Individuals handling dry pet food can become infected with salmonella

Individuals handling dry pet food can become infected with salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. Healthy people infected with salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Diamond Dog Food Recall

In a press release dated April 6, 2012, Diamond Pet Foods has announced a voluntary recall of its Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal and Rice dry dog food due to possible contamination with Salmonella bacteria.

The recall event was also confirmed in an FDA news release last updated and posted on April 10, 2012.

So far, no illnesses have been reported and no other Diamond-manufactured products appear to be affected.

The product was distributed to customers located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia.

The company goes on to warn:

Individuals handling dry pet food can become infected with salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. Healthy people infected with salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

What Products Are Affected?

What to Do

You can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.

Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.

For more information about this recall, consumers should contact Diamond Pet Foods at 800-442-0402.

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Food-borne bacteria can fatally hit heart

United Press International

01-28-11

U.S. researchers report they have isolated a strain of food-borne bacteria from the heart of a patient with endocarditis.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine found 90 percent of mice with the "cardiac strain" of the food-borne bacteria listeria monocytogenes developed endocarditis -- an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium.

Mice with the cardiac strain had 10 times as much bacteria in the heart than mice infected with other strains of the bacteria.

The study, published online in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, indicated a search for more strains of the bacteria yielded 10 and, of these, one caused endocarditis.

"Usually with endocarditis there is bacterial growth on heart valves, but in this case the infection had invaded the cardiac muscle," chief investigator Nancy Freitag said in a statement.

Freitag suggested cardiac-associated strains have surface proteins that may enable the bacteria to more easily enter heart cells.

Freitag noted the bacteria, which can grow in refrigerated foods, is quite common but infections are usually mild.

"As foods are being produced with a longer and longer shelf life, listeria infection may become more common," Freitag said. "In combination with an aging population that is more susceptible to serious infection, it's important that we learn all we can about these deadly infections."

United Press International 2011