Salmonella Vitkin and Salmonella IIIb 61:z52:z53 outbreaks linked to Pet Bearded Dragons

The CDC reported that 23 people were reported ill with Salmonella. Illnesses have been reported from 15 states (California (3), Idaho (10, Iowa (1), Kentucky (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), New Jersey (1), New York (3), Ohio (2), Oklahoma (1), Pennsylvania (2), Tennessee (1), Utah (1), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1)). As of October 12, 2022, 8 of the 23 illnesses require hospitalizations. Half the ill people were children younger than one year.  WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically. Two outbreaks relate to the bearded pet dragons Salmonella Vitkin and Salmonella IIIb 61:z52:z53. Bearded dragons can carry Salmonella in their droppings even if they look healthy and clean. @ https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/beardeddragon-10-22/index.html