Salmonella illnesses traced to pet rodents

Hamsters and other pet rodents are probably underappreciated spreaders of salmonella bacteria, researchers say. A recent outbreak investigation linked 15 of 22 infections caused by Salmonella enterica of a type called Typhimurium to the act of handling an infected rodent or to having contact with a person who’d handled such an animal.

Salmonella is most commonly a food-borne illness but has, on occasion, been linked to pets, including turtles.