Salmonella outbreak linked to snakes, rodents has infected 70 in Canada

An ongoing salmonella outbreak in Canada linked to snakes and rodents has killed one person and hospitalized 10 others, the Public Health Agency of Canada says.

An ongoing salmonella outbreak in Canada linked to snakes and rodents has killed one person and hospitalized 10 others, the Public Health Agency of Canada says.

In a public health notice Tuesday, PHAC said at least 70 cases in eight provinces have been confirmed, as of March 19, in an outbreak that dates back to 2022.

The cases have been reported in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Many of the individuals who became sick reported direct or indirect contact with snakes and feeder rodents (used as reptile food) before their illnesses occurred,” PHAC said in its notice.

“Some people who became sick did not touch or handle the snakes or feeder rodents themselves, but lived in the same house where they were kept.”

The illnesses occurred between February 2022 and February 2024.

According to PHAC, an investigation was launched last spring due to a rise in reports of salmonella illnesses in several provinces.

Officials used a laboratory method called whole genome sequencing to confirm that some of the salmonella cases dating back to 2022 were caused by the same outbreak strain as more recent cases.