Salmonella Serotype Montevideo Infections Associated With Chicks—Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, Spring 1995 and 1996

• Published in: JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 277; no. 14; pp. 1108 - 1109
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago American Medical Association 09-04-1997
• Subjects: Bacteria; Infections; Poultry; Public health
• ISSN: 0098-7484; 1538-3598
• DOI: 10.1001/jama.1997.03540380022009

DURING 1995 and 1996, public health laboratories in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon identified clusters of infections with Salmonella serotype Montevideo. Epidemiologic investigations, including enhanced surveillance, of these clusters indicated association with exposure to chicks. This report summarizes the findings of these investigations, which suggest that handling chicks is a health risk, especially for children; consequently, thorough handwashing is recommended after handling of chicks.Idaho and WashingtonDuring April 1-May 31,1995, the public health laboratories of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) and the Washington Department of Health (WDH) identified three and nine S. Montevideo isolates, respectively, compared with annual averages of <1 and 20 during 1984-1994. In April and May 1996, a total of 11 S. Montevideo isolates were reported in Washington. For this investigation, a case was defined as culture-confirmed S. Montevideo infection in an Idaho or Washington resident with onset of illness