Salmonella Rubislaw gastroenteritis linked to a pet lizard.

The Medical Journal of Australia ISSN: 0025729X 5 July 2010 193 1 54-55 ©The Medical Journal of Australia 2010 www.mja.com.au Lessons from Practice infections. The particular susceptibility of childr transmission from reptiles kept in the family home m greater exposure to the contaminated reptile and vulnerability. Much of the available evidence rega children comes from case–control studies conducted There have also been numerous reports of spor invasive disease and hospitalisation of children and alm be pr S onellosis is frequently classified as a foodborne disease cause contaminated food, mainly of animal origin, is the edominant mode of transmission. In the United States, “exotic pets” such as reptiles have become popular and reptileassociated salmonellosis has emerged as a public health problem. In Australia, although accurate figures on pet reptile ownership and reptile-associated disease are difficult to obtain, the risk to human health must be considered. International evidence suggests reptile-associated Salmonella infections are more likely to be associated with invasive disease, more commonly lead to hospitalisation and more frequently involve infants and younger children than do other Salmonella en to disease ay be due to greater host rding risk in in the US. adic cases of infants with salmonellosis linked to reptiles. A fatal case of S. Rubislaw meningitis in a 3-week-old baby was linked to a pet water dragon in England. It has been estimated that 90% of reptiles are colonised with Salmonella, which is shed intermittently in their faeces. Such high rates of colonisation suggest Salmonella are commensal organisms of the gastrointestinal tracts of these animals. There are over 2500 Salmonella serotypes, with most (including S. Rubislaw) belonging to S. enterica subspecies I. Serotypes of S. enterica subspecies I cause most Salmonella infections in humans and other warmblooded animals. By contrast, over half of the S. enterica serotypes reported from reptiles in Australia belong to subspecies IIIa, IIIb and IV, which are rare in humans (NEPSS, unpublished data). Salmonella carried by reptiles can be transmitted either through handling a reptile, or indirectly by contact with an object contaminated by a reptile or its faeces. The droppings of free-roaming reptiles may result in widespread contamination of the home environment. The hands of younger children are readily contaminated, while infants may be indirectly infected via their parents or siblings. Ultimately, bacteria are transferred to the mouth and ingested. Hand washing may not eliminate the risk of infection. As Clinical record