Salmonella on frozen rodents used as food for snakes and other pets has sickened 37 people in 18 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Five people have been hospitalized.
Health officials have identified the source of the tainted rodents as Reptile Industries, Inc. of Naples Fla. The company has not issued a recall. The contaminated product, Arctic Mice brand frozen rodents, were sold at PetSmart stores nationwide.
By state the case counts for the outbreak, which has been ongoing since January, is as follows: Alabama (1), Arizona (2), California (7), Illinois (1), Kentucky (1), Maryland (1), Michigan (2), Minnesota (1), Missouri (2), Montana (3), New Jersey (3), New Mexico (1), North Carolina (1), Ohio (4), Oregon (2), Pennsylvania (3), South Dakota (1), and Texas (1).
The case patients range in age from less than 1 year old to 69 years old. The median age is 21. Fifty-nine percent of those sickened are female.
Consumers who have this product should throw it away in a sealed container so that animals and humans do not come in contact with it. Anyone who has purchased the product and is experiencing symptoms of Salmonella poisoning which include abdominal cramps, fever and diarrhea should contact a doctor.
