Salmonella Bacteria
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Salmonellosis is an extremely common disease among humans. There were 41,901 reported cases in the U.S. in 1997, which probably only represents the "tip of the iceberg" of an estimated 1.4 million cases / year of non-typhoidal Salmonella infections, with approximately 16,000 hospitalizations and 600 deaths. Following a 12 to 36 hour incubation period, symptoms of fever, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and dehydration develop, which may lead to fulminant septicemia / endotoxemia.
The severity of salmonellosis in dogs and cats varies:
1. Subclinical carrier state (most common)
2. Acute enterocolitis:
- fever, anorexia, lethargy
- diarrhea, possibly with mucus or blood
- abdominal pain
3. Septicemia / endotoxemia
Salmonella infections in dogs and cats deserve special comment for several reasons related to zoonotic transmission:
- Salmonella spp. can be isolated from healthy dogs and cats at rates of up to 36% and 18%, respectively.
- Dogs and cats tend to shed Salmonella organisms for very prolonged periods of time after infection.
- Dogs and especially cats can shed Salmonella organisms in both their feces and saliva, meaning that transmission can occur via licking.
- Raw meat diets and pig ear treats may be a source of Salmonella infection for both dogs and the humans that handle the food.
- Dogs and cats may suffer salmonellosis as a "reverse zoonosis", with infection transmitted from human-to-dog and subsequently back to other humans.
