Puppies Sold At Petland Linked To Multi-State Bacterial Infection: CDC

An infection linked to puppies sold at Petland has sickened 55 people in a dozen states since mid-September, according to the CDC. The CDC, along with various local state health departments and the Plant Health Inspection Service of the USDA, is investigating the multi-state outbreak of human Campylobacter.

According to the CDC, as of Oct. 3, a total of 55 people with laboratory-confirmed cases or symptoms consistent with the infection have been linked to the outbreak in Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The CDC said 14 of those infected are Petland employees and 35 of them either bought a puppy at Petland, visited a Petland or live in or visited a home with a puppy sold through Petland.

"Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicates that puppies sold through Petland stores are a likely source of this outbreak," the CDC said. "Petland is cooperating with public health and animal health officials to address this outbreak."

Campylobacter spreads through contact with dog poop. While it usually doesn't spread from one person to another, changing an infected person's diaper or sexual contact with an infected person can lead to infection.

Symptoms of the infection include diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within two to five days after exposure to the organism. The diarrhea may be bloody and can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The illness typically lasts about one week. Some infected persons do not have any symptoms. In persons with compromised immune systems, Campylobacter occasionally spreads to the bloodstream and causes a serious life-threatening infection.

"Petland looks forward to our continued work with the CDC and will provide any further updates as they become available," the company said in a statement.

The CDC offers the following tips to prevent the spreading of the disease:

• Wash your hands thoroughly with running water and soap for at least 20 seconds every time you touch dogs, their food, or clean up after them. Adults should supervise handwashing for young children.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use hand sanitizer until you are able to wash your hands with soap and water.
• Pick up and dispose of dog poop, especially in areas where children might play. Use disposable gloves and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
• Clean up any pee (urine), poop (stool), or vomit in the house immediately, and disinfect the area. Use disposable gloves to handle anything that has touched pee, poop, or vomit, and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
• Take your dog to the veterinarian regularly to keep it healthy and to help prevent the spread of disease.
• Don’t let pets lick around your mouth and face.
• Don’t let pets lick your open wound or areas with broken skin.

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