your hands. More information Get tips on preventing salmonella infection from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . SOURCES: Casey Barton Behravesh, D.V.M., Dr.P.H., veterinaryepidemiologist, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,Atlanta, Ga.; Lorry Rubin, M.D., director, pediatric infectiousdiseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, NewHyde Park, N.Y.; May 31, 2012, New England Journal of Medicine Last Updated: May 30, 2012 Copyright 2012 HealthDay . All rights reserved. I am an expert from securitycctv-cameras.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Flying Saucer Camera Manufacturer , Vandalproof Dome Camera, Mini CCTV Cameras,and more.
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