SALMONELLOSIS DUE TO SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM WITH EASTER CHICKS AS LIKELY SOURCE

Abstract

Outbreaks of gastroenteritis in humans due to Salmonella infections are common and are being increasingly identified and reported. At present there are approximately 222 known Salmonella types, all of which are pathogenic to man, animals, or both. According to Feig,¹25% of Salmonella outbreaks reported to the U. S. Public Health Service during the period 1945 to 1947 were due to Salmonella typhimurium, which is the predominating type of Salmonella. S. typhimurium is not an uncommon infection in chicks and other poultry.²It is believed that the infection may be transmitted through the egg to the chick and that man may become infected by eating eggs that are insufficiently heat-processed. In Minnesota there has been an apparent increase in Salmonella infections recorded by the state board of health. Forty cases were reported in 1949, as compared to 188 cases reported in 1953. S. typhimurium was identified as the