Hosted by Public Health Ontario
As reptiles become more popular as household pets in Canada, the number of reptile-associated outbreaks of Salmonella has increased. To understand which reptile species are associated with human Salmonella infection, this PHO Rounds presents a retrospective analysis of human case data for all people with confirmed or probable Salmonella infection, reported in Ontario from 2015-2022. Serotypes of infection among those cases reporting reptile contact were compared to veterinary Salmonella isolates reported during the same period. The study found that reptile species commonly reported by cases were similar to those with detection of Salmonella. Some serotypes identified in human cases (with reptile exposure) were closely related with reported contact with a specific reptile species. These results can be used to inform education of reptile owners, breeders and sellers, and may be useful for public health unit investigators when considering source attribution during case or outbreak investigations.