Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Pet Bearded Dragons

January 11, 2022- the CDC reported investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Uganda. Forty-four people were infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Uganda have been reported from 25 states (AL (1), AR (2), CA (3), CT (1), FL (1), KS (1), LA (1), MA (1), MN (1), MO (1), MT (2), NE (1), NM (1), MO (1), MT (2), NE (1), NM (1), NV (2), NY (1), OR (3), PA (2), RI (3), SC (1), SD (2), TX (2), UT (2), VA(1),  WA(4), and WI(4)). Fifteen people were hospitalized, and no death was reported.64% of the interviewed reported owning or touching bearded dragons or their supplies. On November 19, 2021, Oregon Health Authority collected samples from a bearded dragon in a sick person’s home for testing. WGS showed that the Salmonella on the animal is closely related to bacteria from sick people. This means that people likely got sick from touching bearded dragons. WGS of the Salmonella from 44 people’s samples and one bearded dragon sample did not predict any antibiotic resistance.  @ https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/uganda-01-22/index.html