TY - JOUR AU - Van Immerseel, Filip AU - Pasmans, Frank AU - De Buck, Jeroen AU - Rychlik, Ivan AU - Hradecka, Helena AU - Collard, Jean-Marc AU - Wildemauwe, Christa AU - Heyndrickx, Marc AU - Ducatelle, Richard AU - Haesebrouck, Freddy T1 - Cats as a Risk for Transmission of Antimicrobial drug−resistant Salmonella T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2004 VL - 10 IS - 12 SP - 2169 SN - 1080-6059 AB - To determine whether cats were a risk for transmission of Salmonella to humans, we evaluated the excretion of Salmonella by pet cats. Rectal-swab specimens were taken from 278 healthy house cats, from 58 cats that died of disease, and from 35 group-housed cats. Group-housed cats were kept in one room with three cat trays and a common water and feed tray. Eighteen (51.4%) of 35 group-housed cats, 5 (8.6%) of 58 diseased cats (5/58), and 1 (0.36%) of 278 healthy house cats excreted Salmonella. Salmonella isolates were of serotypes Typhimurium, Enteritidis, Bovismorbificans and 4:i:-. Acquired antimicrobial resistance was found in serotype Typhimurium (resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline; to ampicillin; and to chloramphenicol) and 4:i:- strains (resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, sulfonamides, trimethoprim, and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim). Cats that excrete Salmonella can pose a public health hazard to people who are highly susceptible to Salmonella, such as children, the elderly, and immunocompromised persons. KW - zoonoses KW - Salmonella Infections KW - cats KW - disease reservoirs KW - research KW - Belgium DO - 10.3201/eid1012.040904 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/10/12/04-0904_article ER - End of Reference