Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report issued by the Centers for Disease Control cites an outbreak of 28 cases of drug-resistant Salmonella poisoning after children handled pet rodents, such as mice, gerbils, and hamsters. So, Salmonella can be spread by other weird pets, in addition to reptiles.
The average age of the patients was 16, although seven patients were younger than seven. Seventy-seven percent of the group reported abdominal cramping, 67% had fever, 53% had vomiting, 20% had bloody diarrhea. Forty percent required hospitalizations. No one died. Rodent exposures occurred from both pet rodents and rodents purchased to feed pet snakes.
It was noted by researchers that young children should not be permitted to handle rodent poop and that they shouldn't be kissing pet chicks and ducklings on their little beaks or kittens and hedgehogs on the lips. Hedgehogs? And, unlike kittens, dogs are not cited as a possible source of infection.
Even though common sense tells us that we shouldn't let our kids play with Salmonella-free dog poop, we apparently need the CDC to tell as that we shouldn't let our kids throw hamster poop at each other.
Posted by Bill at May 9, 2005 09:59 PMThank you-- that is ammunition against getting reptiles and rodents as pets for years.
And we just adopted a stray dog, like I need one more furry kid around here.
Posted by: jen at May 9, 2005 11:16 PMI had to go read the article for myself to see if it really mentioned hedgehogs. I mean, really ... hedgehogs???
*ahem* I'm sorry I doubted you.
Posted by: elle at May 10, 2005 05:56 AMWe loved our hamster!
Posted by: Anji at May 11, 2005 08:26 AMHmmph.
My sister and I had many a happy time throwing assorted rodent poop at each other: hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits (not a rodent).
I doubt we would have grown up to be the happy, responsible, capable adults we are without our poop throwing antics.
Leave it to the govt. to try to ruin my childhood memories.
Posted by: moonandsun03 at May 11, 2005 12:09 PM