CDC Investigates Salmonella Outbreak from Backyard Poultry, 34 Sick

Federal health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating a Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak linked to backyard poultry that has sickened 34 people across 13 states since late February.

Illnesses were reported from February 26 to March 31 in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Of the cases with available information, 13 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have occurred. Patients range in age from 1 to 78 years old, with young children most affected; more than 40 percent are children under 5 years old.

Nearly 80 percent of interviewed patients reported direct contact with backyard poultry, such as chickens, ducks, geese, guinea fowl and turkeys. Among those who owned birds, more than 90 percent had acquired them since January, often from agricultural retail stores. Officials are tracing hatcheries and suppliers to identify the source.

Laboratory tests on samples from all 34 patients revealed resistance to at least one antibiotic, fosfomycin, which is used for infections resistant to other drugs. Eight samples also showed resistance to...