title: Farm animal contact as risk factor for transmission of bovine-associated Salmonella subtypes.
abstract: Salmonellosis is usually associated with foodborne transmission. To identify risk from animal contact, we compared animal exposures of case-patients infected with bovine-associated Salmonella subtypes with those of control-patients infected with non-bovine-associated subtypes. We used data collected in New York and Washington, USA, from March 1, 2008, through March 1, 2010. Contact with farm animals during the 5 days before illness onset was significantly associated with being a case-patient (odds ratio 3.2, p = 0.0008), after consumption of undercooked ground beef and unpasteurized milk were controlled for. Contact with cattle specifically was also significantly associated with being a case-patient (odds ratio 7.4, p = 0.0002), after food exposures were controlled for. More cases of bovine-associated salmonellosis in humans might result from direct contact with cattle, as opposed to ingestion of foods of bovine origin, than previously recognized. Efforts to control salmonellosis should include a focus on transmission routes other than foodborne.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-4458, USA. kcummings@cvm.tamu.edu
authors.forename: Kevin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cummings
authors.forename: Lorin D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Warnick
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Kaye
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eckmann
authors.forename: Yrjö T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Gröhn
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoelzer
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.forename: Timothy P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Root
authors.forename: Julie D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Siler
authors.forename: Suzanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: McGuire
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiedmann
authors.forename: Emily M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Shelley M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Zansky
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Besser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002417:Cattle; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D012475:Salmonella / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D012703:Serotyping; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult