Salmonella: Health Officials Advise People Not To Treat Poultry As Pets

Make no mistake: we absolutely adore our chickens. But, then again, it's probably not the best idea to go out and kiss one of them-which health officials suspect is what's to blame for the spread of some instances of salmonella bacteria. Over the past few years, the numbers of illnesses caused by salmonella has indeed been overwhelmingly high and is even considered an outbreak, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that of about 181 individuals with salmonella infection in 40 different states, 86 percent had been in recent contact with live poultry before their illness occurred. Furthermore, many of them even confessed to kissing or cuddling a chicken or two. From there, 133 are still in medical facilities getting treatment.

Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family, with just two species of Salmonella, including Salmonella bongori and Salmonella enterica, from which six subspecies and innumerable serovars exist. Symptoms of infection range fron diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps anywhere from 12 to 72 hours following infection, with the illness usually lasting anywhere from 4 to 7 days. Though most recover without treatment, some may experience more severe bouts of diarrhea and require hospitalization; this is sometimes the case in those very young individuals, the elderly or those with compromised immune system, according to the CDC.

There are estimated to be about 1.2 million cases of salmonellosis in the United States alone, according to the CDC, with 450 cases leading to death and the most common bacteria carrying the disease being Salmonella serotype Enteriditis.

The spread of this disease can be prevented by properly washing hands under running water before food preparation, using clean utensils and separating raw ingredients like beef, poultry, fish or pork to avoid the transfer the bacteria. Households are also advised to cook their meat properly, especially poultry and eggs, as raw meat can also be a breeding ground for salmonella.

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