Almost half, 41 percent, of the patients are children younger than 5 years old.
Published:
Backyard poultry flocks are infecting people with antibiotic resistant Salmonella, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of April 13, there have been 34 confirmed patients infected with the outbreak strain on Salmonella Saintpaul. The patients are spread across 13 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from Feb. 26 to March 31. Of 27 people with information available, 13 have been hospitalized, meaning the outbreak strain is particularly virulent.
There are likely many more sick people in the outbreak because some people do not seek medical attention and others are not specifically tested for Salmonella infection, which can mimic other diseases. The CDC estimates that for every confirmed patient in a Salmonella outbreak there are 29 who go undetected.
The patients in this outbreak range in age from younger than 1 to 78 years old. Almost half, 41 percent, of the patients are children younger than 5 years old.
Public health investigators are interviewing sick people about the animals they came into contact with during the week before they became ill. Of 23 interviewed so far, 23 reported contact with backyard poultry.
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) from patient samples show that the strain of Salmonella involved in the outbreak is closely related. This suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from contact with the same type of animal.
Investigators in Ohio collected samples from backyard poultry. WGS showed that the Salmonella Saintpaul found in these samples were the same strain as those found in sick people.
Based on WGS analysis, bacteria from 34 people’s samples predicted resistance to fosfomycin. Of these, eight patients’ samples also predicted resistance to one or more of the following antibiotics: chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfisoxazole, and tetracycline.
Salmonella outbreaks from backyard poultry flocks have become an annual hazard, with some outbreaks sickening more than 1,000 people. An outbreak in 2025 sickened 559 people, killing two.
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Coral Beach
Managing Editor Coral Beach is a print journalist with more than 35 years experience as a reporter and editor for daily newspapers, trade publications and freelance clients including the Kansas City Star and Independence Examiner.
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