title: Reptile-associated salmonellosis in children aged under 5 years in South West England.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the proportion of Salmonella cases in children aged <5 years that were reptile-associated salmonellosis (RAS) and to compare the severity of illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  To analyse all cases of salmonellosis reported to public health authorities in children aged under 5 years in the South West of the UK from January 2010 to December 2013 for reptile exposure, age, serotype, hospitalisation and invasive disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  48 of 175 (27%) Salmonella cases had exposure to reptiles. The median age of RAS cases was significantly lower than non-RAS cases (0.5 vs 1.0 year). RAS cases were 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalised (23/48) compared with non-RAS cases (25/127; p=0.0002). This trend continued in cases aged under 12 months, with significantly more RAS cases hospitalised (19/38) than non-RAS cases (8/42; p=0.003). Significantly more RAS cases had invasive disease (8/48: 5 bacteraemia, 2 meningitis, 1 colitis) than non-RAS cases (4/127: 3 bacteraemia, 1 meningitis).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reptile exposure was found in over a quarter of all reported Salmonella cases in children under 5 years of age. RAS is associated with young age, hospitalisation and invasive disease.
authors.affiliation: Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, Cornwall, UK.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Health Protection Team, Sedgemoor Centre, St Austell, Cornwall, UK.
authors.forename: Femi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oshin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D057805:Pets / Q000382:microbiology*; D012104:Reptiles / Q000382:microbiology*; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission
keywords: Infectious Diseases; reptile; salmonellosis