Salmonellosis Linked to Backyard Chickens Spread Across 47 States

More than 370 people from 47 states have been infected with eight outbreak strains of human Salmonella linked to contact with live poultry in backyard flocks. The outbreak, being investigated by CDC, many state departments of health and agriculture, and the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service are caused by several kinds of Salmonella bacteria: Salmonella Braenderup, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Hadar, Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i-, Salmonella Indiana, Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Mbandaka, and Salmonella Typhimurium.

As of 372 people have been reported from 47 states.

As of May 25, 2017, the illnesses, which started on dates ranging from January 4 to May 13, 2017, have caused

• 71 ill people to be hospitalized,
• 36% of which are children younger than 5 years.
• No reported deaths.

According to CDC, epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory findings link the eight outbreaks to contact with live poultry, such as chicks and ducklings, which come from several hatcheries. In interviews, 190 (83%) of 228 ill people reported contact with live poultry in the week before illness started. People reported purchasing live baby poultry from several sources, including feed supply stores, websites, hatcheries, and from relatives.

Chicks, ducklings, and other live poultry that look healthy and clean can still carry Salmonella bacteria, and contact with live poultry and the areas where they live and roam can make people sick. Outbreaks linked to contact with live poultry have increased in recent years as more people keep backyard flocks. In 2016, a record number of illnesses were linked to contact with backyard poultry.

For more information, visit CDC.