Sludge Watch ==> Salmonella Outbreak - dog food linked to infection of 70 people

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Of the 70 people sick with salmonella in this outbreak 24 were under one 
year of age.

When we are looking at recycling wastes - the safety considerations are much 
much wider than the obvious ones.

Look at how many infants handled or ate the salmonella-contaminated dog 
food, or got salmonella from the family pet.

Two main thoughts...

Re sludge and pets - pets go wandering and contact sewage sludge and bring 
it into neighboring households.  Family members can be exposed to sludge 
pathogens from handling their pets.

Pet food should be required to meet the same safety standards that apply to 
humans.  Too many little kids snack on pet food to allow BSE risk materials 
and other pathogens into pet food.



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Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Dry Dog Food
70 people, many of them young children, were sickened after handling the 
food, CDC says.
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter


(SOURCES: Casey Barton Behravesh, D.V.M., Dr.P.H., epidemiologist, U.S. 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta; Pascal James Imperato, 
M.D., chairman, department of preventive medicine and community health, 
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, New York City; May 
16, 2008, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)


THURSDAY, May 15, 2008 (HealthDay News) -- An outbreak of Salmonella 
infections in people has been traced to contaminated dry dog food, the first 
time such a link has been uncovered, U.S. officials said Thursday.

And, Salmonella infections from dry dog food may be an under-recognized 
source of illness in people, especially young children, officials from the 
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

"This is the first time human illness has been linked to dry dog food," said 
CDC epidemiologist Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, who co-authored a report on 
the finding.

The CDC isn't sure how the Salmonella bacteria got into the dog food, Barton 
Behravesh said. "There are a number of possible ways that that could happen, 
and that's something we are still trying to figure out," she said, adding 
that there have been previous cases of people contracting Salmonella 
infection from contaminated pet treats.

The incidents of people becoming infected with Salmonella from dry dog food 
occurred in 2006 and 2007. An estimated 70 people, mostly in the Northeast, 
were infected by dog food produced by Mars Petcare at its Pennsylvania 
plant. About 40 percent of those infections involved infants, according to 
the report, published in the May 16 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and 
Mortality Weekly Report.

Most of the cases occurred in Pennsylvania (29), New York (nine) and Ohio 
(seven). There were also reported cases in Alabama, California, Illinois, 
Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Carolina 
and Virginia.

Among the 61 people whose ages were available, the median age was 3 years, 
and 24 were less than 1 year old. Of the 38 people for whom clinical 
information was available, 15 (39 percent) had bloody diarrhea. For the 45 
persons whose hospitalization status was known, 11 (24 percent) had to be 
hospitalized. No deaths were reported, according to the report.

No pets became ill. However, Salmonella was identified in feces samples from 
dogs that ate the dry food. In addition, Salmonella was found in open bags 
of the pet food fed to the dogs and in unopened bags of dog food made in the 
Pennsylvania plant, the CDC said.

Mars Petcare voluntarily recalled some bags of the two brands of food 
involved, but neither of the recalled brands was related to human illness, 
the CDC said.

Infection with the Salmonella bacteria produces an illness called 
salmonellosis. According to the CDC, most infected people develop diarrhea, 
fever, and abdominal cramps within 12 to 72 hours. The illness typically 
lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. But, 
for some, the diarrhea may be so severe that they need to be hospitalized. 
In these patients, the infection can spread from the intestines to the blood 
stream, and then to other parts of the body, leading to death unless 
antibiotics are administered promptly. The elderly, infants, and those with 
impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.

Salmonella infection typically comes from undercooked eggs, poultry, or 
meat, but can also result from direct contact with farm animals, reptiles 
and pets. To prevent infection, the CDC recommends washing your hands 
immediately after handling the food, including dry dog food.

"The most important thing is to wash your hands right after you handle any 
dry dog food, any other pet food, pet treats, even supplements or vitamins," 
Barton Behravesh said. "In addition, keep infants and other young children 
away from pet food, because kids tend to want to see what their dogs are 
eating and grab at the pet food and play with it or even put it in their 
mouth."

One expert thinks contamination of pet food is likely to become more 
commonplace.

"There have been problems with pet foods before," said Dr. Pascal James 
Imperato, chairman of the department of preventive medicine and community 
health at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in New 
York City.

"If the food had any animal product in it, there could have been 
contamination, or if it was being processed in a plant where they were also 
processing animal product, then contamination can easily occur," he said.

Imperato said the way food is produced makes it more likely that 
contamination will occur.

"There is greater industrialization of the production of food products, both 
for humans and animals, and these are complex processing systems. Therefore, 
there is greater opportunity for contamination," Imperato said. "We are 
likely to see many more of these problems."

http://healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.asp?Docid=615567